Need for Speed

Next year’s American Speed Festival will feature the Shelby marque, in honor of the 60th anniversary of Shelby American, the California high-performance vehicle manufacturer founded by the legendary Carroll Shelby.
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The American Speed Festival will be returning to M1 Concourse after a successful first year. // Courtesy of M1 Concourse
The American Speed Festival will be returning to M1 Concourse after a successful first year. // Courtesy of M1 Concourse

The American Speed Festival is returning to M1 Concourse in Pontiac Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 2022, after a successful inaugural run, show organizers say.

Next year’s event will feature the Shelby marque, in honor of the 60th anniversary of Shelby American, the California high-performance vehicle manufacturer founded by the legendary Carroll Shelby.

Chaparral was the featured make for the inaugural American Speed Festival, and four of those historic vehicles were among the more than 100 vintage racers that participated in the event. Chaparral’s mastermind, Jim Hall, was the first recipient of M1’s Master of Motorsports award for lifetime achievement in the racing industry.

“We’re very pleased with the success of our inaugural American Speed Festival weekend,” says Tim McGrane, CEO of M1 Concourse. “We had a tremendous three days for our Dine and Drive, and two days of on-track time trials on the 1.5-mile Speed Ring of Champion Motor Speedway.”

M1 also inaugurated the Checkered Flag Ball, which raised more than $100,000 for M1 Mobility, the facility’s effort to improve public transportation in the Pontiac area.

“As with any first-time event, we’ll take valued input from our customers and competitors to provide a better event for all,” McGrane says. “We can’t wait to do it again, and we can promise it will be bigger and better than ever as we celebrate the sport of auto racing and the anniversary of Shelby American.”