Street Car Showdown kicks off Muscle Car Series

Memorial Day weekend event includes NASCAR K&N, SCCA National

The Muscle Car Series, Brainerd International Raceway's annual display of huge horsepower and super-quick speeds, makes its 2012 debut Memorial Day weekend during the 4th Annual Street Car Showdown.

May 25-27 features the Street Car Showdown on the drag strip and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and Sports Car Club of America's (SCCA) Harvey West Classic national/regional race sharing the Competition Road Course. A special treat for fans will be NitroMike Kunz's beefed-up PT Cruiser that will be a quarter-mile wheelie on the drag strip at 120 mph. It'll be a weekend that race fans dream about.

The Muscle Car Series will feature the "fast five" classes, where speeds can exceed 200 mph and times flirt with the 6 and 7 second marks. Those classes - Pro Outlaw, Outlaw, King Street, Real Street and True Street - comprise the main event in the Muscle Car Series, a three-race series that includes the NAPA Auto Parts Show & Go and the Muscle Car Shootout. Racers finishing at the top of the points standings at the end of the season win a series championship.

The event also includes Truck Eliminator, Strip Eliminator 1, 2 and 3, and 10 Index classes (9.50 seconds, 10.00 seconds, etc., through 14.00 seconds). The winners of the Index classes are then paired up in a bracket to determine the Index Class Champion.

Last year, Mother Nature wasn't so kind to the event, as frequent rain showers chased away teams and postponed the series' elimination rounds. Many teams packed up and headed home throughout the weekend because of the weather and the ugly forecast, but many stayed. And with dry conditions Sunday morning, all the Index and Strip Eliminator classes were able to finish their elimination rounds, even though the rain came before an Index Class Champion was crowned. Racers in the fast five classes had to wait until the Show & Go to complete their elimination rounds.

Qualifying and time trials are Friday and Saturday. Elimination rounds are Sunday.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series and SCCA Harvey West Classic will be on the 2.5-mile, 13-turn Competition Road Course. The NASCAR K&N will race Saturday only. The SCCA will have national and regional races throughout the rest of the weekend. What the schedule for NitroMike's exhibitions on the drag strip with his PT Cruiser. You won't want to miss that one.

Daily admission for the event is only $25 for adults and $15 for kids ages 6-12. Click here for more ticket information.