{"id":25556,"date":"2020-06-18T21:55:01","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T01:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=25556"},"modified":"2020-06-18T21:55:01","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T01:55:01","slug":"american-festival-of-speed-aims-to-be-major-car-event-in-pontiac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/american-festival-of-speed-aims-to-be-major-car-event-in-pontiac","title":{"rendered":"American Festival of Speed aims to be major car event in Pontiac"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/18\/PDTN\/ba107543-0bba-43f4-b9a1-0df1ffa1a9a3-m1_racecars.JPG?width=520&amp;height=390&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"A group of 1970s Shadow Can Am cars do laps around M1 Concourse. The 2021 American Festival of Speed will feature similar cars on the track.\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><p><span class=\"js-caption\">A group of 1970s Shadow Can Am cars do laps around M1 Concourse. The 2021 American Festival of Speed will feature similar cars on the track.<\/span><span class=\"credit gallery-viewport-credit\">\u00a0Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\"><em>Pontiac\u00a0<\/em>\u2013 Imagine the sounds of supercars on the track. The sights of people ogling the latest cars for charity. Manufacturers spinning their muscle cars on the skid pad.\u00a0Imagine it, not in Detroit, but in Pontiac.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">The American Festival of Speed is coming in fall 2021\u00a0as Pontiac\u2019s M1 Concourse aims to become the site of one of the premier automotive events in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Paired with another new event called the Woodward Dream Show\u00a0\u2014 which\u00a0debuts\u00a0this August during what is supposed to be Woodward Dream Cruise week \u2014\u00a0the events will be coordinated under the umbrella of the Pontiac Motorsports Exposition. They will be explicitly modeled after the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival, England&#8217;s world-renowned motoring exhibitions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The events\u00a0come as the North American International Auto Show tries again in June 2021 to reinvent itself in downtown Detroit as a Goodwood-like outdoor\u00a0festival after the pandemic\u00a0shut down its first event this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Pontiac Motorsports Exposition\u00a0CEO Tim Hartge acknowledges what he sees as the friendly rivalry\u00a0between the shows.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">\u201cBut we have a race track,\u201d he said while overlooking the 1.5-mile Champion Motor Speedway here. \u201cWe\u2019ve got an experiential marketplace. It hits all the senses. The NAIAS doesn\u2019t have that.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Sy8OrpPusQ8\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/0e50de473128508fbf8486d0b6e35de54429a294\/c=337-0-5678-4016\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/08\/11\/DetroitNews\/DetroitNews\/636695987569665925-2018-0811-mo-Roadkill675.JPG?width=540&amp;height=405&amp;fit=crop\" alt=\"The M1 Concourse in Pontiac, which has been the home of events associated with the Woodward Dream Cruise, will host a major car event in fall 2021 known as the American Festival of Speed.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/0e50de473128508fbf8486d0b6e35de54429a294\/c=337-0-5678-4016\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/08\/11\/DetroitNews\/DetroitNews\/636695987569665925-2018-0811-mo-Roadkill675.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/0e50de473128508fbf8486d0b6e35de54429a294\/c=337-0-5678-4016\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/08\/11\/DetroitNews\/DetroitNews\/636695987569665925-2018-0811-mo-Roadkill675.JPG\" \/>The M1 Concourse in Pontiac, which has been the home of events associated with the Woodward Dream Cruise, will host a major car event in fall 2021 known as the American Festival of Speed.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Max Ortiz, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Where Goodwood&#8217;s events\u00a0takes over the estate of English nobleman Lord March, the Motorsports Exposition events will occupy M1 Concourse, a private club for auto owners.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">\u201cWe\u2019re modeling it after Goodwood, and we want manufacturers to come, too. The theme of both shows is &#8216;Past, Present and Future,&#8217; which is cool because we want to bring electric-sports racing out here, too,&#8221; said Hartge, a motorhead who drives a Ford Mustang Bullitt. &#8220;We want to have a demonstration of these kind of cars. And we\u2019ll give the manufacturers a chance to do a demo day if the want to bring out their Hellcats or their GT500s.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"ad-position-69\" class=\"partner-placement partner-spike partner-placement-visible\" data-ad-placement=\"native-article_link\" data-ad-sizes=\"[&quot;fluid&quot;,[3,3], [2,6], [300,250]]\" data-monetization-id=\"native-article_link\" data-monetization-sizes=\"fluid,300,250,3,3,2,6\">M1 gave a glimpse of its\u00a0Festival of Speed future when it hosted\u00a0four classic Shadow Can Am race cars on the track last Friday. The foursome\u00a0\u2014 one of them fired by a 1,000-horsepower Chevy V-8 \u2013 made the earth shake at M1,\u00a0which\u00a0has broken ground on\u00a0a fancy events facility that will be a festival centerpiece.<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Goodwood\u2019s Festival of Speed is a Disneyland of automotive\u00a0attractions \u2014\u00a0past shows have featured everything from race cars suspended on giant Popsicle sticks, to the premiere of the 2020 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 \u2014 that attracts some\u00a0150,000 people each year.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Sy8OrpP4Emo\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/17\/PDTN\/555b51d0-5326-4f84-a10b-ee16c1174966-m1_shadows.jpg?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2021 American Festival of Speed will carry the theme &quot;Past, Present and Future,&quot; showcasing classics like these Shadow Can Am cars that lapped the M1 Concourse in Pontiac last week.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/17\/PDTN\/555b51d0-5326-4f84-a10b-ee16c1174966-m1_shadows.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/17\/PDTN\/555b51d0-5326-4f84-a10b-ee16c1174966-m1_shadows.jpg\" \/>The 2021 American Festival of Speed will carry the theme &#8220;Past, Present and Future,&#8221; showcasing classics like these Shadow Can Am cars that lapped the M1 Concourse in Pontiac last week.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The American Festival of Speed will sport\u00a0its own automotive royalty next year when it\u00a0honors Jim Hall, the legendary race driver and entrepreneur who powered his 1960s Chaparral Can Am cars\u00a0with Chevy engines. Hall will bring three of his priceless Chaparrals and will be honored with the festival\u2019s first Master of Motorsports Award. Hartge says the Chaparrals will make a tour of the track between regular, timed runs of international supercars just like the hillclimb course that anchors Goodwood\u2019s weekend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">European luxury-makers have vacated the Detroit auto show, but as the 2020 Cayman intro suggests, they might find the upscale digs of M1 more enticing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">\u201cStatic car shows have a problem. Manufacturers and the public want experiential events,\u201d said Hartge. \u201cWe have all the senses engaged here on 87 acres.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Pontiac Motorsports Exposition\u00a0has ambitions beyond just sleek chariots. Like the NAIAS has benefited Detroit, Hartge says\u00a0the American Festival of Speed \u2014 to be held Sept. 30-Oct. 3,\u00a02021 \u2014 is part of a much larger vision for Pontiac. The festival will even have a major charity\u00a0event, called the\u00a0Charity Ball, like the Detroit auto show.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">For a taste of what the facility can do, the Woodward Dream Show will debut this Aug. 13-15 during what is traditionally Woodward Dream Cruise week. But with\u00a0cities from Ferndale to Birmingham canceling\u00a0Dream Cruise events\u00a0because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dream Show could become a focal point.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Sy8OrpPep0k\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/3ef8b2ef9adfde2e3ddee69482064752125a1646\/c=322-0-3159-2133\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/07\/18\/DetroitNews\/DetroitNews\/636675193400694501-GettyImages-997570868.jpg?width=540&amp;height=405&amp;fit=crop\" alt=\"The American Festival of Speed in Pontiac will be modeled after Britain's Goodwood Festival of Speed, pictured here.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/3ef8b2ef9adfde2e3ddee69482064752125a1646\/c=322-0-3159-2133\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/07\/18\/DetroitNews\/DetroitNews\/636675193400694501-GettyImages-997570868.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/3ef8b2ef9adfde2e3ddee69482064752125a1646\/c=322-0-3159-2133\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/07\/18\/DetroitNews\/DetroitNews\/636675193400694501-GettyImages-997570868.jpg\" \/>The American Festival of Speed in Pontiac will be modeled after Britain&#8217;s Goodwood Festival of Speed, pictured here.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Tristan Fewings, Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">M1 Concourse has\u00a0already become the unofficial launch of Cruise week with the annual Roadkill Nights blowout\u00a0\u2014\u00a0though the event has been\u00a0sidelined this year. Sponsored by Dodge for the last five years, it showcased drag racing on Woodward for about 47,000\u00a0attendees\u00a0while\u00a0offering\u00a0hot laps on the race track and drifting around\u00a0M1\u2019s skid pad.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Acknowledging concern about the coronavirus,\u00a0Hartge said\u00a0tickets will help regulate crowd size\u00a0and will be sold online to minimize hand-to-hand contact. The Dream Show will conform\u00a0to government\u00a0and social distancing guidelines. M1 will offer sanitizing stations, gloves and masks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Three days of\u00a0racing, exhibits and food are planned. The Dream\u00a0Show will open Aug. 13 with a judged display\u00a0of the Dream Cruise&#8217;s best American hot rods.\u00a0An\u00a0auto-themed fashion show and\u00a0After Dark-Afterglow party will follow. Aug. 14 will be track-focused with single-lap, timed runs featuring performance cars. Aug. 15 is an open invitation to car clubs to take over M1\u2019s lawns and asphalt.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The event will be capped off Aug. 15 with a Woodward Avenue parade to Pontiac\u2019s downtown loop and Wide Track Drive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">&#8220;Pontiac is the next place besides Detroit that is natural for rehabilitation,&#8221; said Hartge who notes M1 Concourse sits on the site of a\u00a0former GM plant that dates to 1908.\u00a0&#8220;Let\u2019s help the businesses here. The goal is to put Pontiac back on the map\u00a0as an automotive capital.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"presto-h3\"><strong>Woodward Dream Show<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Aug. 13: noon to 8 p.m.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Aug. 14:\u00a0\u00a09 a.m. \u2013 7 p.m.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Saturday, Aug 15: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Tickets (on sale in July): $35,\u00a0single day.\u00a0$57.50, 2-day pass.\u00a0$85, three-day pass.\u00a0All-day parking is $15.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">For tickets, visit WoodwardDreamShow.com.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"presto-h3\"><strong>American Festival of Speed<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2021<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Details pending.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A group of 1970s Shadow Can Am cars do laps around M1 Concourse. The 2021 American Festival of Speed will feature similar cars on the track.\u00a0Henry Payne, The Detroit News Pontiac\u00a0\u2013 Imagine the sounds of supercars on the track. The sights of people ogling the latest cars for charity. Manufacturers spinning their muscle cars on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25556"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25556"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25557,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25556\/revisions\/25557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}