Six years ago, Holley launched its Intergalactic Ford Festival in conjunction with NMRA’s season finale, which took place at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky, for more than a quarter century. Last year, that sanctioning body’s run came to an abrupt end, but never fear the Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival lives on this year.
It’s really up to the Ford crowd to dictate what it becomes… — Bill Tichenor, Holley
“It’s an incredible event and was a great partnership with Promedia/NMRA and we’re just excited to be able to keep it going for the Ford enthusiasts and to be able to show them how committed we are to them and their machines they love,” Bill Tichenor, Director of Marketing at Holley, explained. “We truly believe it is one of the best Ford events in the country, and it’s certainly the most action-packed Ford motorsport event in the country.”
While it won’t be the finale for a racing series any longer, the event will still include drag racing. Some familiar classes could return to the Beech Bend’s historic 1,320, including Renegade, Coyote Stock, 8.60 Street Race, Street Warrior 10.10, Open Comp, and possibly even a Godzilla Shootout. You can expect more clarity on the full complement of drag-racing classes as the event gets closer, but it is great to hear that some of the legacy categories will live on.
“Since it’s not part of the NMRA series, we will be able to open up our options for more classes that are suited to a one-off event like some of Holley’s other events,” Tichenor said. “We will be able to cater to a larger group of racers and do what we think is fun and will drive the largest car count. Having said that, we are also aware that the racers want to maximize their track time, so we may need to limit the car count at some point.”
While drag racing is a part of the Intergalactic Ford Festival, the other action around the track facility is what makes this event so special. That includes autocrossing, burnout contest, car show, circle-track racing, drifting, dyno runs, off-roading, and more.
“Yes, they can expect all the same and even look for more over time as we let our creativity and the creativity of the Ford market see where it takes us,” Tichenor said. “We definitely want to include more things for trucks and Broncos up in the off-road course and anywhere else on the property that makes sense.”
Ford fans can rejoice that this event is continuing to celebrate a cornucopia of Blue Oval performance machines, and Holley is committed to improving and growing this event moving forward.
“We always want feedback from participants and fans, so we can promise that we will listen and do our best to continue to improve over time,” Tichenor added. “It’s really up to the Ford crowd to dictate what it becomes. We just want to follow the fun and support what they want to do.”
This year’s event takes place at that same legendary venue from September 26-27, and you can check out the full details on all the action by visiting its official website, right here.
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