26th Texas Shelby Nationals - Press Release

[bwcobra15]

Ford Centennial and Carroll Shelby’s birthday
to be celebrated at
26TH TEXAS NATIONALS


DALLAS July 7, 2003 – Shelby Cobras, Mustangs and other high-performance Ford-powered cars will pour into North Texas for the Shelby Cobra Association of Texas’ 26th Texas Nationals from September 11 - 13, 2003. The Texas Nationals will honor Ford’s 100th birthday and Texan Carroll Shelby, who became a celebrated racecar driver and one of the most influential automobile manufacturers in the world, with two days of track events, a banquet and car show.

The Shelby Cobra Association of Texas will host a track day at the Motorsports Ranch road course in Cresson, Texas, on Thursday, September 11 and a social at the Hilton Arlington, which is across from Six Flags. The next day, cars will race down the drag strip at Texas Raceway in Kennedale. The club will host a banquet on Friday night, September 12, at 8 PM inside the Hilton. On Saturday, S.C.A.T. will have an all Ford powered car show at the hotel. There are fees to participate in the track days, banquet and car shows; the public can attend the car show at no cost.

“Carroll Shelby and his team gave Ford and America its first sports car racing championship,” said S.C.A.T. President, Russ Kintz. “So we’re celebrating the Ford Centennial and Shelby’s 80th birthday by giving the public the chance to enjoy his many fantastic cars as they were meant to be experienced. It will be exciting to watch genuine Shelby and Ford powered cars roaring around the road course and down the drag strip. And the sight of hundreds of spectacular performance cars on display will be amazing. We invite anyone interested in performance cars to celebrate with us.”

Born in Leesburg, Texas, Carroll Shelby is an American legend. He was one of the United States’ most prolific racecar drivers, enjoying success in virtually every sports car and formula series in the world. In 1959, he won the famous 24-hours Le Mans and was named Sports Car Illustrated’s “Driver of the Year.” Shelby was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1992.

After a heart ailment shortened his racing career, he founded “Shelby American” in 1962. There, he created the renowned Cobra sports car, one of the most significant cars of the last 50 years. Shelby is still making automotive history with continuation production of new Cobras and the Texas based Shelby G.T.500E.

The 26th Texas Nationals will return to the racetrack for 2003. In 2002, S.C.A.T. departed from the track format to conduct the “Texas 289” rally through East Texas. That weekend event included a group rally from Dallas to Pittsburg, Texas, for a parade, car show and ceremony honoring the legendary driver and sports car manufacturer. The Texas 289 then moved to Shelby’s private ranch for food and festivities. The group returned to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex for a car show the next day at the Hampton Inn in Garland.

Cobras, Shelby Mustangs, Panteras, Sunbeam Tigers and Mustangs are expected to take part in the 26th Texas Nationals. All vehicles must be Ford-powered. Swap meet and vendor spots will be available during each day’s event.




Registration is now open. Additional information is available at www.scatracks.org, by e-mailing nationals@scatracks.org or by calling the S.C.A.T. hotline (972) 289-4336.

Host hotel:
Arlington Hilton
2401 E. Lamar
Arlington, Texas
817-640-3322

Please mention the "Shelby Cobra" event when making your reservation.

Visit www.scatracks.org to register!!

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Banquet Keynote Speaker
We are honored to have as our Keynote Speaker at the Banquet Friday night, Sept. 12 none other than Mike Shelby!! Get ready to be mesmerized by Mike’s tales and experiences of growing up with doing business now with his father, Carroll Shelby.


Important Hotel information:
If you are making reservations with the host hotel, the Arlington Hilton, or even if you have already registered, is it is VERY IMPORTANT that you mention the “Shelby Cobra Event” when you make your reservations. SCAT has reserved a block of 30 rooms under this event, and if these rooms aren’t used our club still has to pay for them! Please call the hotel at (817) 640-3322 and confirm that your room are reserved under our block of “Shelby Cobra event” rooms. Thanks!!


Important Event Registration information
There has been some confusion on the event fee structure. Many of the applications we have received are not including the required $25 PER PERSON event registration fee. This fee is required whether you are participating in the track events or not. Please be prepared to pay any balance due when you pick up your registration packets. Thanks very much!!


Event Photographer
Jim Bacon, photographer & Photographic Artist from Expresssions Photography will be at our event providing exceptional digital pictures of the action on the track and at the car show. Be sure to visit Jim and his wife in their event booth at the host hotel each night, and during the car show on Saturday!!!


Track Workers Needed!!
We are needing volunteers to help out with the track event at Motorsport Ranch on Thursday, Sept. 11th - see the cars racing up close by helping out as a corner worker!! Also, during the lunch hour break anyone that participates as a volunteer can take their street car out on the track behind the pace car, for free!! E-mail Russ Kintz at nationals@scatracks.org or 817-938-6835 if you can help out on Thursday, and get your out car on the track!

[bwcobra15]

Come on out, even if you can't take off work to do the track event, come to the Banquet Friday night, and the car show on Saturday!!




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[JRoss]

I plan on being at MSR in the morning with car. David McKenzie is also going with car.

Who else is going? Are you bringing you cars?

See Ya Tomorrow,

John