Ford Fest 2024: Complete Coverage

09/29/2024

Ford Fest 2024: Complete Coverage

09/29/2024

This year’s edition of Ford Fest is best described as ‘Wet and Wild,” as nonstop rain left over from Hurricane Helene soaked Beech Bend Raceway Park through Saturday and into Sunday. But the spirit of the Blue Oval faithful wasn’t dampened by the wet weather, with plenty of fans and racers turning out to celebrate the machines and motorsports they love.

Drag racing and off-road competition were out of the picture – at least for Friday and Saturday – but drifting, car show, and the silly-spectacular Ford Fest 50 circle track race thrilled the crowd. And all weekend, smiling faces throughout the event proved that Ford Fest’s potent appeal runs too deep to be dampened by bad weather.

Capri Club North America 28th Annual Capri Swarm

The Capri Club North America uses Ford Fest as the club’s national meet, attracting a unique collection of restored, unmolested, and customized Mercury Capris. It’s far from just a car show, as members put their cars to the test on the track.

Two classes are offered, with a trophy for autocross and bracket racing (weather permitting). There’s the Stock, small-cubic-inch class for those with original Capris. Small-block Ford V8s are a common swap for Capris, so a V8 class is offered too. Outside of that, there are relatively few rules. But this is Ford Fest, so you won’t find any LS-swapped Capris here.

The Capri was developed by Ford of Europe and sold in the U.S. through the mid-1970s as an inexpensive, compact sporty car for Mercury dealers to offer during fuel-conscious times. Stock Capri drivetrains came from the Ford parts bin of the period, and included such 1970s Blue Oval staples as the 2.8L V6 and the 2.3L SOHC four-cylinder.

Fast forward 40+ years, and the diminutive sub-100-horse malaise-era powerplants of original Capris may be an advantage in the soaking wet autocross of Ford Fest 2024.

Bigfoot and RTR Drift Team Demo

On Saturday afternoon, the always awe-inspiring Bigfoot 5 monster truck took center stage, pounding its massive footprint across the paved circle-track infield at Beech Bend Raceway Park. Adding to the excitement, the Mustangs of the RTR Drift Team unleashed their skills, expertly circling around Bigfoot as it loped along, creating a spectacular display of precision drift technique. The contrast between the giant monster truck and the feisty nimble Mustangs made for a dynamic visual feast that thrilled all who saw it.