An aerial view from the top...
An aerial view from the top of the grandstands.
Well, it happened again. Visitors, fans, and Mopar fanatics swarmed theLas Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the third consecutiveMopars At The Strip Show. This extravaganza has continued to grow eachyear since the first one in 2003. That year, the swap meet was only adismal two rows of assorted odds and ends and retired high-performancegoodies. Since then, the show has stretched over the parking lot,saturated with public and private vendors trying to sell their unwantedor scavenged Mopar accessories, and acres of trailers containingpristine show ponies and fierce quarter-mile maulers.
No, this isn't a neighboring...
No, this isn't a neighboring junkyard; this guy shows up each year withan amazing amount of Mopar-only stuff.
Merchants trekacross the nation to pitch their tents in the desert sun and displaytheir latest and greatest in Mopar restoration and modification. theavailable parts, pieces, and panels to make your classic a show-classshine queen or a drag-strip thumper increase each year. This year theMopar Performance team was in full force with two massive rigs: aportable showroom foldout trailer, and a clothing and accessories depot.
If you didn't have the Chance to attend the 2005 Mopars At The Strip Show in Las Vegas Nevada, you missed one heck of an event. Event promoter Phil Painter makes sure that all in attendance have a good time. Although the event has a large mix of Mopars vying for the right to be given a First place trophy, racing is also a large attended portion of the event.
If you couldn't make it to the show, we thought we could show you a few small short clips of some of the racing action.
Click the links below the pictures to view the videos. Load times will vary depending on system/connection speeds, so please be patient...
 '04 Neon SRT Windows/Real... |  '64 Dodge Windows/Real Video... |  '68 Cuda Windows/Real Video... |
 '70 Challenger Windows/Real... |  '73 Challenger Windows/Real... |  '88 Daytona Windows/Real... |
 Aspen Wagon Windows/Real... | | |
What wowed the crowd was the tour-de-force effort Dodge made. Dodge wentall out with a marked-off driving course allowing anyone to jump behindthe wheel of the new '06 Charger, Hemi Ram 1500, and SRT-4 Neon. Also ondisplay were both recent manifestations of the Daytona marque on theCharger and Ram truck, along with the venerable and long-awaited SRT-8Magnum stationwagon.
Teams of Moparoholics walked the gauntlet ofcountless rows of vendors, pristine show cars, drag racers, and thelike. Famous faces and walking legends ranging from Dandy Dick Landy topro-wrestler Goldberg were seen at the show, as three days ofcompetitive drag racing and exhibition passes thundered in the air.
 Here's a partial view of the...  Here's a partial view of the massive Dodge display held during theweekend. A rotating display of the classic 426 Hemi and current Hemis(5.7 and 6.1) were available, along with a timed test to see how fastyou could bolt on a tire with a full-size replica of a NASCAR Cup carwith real wheels and air guns. |  David Hakim from Mopar Performance...  David Hakim from Mopar Performance made three passes on Saturday withthe new '06 Dodge Charger Daytona. The Daytona boasts an extra 10 horsesover the stock 340 with an additional kick thanks to a Mopar Performancecold-air kit that was installed earlier that morning... |  ...Unfortunately, itran a...  ...Unfortunately, itran a 17.83, which didn't help to win over an already skeptical crowd.Later, Dave returned to make a 15.10 and a break into the 14s with a14.90. |
One Dusted Duster
Steve Strope offered up his expertise in design for this one-of-a-kind'73 Duster. Parsons Auto Body of Boulder City, Nevada, straightened thepanels, as the aptly named Roger Painter from Ramjet Designs coated theA-Body in the one-off paint scheme. Jim's Upholstery handcrafted theinterior, and Redline Gauges handled the new dash cluster. Going withthe one-out-of-none theme, Wheel Vintiques conjured up thispseudo-stock-appearing design that helps retain the "slightly modified"look that Steve Strope originally wanted. And let us not forget Passon Performance, who built, supplied and installed the Duster's killer four speed transmission. Here's the building process.