Rainy LS Fest XI Weathers Greater Storm Amid Pandemic

Earlier this year, the West Coast edition of Holley LS Fest, held in Las Vegas, fell to the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally held in early May, organizers pushed it back to mid-June before postponing it until 2021. And while the original Holley LS Fest would go on as planned in early September, we weren’t sure if we were going to make it.

As luck would have it, one of our newest writers happened to live a few hours away from Bowling Green, Kentucky, where Holley LS Fest XI would take place this past weekend. Here’s what she found.

This was my first time at any LS Fest, let alone the original in Holley’s backyard. Whatever it was like on the 10th anniversary last year, though, I wouldn’t be able to experience. Due to the ongoing global pandemic, ticket sales were online-only, and attendance would be limited. Those who could make it would need to practice social distancing (one “Cleetus McFarland” apart, per one sign), make use of the various hand sanitizer stations along the midway, and wear masks if social distancing failed.

Other than that, it was the celebration of the GM LS V8 I’ve always heard it was. The sound of the great V8 thundered through the air, whether at the drag strip, autocross, or the show and shine. And, of course, a few YouTube celebrities were there, like the aforementioned McFarland, John “WatchJRGo” Ross, and Mike “Chevy Dude” Davenport, each with their own LS-powered machines.

The main attraction at Beech Bend, though, was the competition at the dragway and oval track. On one side, pairs of the meanest V8s around in various classes and competitions roared off the line, whether to achieve a personal best, or to advance to the next round of competition.

On the other side, drivers tested their abilities at the autocross, swinging and swooping through the cones. Later on, the cones would disappear to let drift masters barely brush the wall in a cloud of tire smoke, all to the cheers of the (socially distanced) audience on either side of the track.

Alas, it was not the pandemic, but the weather which would throw a spanner into the works at LS Fest XI. Saturday started off as sunny and humid as Friday had, before the rain rolled in later in the afternoon. The intermittent storms washed out any chance of continuing the action on the quarter-mile, while the threat for more on Sunday put the kibosh on further competition. Autocross and the drift challenge would roll on unabated, however.

Despite the rain, nothing could stop the LS train from chugging along. We can’t wait for LS Fest XII, and, perhaps, LS Fest West 2021. Hope springs eternal.