LS Fest XI

The C10s in the Bunch 

Twice a year, Holley Performance invites any and all running a General Motors LS or Gen V+ LT V-8 for a weekend of mayhem and awesomeness, dubbed LS Fest. Whether under the spring desert sun of Las Vegas or down in the bluegrass of Holley’s “Old Kentucky Home” of Bowling Green, the modern small block V-8 extravaganza offers plenty to celebrate.

Alas, several events wound up hitting the wall in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including the 2020 edition of LS Fest West. Holley moved the festivities up a month to mid-June, but Nevada couldn’t overcome the pandemic, forcing the cancellation of what would have been the fourth edition of the springtime LS party. Said party would’ve also been the first to be held under the lights of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, if only to escape the heat of the day in June.

Thanks to a set of protocols, though, Holley LS Fest XI went off as scheduled Sept. 11-13 at Beech Bend Park in Bowling Green, Ohio. Such protocols included online-only ticket sales for spectators, a limit on how many spectators could attend, social distancing in the stands of the oval track and drag way, as well as overall masks if social distancing wasn’t possible. All of this made the party better for everyone involved.

Alas, it was not the pandemic but rain that threw LS Fest XI for a loop that weekend. Starting off sunny, hot and humid, by Saturday afternoon, a series of rainstorms swept through the area. With no end in sight, drag racing called it a weekend, leaving just drifting, burnout and autocross competitions to themselves on the other side of the timing tower.

Through it all, plenty of LS-swapped C10s turned up from all over the country to rev their engines and strut their stuff. Tons of gems dotted the show-and-shine, while a handful took on the cones of the autocross. There were even a few C10 pickups smoking up the competition on the drag way, leaving everyone in a cloud of burnt rubber. From the barest-bones of swaps to five-star stunners, regular cabs with big blowers to crew cab duallies with big wheels, whatever your jam, it was there on the grounds of Beech Park.

Though attendance may have been down for the 11th edition of Holley LS Fest, spirits weren’t. Not when surrounded by plenty of LS-powered machines letting freedom ring through the air. If that’s not enough to consider dropping an LS under the hood of your C10 for next year’s happenings, we’re not sure what would.

As for when LS Fest will return to Vegas and Bowling Green in 2021, nothing has been scheduled as of this writing. All we can hope for is that COVID-19 and 2020 quickly fade away in the rearview mirror of everyone’s C10s as soon as possible. The downtime to build our trucks is appreciated. It’s even better to show off everything our builds can do.