Heaven is a Place on Earth
Words: Darren Jacobs
“If you build it, they will come.”
Click photos to enlarge.
Photos: Jesse Simmers & Roger Meiners
That statement holds true just as much for automobiles as it does for baseball fields, as Mopar® lovers far and wide came together to form their very own “field of dreams” on July 10–12 at the Carlisle All-Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle, Pa. More than 2,200 Mopar-powered machines crowded the Carlisle Showfield, transforming the fairgrounds into an 82-acre testament to the passion that exists among car enthusiasts for Chrysler Group LLC and Mopar.
From classics to muscle cars to modern-day rides like the new Dodge Challenger, the Carlisle Showfield had it all—including a burnout contest that unleashed mammoth, billowing clouds of tire smoke that may still be hovering somewhere over North America. Another event highlight was the presence of “Big Daddy” himself—Mopar racing legend Don Garlits. He was accompanied by his Dodge Challenger Drag Pak by Mopar (or Swamp Rat 35), which “Big” displayed at the event.
Next year’s party is already penciled in—the Mopar Nation will invade Carlisle in 2010 on July 9–11. However, saving the date is probably an unnecessary task for car-crazy Mopar nuts. Like migratory birds, Mopar enthusiasts seem to possess an internal clock that buzzes to life each year in early July, prompting them to shine up their rides and take to the road for the annual drive to the Carlisle All-Chrysler Nationals!
