Initially we suspected the second annual LX & Beyond Nationals was a little off our radar, what with it being a celebration of all things Mopar and UrbanRacer tending to more condensed and foreign-branded machinery. But then we looked at the images in the gallery - guys drag racing and showing off their beloved rides - and thought, ok, we just did this last weekend. How are Mopar guys different?

They're not, in truth, apart from the nameplates. Founded by enthusiast Anthony Carter in 2007, the idea for the LX & Beyond Nats. came after he read stories on forums about the plethora of modern Mopar events on the West Coast and recognized the lack of activity on the East. Carter organized and founded an event in May 2007 called the Central Ohio LX Spring Meet & Greet, a local one-day gathering of internet forum members for Chrysler LX-platform and SRT enthusiasts in Columbus and surrounding areas.

The one-day event gained the attention of less than 10 sponsors but attendance was close to 100 vehicles with some coming from as far away as Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri to show their support. The grassroots event would later become the foundation upon which the LX & Beyond Nationals was created a year later.

This year the event - presented by Frederick Chrysler Jeep Dodge - set up at Quaker City Raceway in mid-July, a quarter-mile drag strip located about two miles north of Salem. The afternoon of Friday the 17th, participants arrived at the Holiday Inn Host Hotel in Boardman. A handful of vehicles were trailered out for the gathering, but a majority of the owners drove the entire way to Ohio in their cars. Covered in blue painters tape to protect finishes from rock chips and bugs, vehicles came from as far away as California, Florida, Connecticut and New York.

At Friday night's kick-off party hosted by A&W Restaurant, Modern Mopar fans and cars filled every stall and overflow lot surrounding the restaurant. The scene was reminiscent of a Friday night in the 1970's, with the rumble of muscle car engines filling ears, the smell of hamburgers and fries in the air and the sight of high-impact colors like Plum Crazy Purple, Sublime Green and Hemi Orange. Music was provided throughout the evening and prizes were given away to lucky winners. One sublime green '07 Charger owned by Patrick Taylor of Chicago received the "A&W Owner's Choice" plaque.

Early Saturday morning, vendors arrived and setup booth spaces before participants arrived. Before too long, spectators and participant cars began to line up at the gates. Special Guests in attendance included the SRT Team with a handful of their one-of-kind rides which included a couple of Dodge Vipers, Dodge Ram SRT Truck towing the Dodge Challenger SRT10. Vendors in attendance included names such as Corsa Exhaust, Diablosport, Grip Tuning, and Redfox-Racing. A local radio station was on-hand as well.

Action on the 1320 started early and never relented. Also, after everyone had a chance to get detailed and settled in the F4 Challenge, the judging team began the task of evaluating and talking to the owners of the dozens of car show entries. On track and in the show field, there was a spectrum of vehicles, from completely stock to extremely modified and everything in between.

Sunday, attendees, vendors and spectators made their way to Quaker City Raceway once again to see elimination rounds and some hardware handed out to winners. Sublime green must have been the lucky color for the weekend, because Wendy Robertson of Lorain and Ben Maniaci of Cleveland, both owners of sublime green Chargers, faced off in the finals of the "13.00 and slower" bracket class. Robertson beat Maniaci, capturing her first bracket race win and doing it in the most heavily entered class of the weekend.

Patrick Taylor's ride, known in the LX community as "The Hulk," picked up an unprecedented four awards and $1,300 in prizes, which included all first-place wins for Best of Show Charger, Overall Theme, In Car Entertainment, as well as the Grand Prize - Best of Show and Go Award. Prizes included two $100 Billet Technology gift cards, Advanced Automotive Concepts Full Halo Kit, $500 Terry's Tire Town gift card, BND Automotive free fluid change service, two Meguiars detailing kits and a JJ's Precision Guessworks discount card. Turns out he was last year's Best of Show Charger winner, too.

The weekend ended with an awards presentation for car show participants, followed by the racing competitor awards. Other great prizes included pistons from Wiseco, handheld tuners from Diablosport, drag radials from Mickey Thompson Tires, and tons of other aftermarket products from some of the top brands in racing and appearance products.

According to Carter, the feedback from the 2009 LX & Beyond Nationals has been everywhere from positive to better than last year; his goal was to at least match last year and he thinks that goal was surpassed. "It was evident last year that this event touched an enthusiast group that previously had been ignored and the buzz created last year is what made even more sense to do it again this year," he explains. "The 2009 event was bigger and better in all areas, and best of all, everyone went away happy with the event. The talk and planning for next year's event, set for July 17-18, 2010, has already begun."

www.lxandbeyondnats.com

2009 LX & BEYOND NATIONALS RESULTS - Drag Racing

2009 LX & BEYOND NATIONALS RESULTS - Car Show

Mopar Action Magazine "Pick of the Show"
Adam Montague, "Kenne Bell" 09 Dodge Challenger SRT8, Southern CA

Grand Prize Award

Overall Best of SHOW & GO Competition
*Combination of Racing Performance and Show Results*
Patrick Taylor, 07 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T, Chicago, IL
Vehicle Make Competition

Best of Show 300/300C: Daily Driver
Brett King, 07 Chrysler 300C SRT8, Cary, NC

Best of Show 300/300C: Weekend Driver
Christian Arancibia, 06 Chrysler 300C SRT8, Ontario, Canada

Best of Show Challenger: Daily Driver
Shawn Kaufman, 09 Dodge Challenger SE, Melville, NY

Best of Show Challenger: Weekend Driver
John McDonald, Sam Posey Edition Dodge Challenger, Marblehead, OH

Best of Show Charger: Daily Driver
Todd Thacker, 07 Dodge Charger SRT8, Manchester, CT

Best of Show Charger: Weekend Driver
Patrick Taylor, 07 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T, Chicago, IL

Best of Show Magnum: Daily Driver
Andrew Crawford, 05 Chrysler 300C Euro Wagon SRT8, Ontario, Canada

Best of Show Magnum: Weekend Driver
Tom Hendrickson, 05 Dodge Magnum R/T, Grove City, OH

Best Club/Team/Forum Participation
LxReJx Car Club (pronounced L-X-Rejects)|
George Milosavich, Tracy Archer
Performance Awards

Best Underhood Performance Modification: Experienced Class
Validation for Internal Motor Work Required (dyno sheet, install receipt, etc)
Walter Warner Jr, 06 Dodge Charger SRT8, Centerville, OH

Best Underhood Performance Modification: Amateur Class
Validation for Internal Motor Work Required (dyno sheet, install receipt, etc)
Christian Arancibia, 06 Chrysler 300C SRT8, Ontario, Canada

Best Underhood Performance Modification: Novice Class
Validation for Internal Motor Work Required (dyno sheet, install receipt, etc)
Jake Desautels, 05 Chrysler 300C, Fort Drum, NY
Specialty Awards

Best Engine (Visual): Experienced Class
Walter Warner Jr, 06 Dodge Charger SRT8, Centerville, OH

Best Engine (Visual): Amateur Class
Brian Griffin, 07 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T, Indianapolis, IN

Best Engine (Visual): Novice Class
Tracy Archer, 05 Dodge Magnum R/T, Mooresville, IN

Best Interior: Experienced Class
Dennis Witte, 05 Dodge Magnum SXT, Moosehead, NC

Best Interior: Amateur Class
Tom Hendrickson, 05 Dodge Magnum R/T, Grove City, OH

Best Interior: Novice Class
Steve Phelps, 05 Dodge Magnum SXT, Fortville, IN

Best Paint & Finish: Experienced Class
John McDonald, Sam Posey Edition Dodge Challenger, Marblehead, OH

Best Paint & Finish: Amateur Class
Rebecca Cartolic, Dodge Magnum

Best Paint & Finish: Novice Class
Shawn Kaufman, 09 Dodge Challenger SE, Melville, NY

Best ICE (In Car Entertainment): Experienced Class
Patrick Taylor, 07 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T, Chicago, IL

Best ICE (In Car Entertainment): Amateur Class
Christian Arancibia, 06 Chrysler 300C SRT8, Ontario, Canada

Best ICE (In Car Entertainment): Novice Class
Shawn Oliver, 05 Dodge Magnum R/T, South Euclid, OH

Best Overall Theme: Experienced Class
"The Hulk" - Patrick Taylor, 07 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T, Chicago, IL

Best Overall Theme: Amateur Class
"TNT HEMI" - Todd Hathaway, Dodge Charger R/T, Sunbury, OH

Best Overall Theme: Novice Class
"The Black Hornet" - Chris Barnes, Dodge Charger R/T, Wilmington, DE

Best Female Ride: Experienced Class
Mindy Sheldon, 08 Dodge Challenger SRT8, Bridgeport, WV

Best Female Ride: Amateur Class
Jackie Abbott - 09 Dodge Challenger R/T, Decatur, IN

Best Female Ride: Novice Class
Angie Willey - 07 Dodge Charger SXT, Bellville, OH

LX & Beyond Choice Awards
(Most Creative, Well-Rounded Vehicles - Trophies Awarded to Top 10)
Ben Snow - 09 Dodge Challenger SRT8, Rosewood, OH
Jason Chambers - 06 Dodge Charger SXT, Carmel, IN
Chuck Sheffield - Dodge Charger
Tracy Archer, 05 Dodge Magnum R/T, Mooresville, IN
Rab McLarnon - 06 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T, Ontario, Canada
George McGuire - 05 Chrysler 300C SRT8, Lima, OH
Ken Schauer - 07 Dodge Charger R/T, Parma, OH
George Milosavich - 05 Dodge Magnum RT, Southern CA
Brian Griffin, 07 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T, Indianapolis, IN
Jerry Stallard, 08 Dodge Challenger SRT8, Strongsville, OH

Photo Gallery

Visit the LX & BEYOND NATIONALS 2009 for more pictures