Experienced by Adrian McQueen
Photography by Adrenaline Lifestyles
We were blessed with sunny skies and comfortable Fall temperatures for the grand finale of the racing season, known as the Haltech World Cup Finals aka Import vs Domestic which highlights drag racing action from all over the world. This event stretches out over 5 days with record breaking racing. The first official day of the World Cup Finals: Import vs Domestic (WCF) was delayed due to rains that moved in during the morning and that caused the final test session to be canceled. The Miller Brothers Production team and the entire Maryland International Raceway staff worked around the clock to make sure the track was prepped and ready for action. The crowd was hype and excited once the races began.
Pre-registration for Import vs Domestic has become very limited and filled up quickly. These races are made up of some of the highest horsepower street cars on the planet. The event draws hundreds of Heads-Up racers competing for over $100,000 in cash prizes. Even some of the top motorcycle racers in the country show up and show out. Being a biker, I was excited to see this class at Import vs Domestic
Import vs Domestic is the meeting place where racers converge onto one track to settle the score. It is nothing short of amazing to see cars run the ¼ mile in record numbers. Some of the trailers at the event even looked like car shops. After passes, we witnessed motors being replaced, axels being swapped and a lot of wrench work. With the 2,300′ vendor midway one could easily purchase something as small spark plugs and car care products all the way up to Mickey Thompson tires and a turbo charger from Haltech.
I had to take the Lexus ES 350 F Sport to Import vs Domestic. The Lexus ES 350 F Sport was pure show stopper as people stared as I rolled past in a parking lot. The conversation that took place immediately veered into how car pushing 302 hp could look so elegant. That is one thing about the ES 350. It does not immediately grab you as a sporty vehicle upon first look, but once you see it in action, the truth is revealed. It was encouraging to see the excitement from the car community about the Lexus ES 350 F Sport.
Jason and Chris aka the Miller brothers, along with their entire team, have spent countless hours to revamp the event and make it better than ever. I did miss the custom car show that usually takes place but I understand why it was pulled. There simply was not enough room for it. So unless MIR creates more space, I believe that WCF will be all about the races. Kudos to the MBP team for finding the broken switch on the track. Most feared the event would not go on but MBP worked tirelessly to find that needle in the haystack. MBP and the Maryland International Raceway staff were more than gracious to all involved including the racers, vendors, media and the patrons. This year WCF brought in over 46,000 patrons with 23 Countries in attendance, 80 States (all over the world) in attendance, 1,753 Cities in attendance and 182 different countries watching the live feed! WCF just keeps getting bigger and better every year! Enjoy the photo gallery.
