The Smoking Tire heads out to Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch for the Optima Batteries Ultimate Streetcar Invitational, where SEMA Showcars get the crap kicked out of them on the race track. While there, host Matt Farah not only gets to test out the track himself in a Lotus, but also gets a ride from a pro driver in a Radical SR3.

The Smoking Tire heads out to Las Vegas for the 2009 SEMA show, where all the major aftermarket and custom manufacturers show up with their latest goods. Host Matt Farah shows off the Best Truck, Best Sports Car, Best Motorcycle, Best Low Rider, Best in Show, and of course, the Worst in Show.

See more from sports car enthusiast Matt Farah>>

Rather than continue to post pictures of my SEMA experience here, I decided to put them together in a couple of videos:

This show really has something for everyone and is the biggest stage in the automotive aftermarket world for debuting new products and cars.  Optima Batteries decided it was also a great opportunity to see if the some of the cars at SEMA performed as well on the track, as they did under the convention center lights.  They asked me to scout for potential cars and the task was not easy.

I tried to bait the owners, by asking them if their car was strictly a “show car” or if it actually saw time on race tracks.  As one would expect, 90% of the owners immediately proclaimed their cars were built to run.  That led to my follow-up question, “Since your car is built to run, would you be interested in taking it out to the track this weekend after SEMA ends?”  That’s when the hemming and hawing and excuse-making started.  “My car isn’t tuned yet, we barely got it put together for SEMA.”  “These aren’t my wheels and tires, they belong to one of my sponsors.”  The list went on and on.

Optima did find plenty of cars for their event, which was comprised of a 0-60-0 run, an autocross course and timed laps on a road course.  The whole thing will be televised on Speed in January.  SEMA is always an adventure and I look forward to returning again.

Read more from muscle and sports car enthusiast Jim McIlvaine>>

Today I left the hub-bub of Las Vegas and SEMA to head out to Spring Mountain Ranch racecourse. In preparation for Saturday’s Optima Invitational, myself and the others from the auto-blogging crew got a chance to get behind the wheel ourselves. Spring Mountain Ranch is almost like a country-club for speed seekers. People who are members get use of the track. In addition, they have certified race-driver training programs. While we didn’t get the whole training program in one day, we did get the opportunity to go very fast in a few different situations.

The day started out with the road course. If you’re not familiar with racing (like me) think of the video game “Grand Prix”. After a short orientation we headed out to driving machine #1: the Lotus. Although I may have been a little jittery that I would do something wrong – it was surprisingly easy! As we followed our guide, Rick, around the racetrack things got faster and faster. After the first few 1.5 mile laps I began feeling comfortable with the car and trusting of the squealing tires as I rounded a turn between 40 and 60 mph.

It wasn’t until my second time out that I encountered a little issue. As I was preparing to turn out of the main straightaway, my car did a full 180 degree spin! At first I was stunned at what was happening, then I had a slight second of fear, and then I realized everything would be fine. For the most part my Lotus stayed on the track and I just readjusted and kept on going. The spin really cemented the feeling that this race course was really just an adult go-cart track… and I say that to mean that it was really, really, really fun!

Once we had the Lotus’ parked it was on to the Radical Sportscar. These aren’t as user-friendly as the Lotus, so these we didn’t drive we just rode in. With your butt practically on the ground and no windshield, speed can really be felt in these babies. Reaching  130mph only added to the speed-bug I caught while at 2009 Bonneville Speed Week this year.

As if all this speed wasn’t enough, the group then headed to the autocross track. Autocross is the track full of cones that you navigate in a competitive time. Looking at the course I had no faith in my driving abilities. But once I sat in the seat of my supercharged Mini Cooper I felt ready to tackle the road ahead. I felt that this course was like practice to be a really slick, kick-ass driver on the everyday road – and I loved that it was timed, bringing out that competitive edge in all of us. Running the track twice, I improved upon my time by over 2 seconds on the second run – leaving my time just above 50 seconds.

(You can also watch the instructor doing a lap along with some directional commentary here)

Getting a chance to drive the course today makes me all the more excited about tomorrow…the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational. Cars from the SEMA show will get to prove their stuff out on the track at Spring Mountain Ranch… the same tracks I was on today. Part of me is a little curious how my own 1955 Studebaker would handle on that autocross track. With a little more work it could be a fun and interesting experiment. Who knows, with all the info I’ve learned at SEMA maybe Stude’s ready to raise to a higher level of driving. Only time will tell.

Don’t miss our coverage of the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitation Race! What car would you love to take out on the autocross???