OPTIMA Faceoff at the Hot Rod Power Tour Awards Two OPTIMA Invitational Entries

Thousands of HOT ROD Power Tour participants descended on Grand Prairie, Texas to celebrate the end of their exciting journey. After a grueling 1,371-mile, eight-day drive it would be easy for many to kick back and celebrate. Yet for more than 30 strong-willed automotive enthusiasts their day was just beginning.

The OPTIMA Faceoff at the HOT ROD Power Tour, presented by K&N Filters and Royal Purple Synthetic Oil, began Friday with 37 participants competing for an invitation to the fifth annual OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational (OUSCI) taking place Saturday, November 3rd, immediately following the 2012 SEMA Show. The competition began with the RideTech Street Challenge Autocross and Wilwood Disc Brakes Speed Stop Challenge where Terry Fair in his 2011 Ford Mustang and Todd Earsley with his 2003 Mitsubishi Evolution came out on top respectively.

The next day participants drove to Decatur, Texas in the Detroit Speed JRI Shocks Road Rally to compete in the BF Goodrich Hot Lap Challenge won by Louis Gigliotti (2010 Corvette ZR1) and the Lingenfelter Performance Engineering Performance Design Challenge won by Rodney Moore (1970 Plymouth Cuda.)

While all participants performed well and showed a great amount of enthusiasm it was Paul Welch (1978 Pontiac Trans Am pictured) and Cliff Elliot (2011 Ford Mustang) that walked away with the Spirit of the Event awards and a guaranteed entry to this years OUSCI, as determined by the OPTIMA Invitational planning and judging committee.

We saw a lot of amazing street cars over the weekend, said Cam Douglass, Director of Marketing and Product Development for OPTIMA Batteries. However we really felt that these two guys demonstrated the true spirit of the event and went above and beyond while performing to the best of their ability.

After watching the iconic 1977 film, Smokey and the Bandit, as a kid, Welch of Plano, Texas dreamed of owning the same black Pontiac Trans Am. After putting in ten years of work, Welch finally finished his dream car and participated in his first-ever competitive event at the OPTIMA Faceoff. The vehicle has a six speed Viper transmission, 461 engine, 18-inch snowflake wheels and a number of Detroit Speed and Wilwood Disc Brakes products. Throughout the weekend Welch perfectly exemplified the Spirit of the Event by showing an unparalleled amount of enthusiasm and passion for the event.

"Getting invited to the OPTIMA Invitational is just awesome," remarked Welch. "I've seen all the OPTIMA Invitational shows on TV multiple times, and to be able to play with these guys, push my car hard and see it stay together was such a thrill. I want to thank my girlfriend who stood by me throughout the project, even allowing me to cancel our second date so I could pick up the car."

Elliott of Aransas Pass, Texas showed a lot of dedication, by giving up his chance at the 2012 Camaro giveaway at the HOT ROD Power Tour Long Haulers award ceremony to participate in the Detroit Speed JRI Shocks Road Rally. Earlier in the week, Elliott had swapped out the suspension in his brother-in-laws driveway only to learn that his back two tires did not meet the necessary requirements the first day of the event. However, that did not deter Elliott and he drove to an auto parts store to have new tires mounted in the parking lot in order to participate. Earning the Spirit of the Event award was especially meaningful for Elliott as he revealed during the awards ceremony that the HOT ROD Power Tour and OPTIMA Faceoff events had brought him and his 19-year-old son together after an extended period of not speaking.

3. #60 Brian Finch of Hermitage, TN 1970 Chevy Nova Royal Purple

2. #62 Bret Voelkel of Jasper, IN 1933 Ford Custom Street Rod - RideTech

1. #33 Rodney Moore of Wylie, TX 1970 Plymouth Cuda

3. #25 Louis Gigliotti of Plano, TX 14.060 - 2010 Corvette ZR1

2. #61 Brian Finch of Hermitage, TN 13.881 1971 Camaro BF Goodrich

1. #20 Todd Earsley of Dallas, TX 13.556 2003 Mitsubishi Evolution

3. #61 Brian Finch of Hermitage, TN 30.748 1971 Camaro BF Goodrich

2. #20 Todd Earsley of Dallas, TX 30.700 2003 Mitsubishi Evolution

1. #12 Terry Fair of Plano, TX 30.575 2011 Ford Mustang

3. #12 Terry Fair of Plano, TX 2:03.967 2011 Ford Mustang

2. #66 Dave Michaels - 2:01.904 2011 Camaro Lingenfelter

1. #25 Louis Gigliotti of Plano, TX 1:59.772 - 2010 Corvette ZR1

3. #61 Brian Finch of Hermitage, TN 1971 Camaro BF Goodrich (tie)

3. #12 Terry Fair of Plano, TX 2011 Ford Mustang (tie)

2. #25 Louis Gigliotti of Plano, TX 2010 Corvette ZR1

1. #20 Todd Earsley of Dallas, TX 2003 Mitsubishi Evolution

Sponsors of the 2012 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational include presenting sponsors KN Filters and Royal Purple Synthetic Oil; race event sponsors BF Goodrich, RideTech, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Lingenfelter Performance Engineering and Detroit Speed and Engineering/JRI Shocks; and associate sponsors MagnaFlow, Roadster Shop and Centerforce. Watch all the past TV episodes of OPTIMA's Search for the Ultimate Street Car series free, anytime on the OPTIMA Network on Roku.