By Jesse Kiser – Images by the Author
Ford Fest is a mashup of drag racing, drifting, autocross, burnouts, off-road obstacles, and a massive car and truck show—all jammed into one long weekend at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Strictly for the Ford faithful, it’s a two-day event full of noise and tire smoke.
Hosted by Holley, right in their backyard, you’ll see heads-up drag racing on one end of the property while a Bronco climbs over rocks and a Fox-body Mustang swings sideways through a drift demo on the other. The event initially doubled as the NMRA World Finals, but after NMRA closed its doors last year, it has remained a mecca for diehard Ford lovers.
The expanded off-road “Skillz Day” allowed Bronco owners to beat on their rigs under pro instruction. The Grand Champion competition put street-driven Fords through a gauntlet of autocross, drag, and 3S Challenge tests. Of course, the burnout pit didn’t disappoint either.
One of the biggest crowd moments came from influencer Autumn Schwalbe, who entered her first-ever burnout contest behind the wheel of a methanol-fueled, blown Coyote–powered 1967 F-100. Built with Chris Bluga of Own Boss Supply, the truck was rowdy, loud, and loved by the crowd. Schwalbe lit the place up and took Second Place overall, only losing out to Dylan McCool’s Pinto.
Competition on the autocross course was equally tight. The Grand Champion Truck Class came down to a photo finish between two Lightnings. Austin Kessel’s 1999 Lightning and Lars Ekberg’s 2003 Lightning actually tied on points, with the tiebreaker going to Kessel by virtue of the fastest single autocross lap of the weekend. Meanwhile, Jordan Welch hustled his V-8–swapped 1998 Ranger through the cones to claim the quickest average lap time in the truck class.
But Ford Fest isn’t just about winners. It’s about the stories, the oddball swaps, the patina survivors, and the high-dollar builds that all end up parked on the same field. Here are some of our favorite trucks from the show.
Honorable Mention: Bigfoot #8
Some trucks win awards, some win races. Bigfoot #8? It rewrote the rulebook.
Bigfoot #8 doesn’t need an introduction—but it got one anyway when Vaughn Gittin Jr. and crew lit up the drift demo at Ford Fest. Vaughn whipped his Mustang in tight circles around the towering monster truck. “Always one of my favorite parts of Ford Fest, getting to drift around Bigfoot! Switched it up this year with some opposite donuts!” he posted afterward.
Built in 1989 by Bob Chandler and the Bigfoot 4×4 team, Bigfoot #8 was the first Stage 3 monster truck. Its round-tube chassis and cantilever suspension were game-changers—so much so that the truck was temporarily banned from TNT Motorsports competition in 1990 for being too advanced. Those same innovations became the blueprint for modern monster trucks, making #8 one of the most influential builds in the sport’s history.
Now retired from active competition, Bigfoot #8 was brought back to life just for Ford Fest.
1966 F-100 Built for the Autocross
Dustin McKee doesn’t waste much time. He dragged home this weathered 1966 Ford F-100 in January, tore it down to the frame, and had it buttoned up and ready to hit the cones in Ford Fest’s Grand Champion competition by June. “It was a six-cylinder truck when I found it in Mississippi,” Dustin says. “I stripped it apart and rebuilt everything for what it is now.”
What it is now looks rough around the edges but hides plenty of clever hardware. Underhood, the factory straight-six is long gone, replaced with a 5.0L Coyote V-8 and a matching 6R80 six-speed automatic out of a 2017 Mustang. The front suspension is a Crown Vic clip, complete with electronic power steering adapted from the same donor Mustang. “Turn the key on and you’ve got power steering, whether it’s running or not,” Dustin grins. Out back, a four-link setup locates an Explorer 8.8-inch rearend with disc brakes all around.
The cab carries Dakota Digital gauges and a sound system, but most of the interior and exterior remains untouched. The original green paint—faded and scarred—still wears the Georgia dealership plate it rolled out with nearly 60 years ago. “I’ve built trucks with nice paint, but then I couldn’t really enjoy them,” he admits. “This one, I wanted patina so I could just drive it.”
Everything underneath is body-color painted, contrasting the weathered skin up top. It’s the third truck Dustin has built in his garage, but the first aimed squarely at autocrossing. “It’s just a Route 66 cruiser that happens to handle,” he says.
Don’t let the looks fool you—this F-100 was built to be wrung out, not pampered.
A Lightning-Powered 1952 F-1
Saved from a crusher, built in a home garage, and stored in a museum for the last 15 years, this Supercharged, Lightning-powered F-1 lives again! Dennis Bunton’s friend was delivering this tired 1952 Ford F-1 to the scrapyard in 2003 when he stopped by Dennis’ house. “[The driver] said the yard would give him $50 for it,” Dennis recalls. “I told him I’d give him the same—just unload it in my driveway.”
What rolled off was little more than a cab and hood, but Dennis saw potential. He chopped the top 3 inches, shaved the handles, built his own patch panels, and pieced the truck together with fiberglass fenders and hand-fabbed cab corners. Stainless bumpers—with a laser-cut license plate backlit like a third brake light—were his own touch. Underneath, the stock frame was boxed in places to handle new suspension mounts, while a narrowed Ford Sport Trac 8.8 rearend tucked neatly under the bed.
The real surprise comes underhood: a 2002 Ford Lightning drivetrain, blower and all. It’s still the stock 5.4L supercharged V-8 and transmission, run by the original computer with an old-school piggyback chip to bypass Ford’s factory security. “Back in 2005, that was the only way to make it work,” Dennis says. Billet Specialties Talladega wheels (20×12 rear, 18×8 front) finish off the stance.
“I painted the truck and did everything but the interior myself,” he says proudly. At 71, Dennis still has the same spark he had when he rescued the F-1 for $50.
Fresh 1972 F-100 Build
Debuting at Ford Fest with barely a week of shakedown miles, Chad Smith’s 1972 F-100 turned plenty of heads. The truck was built by Daniel Hardee of Hardee Automotive in Jackson, Tennessee. Underhood sits a Gen 3 Coyote backed by a 10R80 automatic, both sourced from a late-model Mustang pullout.
A Crown Vic front suspension and independent rear from an S550 Mustang give the truck a planted, contemporary feel. Braking comes from factory Crown Vic hardware up front with upgraded rotors and pads, paired with S550 discs out back.
The green paint isn’t original, but it’s close—resprayed years ago in its stock Swiss Aqua shade. Mustang wheels round out the package for now, though Chad admits they’re placeholders until the truck gets its final touches.
It’s clean, it’s well executed, and it’s brand new to the scene.
