The 2024 Muscle Cars at the Strip (MATS) presented by ARP marks another year of friendly domestic competition. Muscle cars of all makes go head to head on the autocross, drag strip, and even the car show field at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. If you are not familiar, the event is 21 years old and began as Mopar-only (then known as Mopars at the Strip). And despite the fact that its old enough to drink, it’s still a family friendly event.
Since inviting the General and FoMoCo, the event has continued to grow, each year surpassing the last in attendance since 2021. The autocross is run by Racing Byrds and attracts some of the best Pro Touring rides in the southwest, typically selling out within a month. The car show field attracts some of the finest classic Mopars anywhere, as well as a strong contingent of late model Mopars and a growing number of Chevys, Fords, and Pontiacs.
Drag racing is arguably the centerpiece of the 2024 Muscle Cars at the Strip, which benefits from a world-class racing facility with a world-class racing surface. Classes range from a trucks, stick shift, Hellcat Shootout, All Pontiac Shootout, Modern Muscle, Street Muscle-sponsored Pony Car Wars, Milodon Pro Class, Demon 170 presented by Dragzine, PMR Stock/Super Stock, Redtide Small Tire Shootout, West Coast N/A, Big Tire No Time, and Xtreme Pro Mod presented by Dragzine.
A few other interesting elements of the 2024 Muscle Cars at the Strip include a Project Cars at the Strip display, which welcomes those still in the building phase to come and hangout. A Manufactures Midway features some of muscle car owners favorite brands like Speedtech, and there is even a Swap Meet. Most notably, though, is the raffle of a 1966 Plymouth Satellite to benefit the Children Cancer Charity. The raffle is inspired by a fellow enthusiast and friend Quinn Peterson and his courageous battle with bone cancer. If you are reading this and want to enter, click here to purchase a ticket by Sunday at 11:30am PST.
Day 1: Friday, March 15th, 2024
It was a slow and soggy start to the 2024 Muscle Cars at the Strip. It rained off and on from when the gates opened at 8:30am through the afternoon. By 1pm it dried up enough to get a handful of cars around the autocross course and few classes down the drag strip. The faster classes such as Xtreme Pro Mod had pulled into the staging lanes while the track crew feverishly prepped the surface. No sooner was the glue applied that it started to sprinkle again, only to give way to some harder rain. By 4pm it was declared the end of drag racing for the day.
