If you’re among the Buick faithful, you know the history of the original Century, a car that offered a larger engine in a smaller body. From that point, Buick was known as building torquey, hard-charging sedans, a point not lost on members of the Buick GS Club of America (GSCA) as they descended upon Bowling Green, Kentucky for the Buick GS Nationals. From May 17-20, 2023, Buick fans got their fill of drag racing and car show fun, and comradery.
For forty-two years, the GSCA has been dedicated to restoring, upgrading, and racing America’s favorite upper-middle-class brand. In fact, if you’ve ever heard of F.A.S.T. racing (Factory-Stock, Stock-Appearing), it would not be incorrect to suggest the Buick folks were the ones who pioneered this concept, as 455 Stage 1s have been impressing strip rats for over 30 years already. Of course, it was around that time that Buick had perfected its 3.8 turbo-six, most famously installed in the Grand National but available in other Regal models
The GS Nationals started with test and tune at the racetrack, with a Gambler’s Race later in the day. Thursday was more testing and tuning before qualifying runs commencing. Friday began with a car show, then noon brought racing for all qualifying and Gambler’s racers. Can you guess what all-day Saturday was about?
When not racing, GSCA member Patrick Briggs was kind enough to take photos for us at the event, which shows a variety of Buicks in different states of tune. Suffice it to say Buick may not be on the tongue of every racer’s mouth, but these enthusiasts run as hard as the Chevy and Mopar folks — they simply have chosen to pick a different poison.
Source: www.classiccars.com