TL;DR... Roughly 1800 miles roundtrip, invited to VIP garage access parking at TX Motor Speedway for LMR event, joined and drag n' drive event called KOTOR (King Of The Open Road) on a whim and managed to race in their event, got my first 12 second slip in the truck, won a carshow trophy for a show I didn't enter, met tons of cool new people, AND nothing broke!!! 
LONG story so enjoy the ride and pics with me... if not I gave a very brief overview up top. So I've been planning to trip to TX for a couple months once I heard about the LMR Cruise-In 2023 as a bday gift to myself, excuse for a vacation, and to kinda dip my toe in to potential drag n' drive type events in the future. My thoughts were... drive 700+ miles to make at least 1 dragstrip pass at the LMR event Friday, stick around for the Saturday event, then drive 700+ miles home.
Wednesday 11/15/2023... I turned 46!
Thursday 11/16/2023... I leave out of Huntsville, AL for Ennis, TX by myself with a travel tool kit, jack and stands, drag radials, and cleaning supplies on a cloud-covered occasionally misting day. I chose a route through Memphis, down I40 through Little Rock, then I30 down to Ennis. Drive was fairly uneventful other than overpass/bridges in TX where they seem to want people to have a ramp for jumping the bridge rather than driving over!
Got to the hotel about 8PM and while resting heard some noise outside, went to the window to see a CTS-V wagon with a drag n' drive trailer setup being unloaded. Had Sick Week and Race Week stickers on it from multiple years and I seemed to remember it from race coverage. Thought to myself wonder why they are here, then went back to rest.
Friday 11/17/2023... Woke to see the CTS-V unloaded. Went outside to check on my truck as well as to look at the Caddy. A few minutes later a older gentleman comes outside towards the Caddy and we start talking. Turns out him and his son are in town for a KOTOR event the same weekend at the Motorplex. For those that haven't heard of KOTOR, it's a Drag Week/Sick Week style event, but only for the weekend. 1 track, less miles... weekend warrior type thing that was started by Jared Holt and TRC (That Racing Channel) has come onboard to help with. This would be their 1st event in TX and last event of the season. Previously had been to Arizona and Oklahoma. This was all new to me. We talk for almost an hour in which time I find out they are doing a 200+ mile cruise for their event today, then racing Sat-Sun. I decide I have nothing to do till 5PM when the LMR event starts so maybe I can talk KOTOR people into letting me join their cruise. Get to TX Motorplex about 10PM and just happen to park next to the event tent where organizers and media teams are getting setup... Immediately I see a media guy break his neck and flip a camera my direction. Remember I've just driven 700+ miles in poor weather... my truck is filthy and I'm an OCD kinda guy with that stuff... so instant embarrassment!
1 of their pics I snagged... it doesn't look it, but trust me it was filthy!
People start walking over and questioning me/gazing at the truck, all positive, which gives myself (a very humble guy) feel a bit better knowing the current filth level. One of those people is Jared (event organizer) who commends me on the truck saying he's always wanted one. I proceed to open the hood to show the turbo which again bring eyes gazing. I talk with Jared and explain my desire to join them on the cruise for fun, but I have other events to get to so I won't be racing. He welcomes me and says it will be a great time, I have to pay to enter, but that gets me in on the cruise, all their free swag and prize drawings, and if I complete the cruise I technically entered for the race! YOLO right?!? so I pay and join in on the fun. Their cruises are back road oriented to pass through small town rural American, stimulate their economies, and see parts of the world we normally wouldn't while trying to just get somewhere. This one took us to Granbury, TX voted best small town in America 3 years in a row. Was a cool town with some history. The drive was fun and saw a lot of cool old cars roadside just wasting away. I will say you TX folks have some crazy rural roads!!! 70mph speed limits on a 2-lane country road that is full of bumps and undulations like concrete/asphalt was just pours into the ground with no cares for grading/leveling of any kind! Many times my lowered L was bottomed out as well as butt puckering the seat to hold on! So back to Granbury... another thing that separates KOTOR from other DnD races is they mint a coin for every race. You get it at the "ending point" of the cruise to prove you made the drive, which is essentially your token to enter the race. Each has a unique design for that specific event as well as numbered... this event however the coin design ended up with the state of AZ on the back instead of TX which makes it funny and more unique!
By this time it's around 3:30PM and it's been misting all day... I get a text from LMR saying the drag event has been cancelled for weather. Bummer because this basically kills any hopes I had for getting in a pass this weekend. I decide head towards Northlake near TX Motor Speedway from Granbury instead of going back to Ennis with the KOTOR group to save drive time since it would save me 100 miles. The whole drive I'm grinning from ear to ear at the great time I've had with the KOTOR crew and being in a real DnD scenario compared to what I'd dreamed of for this whole trip. I chillout at the hotel meeting folks there for the LMR event and end up going to sleep about midnight... still with a filthy truck as it's still misting mind you that now has about 900 miles in total.
Saturday 11/18/2023... Wake up at 5AM, dark of course in search of a self-serve carwash to try and at least have something resembling a clean truck for the LMR Cruise-In just hoping the weather gets better. Wasn't ideal, but got "Bettie" (my truck) cleaned as best I could in the dark and back to the hotel to shower and load up for the day. Keep in mind I'm already entered in the KOTOR race, but no hopes of making it other than to maybe watch some elimination rounds later into the night since the Cruise-In is over by 3PM. Back to the LMR Cruise-In... I get to TX Motor Speedway about 7:30AM to what's looking to be a gorgeous day and endure the long waiting line, once in I ask one of the guys flagging people if there is specific parking for Lightnings and he points me toward the area. I get to the gate entrance for that as another guys is flagging me down... he says, "Man this is a clean truck! Here take this VIP pass and park in the garage, they will flag you in." HOLD UP... WAIT A SECOND!!! I don't even know what to think right now as I still feel like my truck is subpar clean and I have no idea what trailer queen carshow stuff I'm about to be parked with! 
I'll let pics do the rest...
A red G1 pulled in shortly after me with a Vortech setup and ALL the cam chop! I can't remember his name, but he's local to the area... maybe he is on here and will chime in. I walked around all of the show seeing everything there was to see. Opted out of standing in the huge line for a chance to make some passes around the track, but was cool to watch others do it considering some of them had to be reaching 100+mph at times. I'll spare you all the photos I took in here because it's already a long thread and I'm nowhere close to finished. About noon I'd seen all I wanted and was anxious to make it back to see some racing!
Story to continue as I've met photo limit for this post.
LONG story so enjoy the ride and pics with me... if not I gave a very brief overview up top. So I've been planning to trip to TX for a couple months once I heard about the LMR Cruise-In 2023 as a bday gift to myself, excuse for a vacation, and to kinda dip my toe in to potential drag n' drive type events in the future. My thoughts were... drive 700+ miles to make at least 1 dragstrip pass at the LMR event Friday, stick around for the Saturday event, then drive 700+ miles home.
Wednesday 11/15/2023... I turned 46!
Thursday 11/16/2023... I leave out of Huntsville, AL for Ennis, TX by myself with a travel tool kit, jack and stands, drag radials, and cleaning supplies on a cloud-covered occasionally misting day. I chose a route through Memphis, down I40 through Little Rock, then I30 down to Ennis. Drive was fairly uneventful other than overpass/bridges in TX where they seem to want people to have a ramp for jumping the bridge rather than driving over!
Got to the hotel about 8PM and while resting heard some noise outside, went to the window to see a CTS-V wagon with a drag n' drive trailer setup being unloaded. Had Sick Week and Race Week stickers on it from multiple years and I seemed to remember it from race coverage. Thought to myself wonder why they are here, then went back to rest.Friday 11/17/2023... Woke to see the CTS-V unloaded. Went outside to check on my truck as well as to look at the Caddy. A few minutes later a older gentleman comes outside towards the Caddy and we start talking. Turns out him and his son are in town for a KOTOR event the same weekend at the Motorplex. For those that haven't heard of KOTOR, it's a Drag Week/Sick Week style event, but only for the weekend. 1 track, less miles... weekend warrior type thing that was started by Jared Holt and TRC (That Racing Channel) has come onboard to help with. This would be their 1st event in TX and last event of the season. Previously had been to Arizona and Oklahoma. This was all new to me. We talk for almost an hour in which time I find out they are doing a 200+ mile cruise for their event today, then racing Sat-Sun. I decide I have nothing to do till 5PM when the LMR event starts so maybe I can talk KOTOR people into letting me join their cruise. Get to TX Motorplex about 10PM and just happen to park next to the event tent where organizers and media teams are getting setup... Immediately I see a media guy break his neck and flip a camera my direction. Remember I've just driven 700+ miles in poor weather... my truck is filthy and I'm an OCD kinda guy with that stuff... so instant embarrassment!
1 of their pics I snagged... it doesn't look it, but trust me it was filthy!
People start walking over and questioning me/gazing at the truck, all positive, which gives myself (a very humble guy) feel a bit better knowing the current filth level. One of those people is Jared (event organizer) who commends me on the truck saying he's always wanted one. I proceed to open the hood to show the turbo which again bring eyes gazing. I talk with Jared and explain my desire to join them on the cruise for fun, but I have other events to get to so I won't be racing. He welcomes me and says it will be a great time, I have to pay to enter, but that gets me in on the cruise, all their free swag and prize drawings, and if I complete the cruise I technically entered for the race! YOLO right?!? so I pay and join in on the fun. Their cruises are back road oriented to pass through small town rural American, stimulate their economies, and see parts of the world we normally wouldn't while trying to just get somewhere. This one took us to Granbury, TX voted best small town in America 3 years in a row. Was a cool town with some history. The drive was fun and saw a lot of cool old cars roadside just wasting away. I will say you TX folks have some crazy rural roads!!! 70mph speed limits on a 2-lane country road that is full of bumps and undulations like concrete/asphalt was just pours into the ground with no cares for grading/leveling of any kind! Many times my lowered L was bottomed out as well as butt puckering the seat to hold on! So back to Granbury... another thing that separates KOTOR from other DnD races is they mint a coin for every race. You get it at the "ending point" of the cruise to prove you made the drive, which is essentially your token to enter the race. Each has a unique design for that specific event as well as numbered... this event however the coin design ended up with the state of AZ on the back instead of TX which makes it funny and more unique!By this time it's around 3:30PM and it's been misting all day... I get a text from LMR saying the drag event has been cancelled for weather. Bummer because this basically kills any hopes I had for getting in a pass this weekend. I decide head towards Northlake near TX Motor Speedway from Granbury instead of going back to Ennis with the KOTOR group to save drive time since it would save me 100 miles. The whole drive I'm grinning from ear to ear at the great time I've had with the KOTOR crew and being in a real DnD scenario compared to what I'd dreamed of for this whole trip. I chillout at the hotel meeting folks there for the LMR event and end up going to sleep about midnight... still with a filthy truck as it's still misting mind you that now has about 900 miles in total.
Saturday 11/18/2023... Wake up at 5AM, dark of course in search of a self-serve carwash to try and at least have something resembling a clean truck for the LMR Cruise-In just hoping the weather gets better. Wasn't ideal, but got "Bettie" (my truck) cleaned as best I could in the dark and back to the hotel to shower and load up for the day. Keep in mind I'm already entered in the KOTOR race, but no hopes of making it other than to maybe watch some elimination rounds later into the night since the Cruise-In is over by 3PM. Back to the LMR Cruise-In... I get to TX Motor Speedway about 7:30AM to what's looking to be a gorgeous day and endure the long waiting line, once in I ask one of the guys flagging people if there is specific parking for Lightnings and he points me toward the area. I get to the gate entrance for that as another guys is flagging me down... he says, "Man this is a clean truck! Here take this VIP pass and park in the garage, they will flag you in." HOLD UP... WAIT A SECOND!!!
I don't even know what to think right now as I still feel like my truck is subpar clean and I have no idea what trailer queen carshow stuff I'm about to be parked with! I'll let pics do the rest...A red G1 pulled in shortly after me with a Vortech setup and ALL the cam chop! I can't remember his name, but he's local to the area... maybe he is on here and will chime in. I walked around all of the show seeing everything there was to see. Opted out of standing in the huge line for a chance to make some passes around the track, but was cool to watch others do it considering some of them had to be reaching 100+mph at times. I'll spare you all the photos I took in here because it's already a long thread and I'm nowhere close to finished. About noon I'd seen all I wanted and was anxious to make it back to see some racing!
Story to continue as I've met photo limit for this post.
