This summer, the world’s biggest all-Ford event will host thousands of Blue Oval vehicles, a ‘Stang burnout competition, and so much more.
If you are a fan of the Ford, Lincoln or Mercury brands and you are looking for events that you need to attend this summer, the Carlisle Ford Nationals should be towards the top of your list. With more than 3,000 vehicles on display, a car corral, a sprawling swap meet area, a burnout competition, a bikini contest and more – this isn’t just the biggest all-Ford Motor Company show in the world, it is also the most elaborate.
The 2018 Carlisle Ford Nationals will be held on June 1 – 3 at the fairgrounds in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
The Show Field
The heart of every Carlisle event is the show field, and the Ford Nationals are no different. Acre upon acre of the Carlisle fairgrounds is lined with every imaginable make and model of Ford vehicle. As you might expect, the Mustang and the F-Series pickups are the most common vehicles on display, but you’ll find scores of other old and new models.
Among the classics, the Falcon, Thunderbird, Fairlane and other antique models are well represented, as are other modern models such as the Focus, Fiesta, Taurus and GT supercar. The show vehicles are arranged by brand, then model, then era, so you will find huge sections of like-year Mustangs, classics, trucks and the rest of the vehicles on display. Of course, the Ford brand is the most prevalent, but there are plenty of Lincoln and Mercury vehicles old and new.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
