Carlisle Weekend 2023

Team Shelby Northeast invites you to spend a relaxing weekend with us in Carlisle, PA as we begin our Shelby Centennial Celebration at the Ford Nationals.

This year Carlisle will be a stand-alone event as we will be celebrating the East Coast Grand Nationals in mid-July out in Pittsburgh.  Our Carlisle Weekend will begin on Thursday and run through late Sunday morning.  This year there will be more time for visiting, walking the show field, and enjoying all the activities that the Ford Nationals at Carlisle has to offer.  We will still lead the Shelby Grand Entrance on Friday, host a formal dinner on Friday evening, have a hospitality tent and lunch on Saturday, Team Shelby exclusive car show, Charity auction items, and more.

While not in our original plans, but due to the generous sponsorship of Shelby East, we have added an optional track day at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Thursday!  This track day is specifically geared towards first time and novice drivers.  The morning will feature “lead and follow” sessions to get everyone familiar and comfortable on the track.  In the afternoon we will step it up a bit and run the traditional intermediate and advanced sessions (no novice sessions).  Novice drivers will be allowed to do ride alongs with more experienced drivers in the afternoon.  The track day will be overseen by NASA (National Auto Sport Association) and will follow their rules and requirements.  If you have EVER thought about getting your car on track, this may be the best, safest, and easiest opportunity you will ever get to experience ‘life in the fast lane’!  (More details below)

For those arriving in Carlisle on Thursday, we will unofficially kick-off our weekend with a meet & greet at a yet to be determined location where we can all meet for dinner and “social” (anyone from the early years of the East Coast Grand Nationals knows what that means).  If you are down at the track on Thursday evening, something similar is being planned.

Friday we will leave you pretty much on your own during the day to explore the Carlisle Fairgrounds, walk the show fields, attend vehicle introductions on the main stage, visit the multitude of vendors on the Manufacturer’s Midway and in the swap meet area, and to hang out with friends.  You are on your own for lunch on Friday but are welcome to meet and eat in our tent, or just come in to escape the sun and rest your feet. 

Friday afternoon, once those who were at the track join us, we will lead the Shelby Grand Entrance into the Carlisle Fairgrounds and parade our cars around the show fields for all to enjoy. 

Friday evening, we will host our dinner program and Cars Under the Stars car show at a hidden gem of an automotive museum that is a little off the beaten path and may not have been previously visited by many of you.  We will have a few speakers, and a few auction items, but the emphasis will be on giving everyone time to explore the museum and discover what secrets it has to share with us. 

Saturday we are back at the Fair grounds to enjoy the day.  We will host lunch in our tent and award the Cars under the Stars car show trophies to the winners.  Saturday evening we will get back to our Carlisle roots and join in the parade of Fords to downtown Carlisle to enjoy the restaurants and entertainment there as we please.  Be sure to sign up for the parade when making your show field registration with Carlisle.