Scene: Import Alliance, Nashville Motor Speedway; Nashville, TN

Allied Army

By Sean Klingelhoefer, Photography by Kyle McManus

Being firmly planted in Southern California's rich car community, it's sometimes hard to remember that tuning is alive and well elsewhere in the country. That's why it's nice to see shows like Import Alliance - arguably the largest Japanese car show in the country - to remind us the scene is still growing outside of the golden state. IA has been known since it's inception for drawing tons of cars (and even more spectators) and this year's event was no different.

Some of the East Coast's finest Hondas, Acuras, Nissans, Mazdas, Toyotas, Lexus and more packed into Nashville Motor Speedway until there simply wasn't any room left. Evidence of the sheer size of the meet could be seen from the massive line outside the gate waiting to be shoe-horned into the track. Cars could be seen with license plates reaching the far extremities of the US in attendence.

Aside from the usual parking lot lounging, hard parking and shit-talking, this year's event hosted the first ever High Performance Driving Experience (HPDE) event running simultaneously with the show. This allowed track whores and track newbies alike to take a stab at the racetrack - a great idea in our minds and we would love to see more shows encompass all aspects of the scene at the same time. Sadly, we have still yet to experience IA in person but there's always next year.