It is a convoy of diehard Mopar fanatics converging on the Mohegan Sun Casino for the 5th Annual Mopar Meet & Greet. Torrential downpours could not dampen the spirits of the 100+ car owners and enthusiast that came from NY, CT, NJ and beyond.
Making my start from the Bronx, I meet up with members of NYLX car club. Normally a 20 member team, our convoy was a little light this day consisting of only a couple of new Chargers (one of which was mine), 2 older Chargers, 1 Challenger and 1 new Chrysler 300. Our small numbers would be short lived once we hit the first Connecticut rest stop on I95. There we met up with other car clubs from various boroughs. Chargers, Challengers, 300s and one lone Camaro ZL1 took over the McDonald’s parking lot. The unmistakable whine from superchargers and pro-tuned engines permeated the air. Pure Nirvana…
30 minutes and one Egg Mc Muffin later we were on the road. The weather and the horsepower separated the men from the boys. There is no substitute for displacement and of course good tires. Luckily I had both running about mid pack in the crowd. Even at about 400hp with mods, my car felt at times down right anemic next to some of the high horsepower torque monsters. We all cruised somewhere in the neighborhood 70-80mph with short blasts up to triple digits. All the while I worried that someone was going to lose it on the highway because it was raining so bad. Truth be told, I considered turning around a couple of times thinking that the day was going to be a total wash.
Alas, the Mopar Gods were with us because by the time we arrived at the meeting grounds the rain had subsided to a light drizzle. We were ushered to the top of one of Mohegan Sun’s many parking garages. There, some parked by car model and others by car club. I straddled the line and parked in the middle. After securing my spot I decided to take a look around. What truly was amazed me is how so many people’s cars were spotless! Obviously, they didn’t make the same trek as I did. Or did they? In any case my car was a filthy mess. Reminder to self…never buy a Black car again.
Since this was my first time coming to this particular type of event I wasn’t sure what to expect. Quite frankly, there wasn’t much to the whole thing. There were a couple of raffles to benefit the Wounded Warriors Foundation, but mainly it was just a social gathering. I spent a great majority of my time taking pictures and mingling, only venturing into the casino for nourishment and a restroom break. No gambling for me, I prefer spending my money on my real addiction…my Mopar.
More pics…
By: Herbert Walton aka LGB