The 2022 MATS (aka Musclecars at the Strip) was held March 18-20, 2022, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV.
This three-day extravaganza featured all the right stuff a die-hard muscle car lover could ever want, including a car show, drag racing, an autocross course, and a swap meet.
The massive 1,000-acre Las Vegas Motor Speedway facility features a 1.5-mile speedway, a 1/4-mile drag strip, dirt tracks, road courses, off-road tracks, and an RV camping site.
Let’s check out photos from the MATS 2022, shall we?
Table of Contents
Mopars at the Strip
The “MATS” acronym previously stood for “Mopars at the Strip.” As time passed, other muscle cars were invited—including new and old ones from Ford and General Motors.
However, MOPARs still outnumber all other manufacturers—especially in the car show portion of the event—as you can see in the photo gallery below.
Swap Meet at the Strip
All sorts of rare and desirable treasures, from center caps to project muscle cars to wall art, could be had in the MATS swap meet. I found an extra radiator overflow bottle and cap for $40 for my Charger Rallye—something that had cost me $120 just a few months earlier on eBay.
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While it is certainly exciting to walk a car show, it’s even better to witness them in action, engaged in a good old-fashioned two-lane drag race spanning 17 different classes. It was impressive to see so many ratty, survivor, and restored muscle cars lining up in the staging lanes, ready to launch down the dragway and capture their best ET of the weekend.
Muscle Cars at the Strip 2022
While the number of Mopar muscle cars at the show was the highest compared to all other manufacturers, a few gems from Ford and Chevrolet made their appearance. The car show could use more muscle infusion from AMC, GM, and Ford in 2023. If you’re a member of a classic muscle car club looking for a road trip, this would be a great opportunity to showcase your vehicles and flex some muscle.
My Take
This was my first time attending Musclecars on the Strip and have to say it was better than I expected.
I drove in from Salt Lake City, UT on Friday and was amazed at how impressive the venue was for this event. There was no shortage of space at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for everything going on!
Speaking with a few regulars, they wished that MATS had stayed “Mopars on the Strip” and kept focused on the classic vehicle that what made the event special was lost when it was opened up to all.
They elaborated that many hardcore Mopar fans didn’t take too kindly to the change and stopped going to the event as a result.
Rumors are that this event was much larger in the early days when it exclusively catered to classic Mopar Muscle Cars. Given it was my first time there, I can’t say for sure if I agree or not.
From a car show perspective, it appeared to consist of 50% old Mopars, 40% new Mopars, and 10% everything else.
The newer Mopar vehicles are catching up in numbers and the move to open things up to new and the new and classic non-Mopars end of things doesn’t appear to have taken off since changing the name.
That said, I enjoyed the show and appreciate what they’re trying to do.
So was it worth it to attend MATS 2022?
Now that it’s been a few weeks since the show, I look back and feel it was well worth the 45,222 steps I took walking the event.
There is certainly something there for everyone, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Who knows, maybe I’ll take my 1972 Dodge Charger Rallye and class things up at Muscle Cars at the Strip 2023?
Lastly, I was glad to hear that attendance and participating cars were both up from the previous two years of the pandemic from someone who attended, which hopefully continues next year.
Well, there you have all the highlights from the Musclecars at the Strip 2022 held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Nevada.
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Ryan Wheaton
Ryan has owned muscle cars since 1986 and currently owns a 1972 Dodge Charger Rallye. He combines passion and experience to create engaging content for fellow muscle car enthusiasts. In 2018, he founded Muscle Cars Illustrated, authoring hundreds of articles on tips, history, and trends in the muscle car industry. He attends national car shows, auctions, and museums to stay current with the latest developments in the muscle car industry.
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