Ford versus Chevrolet battle lines run deep, and during the Aug. 1-3 O'Reilly Fun Ford Weekend Nationals at Bristol Dragway, Ford fans will have to cheer extra loud if their beloved blue ovals are to take home top honors. 

Bill Alexander, event promoter, has opened up several of the Fun Ford Weekend classes to all makes and models. The new format, dubbed "The Battle of the Brands," allows anyone to take on the Fords and attempt to keep them out of the winner's circle. 

All makes will be allowed to compete in Pro, Street Outlaw, Street Renegade, Street Bandit, Mod Comp, Tough Truck, and bracket classes.  Three classes, Street Stang, Ultra Stang and the $5,000 Challenge, are open only to Ford racing machines. 

"We're excited about giving the other makes an opportunity to come to Bristol to compete against and with the Fords," said Alexander.  "This is the ultimate showdown to determine who is king of the hill."

Bristol Dragway, which received 2007 Track of the Year honors from Fun Ford, provides the perfect setting for a new approach to this popular event. 

"This gives all of the fans something different and exciting," explained Alexander.  "This is an experiment that we're optimistic about and it definitely should be a lot of fun."

In addition to the furious action on track, the UPR Car Show Spectacular gives fans the opportunity to pick their favorite classic Ford rides on Saturday, while Fun Ford judges will present more than 55 awards to the cars with best interior, paint, engine and much more on Sunday.

The popular Tremec True Street Cruise returns giving all brands the opportunity to compete this season.  Drivers will participate in a 30 mile cruise which begins at Bristol Motor Speedway.  The police-escorted cruise runs throughout the local area, before arriving back at Bristol Dragway.  Racers then will make three passes down the track. The elapsed times will be averaged, with the closest to each index taking the win. 

"The Tremec True Street Cruise begins at the Bristol bullring and is one of the most talked about things we do all year," said Alexander.  "Opening that class up to all makes is going to create an awesome show.  We hope to have cars stretched out double-file all the way around the speedway."

The excitement doesn't end there, however, as two jet cars take the Ford vs. Chevy rivalry one step further.  The Super Cobra Mustang clashes with the Twisted Air Chevy Monte Carlo in this match race for the ages.  The jets are scheduled to run on Friday night at 6:45 and 8:45 and Saturday night at 4:45 and 7:45. 

Gates open at 10:00 a.m. on Friday with a test and tune session scheduled for 1:00 p.m.  Showdown qualifying begins at 6:00 p.m. Gates open at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday with time trials beginning at 11:00 a.m. Car show awards will be presented at 3:30 p.m. The True Street Cruise rolls off at 4:30 p.m., while bracket racing begins at 5:00 p.m. On Sunday, gates open at 8:00 a.m. with a chapel service scheduled for 8:15 a.m.  Time trials begin at 9:00 a.m. Showdown eliminations begin at 11:00 a.m. Car show awards presentation begins at 3:30.

Admission is $10 on Friday and $25 on Saturday and Sunday. For those that want to be part of the action all weekend, a special Saturday/Sunday pass is available for $35.  Children 10 and under are free.

For more information about Fun Ford Weekend, please call (225) 664-0996 or visit www.funfordevents.com.

For more information about Bristol Dragway events, please call (423) 764-DRAG or visit www.bristoldragway.com.