The fifth annual Muscle Car & Corvette Nationals was held in its usual location, the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., minutes from O’Hare Airport west of Chicago. Again on the weekend before Thanksgiving, this building’s huge lower level is filled with hundreds of rare cars from around the nation. Event manager Bob Ashton and the crew of helpers who assist him work very hard to make sure that each year is better than the last; the 2013 edition of MCACN was no exception to that ideal.

For drag racing fans, the event always features something new. So, if you got tired of looking at Don Yenko’s road racing Corvette, barn find Mopars, Shelby prototypes, one-off specials, and similar distractions, MCACN had a variety of quarter-mile classic mixed in the various displays. The Class of 1963, for instance, featured one of the largest assemblages of lightweight Pontiac Catalinas in memory. But rather then go on and on, the following photos will give you a better idea of what has made this perhaps the most important event for serious collectors around the nation.