By: Zoe Kuball
When I first moved to Salt Lake City in 2017, one thing I constantly repeated was, “Utah is 10 years behind the East & West coast car scenes.” At the time, this was true. I felt as though I had stepped into a car culture time capsule. Modifications were basic, events were scarce, locals didn’t want to pay for events, no one ventured out to the track, and supercars stayed in hiding where they were safe. However, in the last five years in SLC, the automotive culture has exploded.
Seeing supercars out and about at car events has become the norm, and I must credit this change to a handful of local supercar influencers as well as supercar-based road rallies coming through or starting in SLC. More events have popped up, such as various automotive charity events, Formula Drift, Import Face Off, Gearhead Society, Cars and Coffees, and the weekly Cars & Curry with a never-ending parking lot to fill. The local car builds have become cleaner and more well-rounded, trying to compete against others of their kind. Automotive businesses have multiplied, with Riot Motorsport, LVRY, Warehouse, and Sierra Cars being top of mind and putting Utah in sights all over the country.
Personally, while I miss what I experienced with the East coast car culture, I’ve grown a soft spot for the local Utah scene. The main reason for that is that I have progressed with the local automotive culture and have been given opportunities to be a part of its growth. Supporting local automotive businesses such as Riot, Utah Motorsport Campus, JDMI Garage, LUXE Automotive, Cars 4 Kids Foundation, and more has become second nature. Attending events at UMC will always provide a full day of entertainment. Carving the backroad canyons or straddling rocks on off-road trails with friends for a couple of hours is a typical summer activity. Organizing my own events with my niche Mitsubishi Evo brand, All The Evos, is a venture I enjoy. Photographing motorsport events, car rallies, and cars for sale creates everlasting relationships. Lastly, everything is within an hour’s drive. Let me repeat that, yes, the Utah Motorsport Campus, events, backroad canyons, off-road trails, automotive shops, all of it is within an hour’s drive from Salt Lake City. Back East, my friends and I would often have to organize 20+ cars and drive 3-4 hours to circuit tracks and car events. Locals are lucky here, and due to the Utah bubble syndrome, not a lot of locals utilize UMC as much as they should.
Utah Motorsport Campus is a shining beacon in the automotive world. It is a massive property with the sole purpose of making car enthusiasts smile. It does not matter if you are a spectator, amateur, or professional, Utah Motorsport Campus will have an event for you. I personally enjoy that they offer a cheaper amateur track day all the way to a full-day HPDE event. UMC has upped their drift calendar, and nationwide car shows often venture to the campus due to the large capacity and festival-style capability. The karts and kart track are next level to what you have ever experienced. And, having three main track configurations allows UMC to host professional events that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Cars have been on my mind for as long as I can remember. My stable has been on average more than one car, with my current setup including a 2003 Mitsubishi Evolution (Evo VIII), 1996 RHD Mitsubishi Evolution (Evo IV), 2003 Nissan 350Z, and a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. Having the opportunity to experience different aspects of the culture and motorsports with the different builds I have is something I enjoy. This year, rallycross events, road rallies, track days, drifting, road trips, and off-road excursions are all on the calendar.
Owning two Evos, you can probably tell that I like them. In 2022, I decided to take my passion and love for the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution a step further. The Evo has always been a JDM icon, but for years the Evo was overlooked when it came to decent merchandise, events, and community. Thus, I founded All The Evos, a brand created by an Evo enthusiast for the Evo enthusiast. My goal with creating All The Evos was to bring attention to an endangered species, roll out quality merch that is designed with passion, and bring together a very niche community. A few short years later, I can confidently say I have been able to achieve this and still continue to grow the brand and community. All The Evos has allowed me to meet hundreds of new Evo enthusiasts while hosting my own events, taking road trips in my Evos to other Mitsubishi-based events, participating in various motorsport events with my Evos, and networking via social media. I often have people reach out with various questions or looking for recommendations or information. It is truly heartwarming to see the support my brand receives, with a good amount of it coming straight from the local Evo community here in SLC, which, before All The Evos, I honestly thought was non-existent.
Again I say, while I miss my memories of the East coast car scene, I am thankful to have witnessed and contributed to the growing Salt Lake City car culture. But do not move here, it sucks 😉
