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The Coronado Classic Speed Festival was held in San Diego this weekend and we had people on hand to cover it for you. Part of the General Racing Ltd. historic racing series, it featured over 200 of history's top racecars. All racing within a few feet of the thrilled fans. This type of racing is so incredibly fun. Seeing some of the greatest vehicular icons in motorsports being driven the way they were intended to be instead of in a static display at some concours or museum. And that's what vintage racing is all about. The series comprises The Wine Country Classic in Sonoma, the Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca, the Rolex Vintage Festival at Lime Rock, and this weekend's finale in Coronado. The emphasis in this series is on period correctness rather than outright speed, so the cars are pretty much the way they would have been in their prime. Twenty regular classes and the occasional Trans-Am, Can-Am or F1 race for good measure.

This was the 9th Speed Fest held on the same temporary 1.6 mile road course that uses the runways and taxiways of NAS North Island with Navy aircraft and ships in the background. Makes it easy to see the whole track and those backdrops are perhaps even more spectacular than the cars themselves. The vintage racecars in this series are chosen to compete on the basis of their historical significance and certified authenticity. So every one of the cars is period correct. In addition to the racing action this weekend, spectators could tour Vendor Village, the Meguiar's Car Club Corral and the New Car Dealers Association Classic Car Collection. A new feature, the SRT division of Chrysler was added as a major sponsor this year, and hosted the First Annual Speed Fest Car Show to benefit the Navy's Moral Welfare Recreation. More great action shots after the jump. Photos courtesy of Drew Phillips at Fast-Autos.net.