Photography by Lee Vermont (@photobycereal2k)
ZDayZ is an annual gathering of enthusiasts who own Nissan Zs, GTRs, Infiniti Gs and other Nissan vehicles. The event is hosted at the Fontana Village Resort in Fontana Dam, NC with close proximity to the Tail of the Dragon and other great driving roads. Now in its 16th year and extended 5 days, from Wednesday, May 15th through Sunday, May 19th, ZDayZ is an event by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, and is a non-profit with proceeds aiding various charities each year. It's a mini vacation, family reunion; driving, deck party, and car club gathering event and an all-around good time rolled into one with something for everyone.
Registration for the event included a parking pass, participation in raffles on Friday and closing dinner/car show awards on Saturday.
Sign-ups and participation was highly encouraged - car club Olympic sporting events, event cruises, a 5k/10k run for charity (Wags for Tags), car show, Poker Run, Cabin Crawl, Weenie Roast/beer swap, lawn movie, deck party!, and exhaust competition.
Vendors on-hand included:
- Nissan and their Nissan Heritage collection displayed the 50th Anniversary Nissan GT-R, BRE 510 Datsun race car, and the Club Sport Nissan 370Z with the TT VR30 motor from the Q50/60 Red Sport
- Dynosty
- Fairlady Alliance
- Z1 Motorsports
Major shout-out to Meguiar's for sponsoring the car wash stations with products, and buckets to attendees to use during the event. Attendee event packets also had some product.
The Event activities also had partner participation events, including Disc golf, Trike X and Tug of War, along with the other club sporting events. 3-on-3 slip N slide hockey was a big hit this year, which was held on Thursday. A structured cruise to Tellico Plains was also on Thursday's events list which took a drive through the Tail of the Dragon and then the Tellico Plains area to loop around back through the Cherahola Skyway. At the Skyway, the Official 350Z Nismo Owners Group were having their club cruise and a stop was made to kick it for a few minutes with them and check out one of the largest gathering of US 350Z Nismo owners.
On Friday the droptop cruise destination was the Foot Hills Parkway. This was a fun cruise exploring the completed Foothills Parkway extension ending in Wears Valley. Friday wrapped-up with the welcome dinner followed by the Z1 deck party. The Deck party was also a costume party, if you chose to wear one, and is always a blast.
The 5k/10k walk/run was held on Satuday, early morning with slight rain. In addition to the car show and vendor area, a trike race and exhaust competition took place and are always fun to watch. The dinner, raffles and awards ended the event.
ZDayZ partners, sponsors and vendors:
107 Octane Partners
- Nissan
- Nissan Value Advantage
- Infiniti Maintenance Advantage
- Nissan NISMO
- Fast Intentions
- Carbotech Performance Brakes
- Dynosty
- Fairlady Customz
- Lou Fusz Automotice Network
- Meguiar's
- Redline Design Custom Graphics
- RJM
- Uprev
- Z1 Motorsports
93 Octane Partners
- Athletic Training Services
- Southbends Clutch
- Stollsteimer Powdercoating
- Fontana Village Resort
- Inappropriate Motorsports
- Motoped
87 Octane Partners
- FNG Performance
- Retromotive
- Jim Wilf Technology
Associate Partners
- 32nd Annual ZCON 2019 in Branson
- Z Nationals
ZDayZ is a must-attend event if you are a Nissan or Infiniti owner. It's always a great time with fellow enthusiasts and making new friends in the process. More info on Zdayz can be found at www.zdayz.com.
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