The LS Fest West Dyno Challenge kicked into gear early Saturday with a host of contenders that wanted to see what kind of power their LS V8 was putting down. Any vehicle registered for the show is eligible to line up and take a turn on the mobile DynoJet operated by Paulino Gomez on a first-come, first-served basis. Besides getting some useful data, settling bets, and earning bragging rights, first, second, and third place in naturally aspirated and power adder will receive $400, $200, and $100, respectively.

Paulino and his crew would get each car or truck up the ramps and strapped in for a couple of runs to find out who brought the meanest motor out to play. From rolling on to rolling off, each vehicle takes about 10 minutes. There were a few entries on Friday, but Saturday’s first handful of entrants shot the numbers up a bit. Here are a few of Friday’s results.

Brian Morris, from Holbrook, Arizona, brought a fresh project that he and his young son have been working on. The 1951 Chevy pickup is sitting on a later model Tahoe chassis, complete with its 5.3L V8 and 4L60E transmission. The transmission didn’t want to stay in 3rd gear for the pull, but the pickup still managed to put down 274 hp. Considering the engine’s rating of just over 300 hp, the number checks out. The wheelbase of the GMT 800 Tahoe is within an inch of the pickup’s stock chassis, so it won’t have to be altered. There will be some sheet metal surgery, however, as Morris plans to widen the front fenders to cover the front wheels and match the rear.

Las Vegas local Matt Punt brought out his stock 2012 Corvette to see if his 90,000-mile LS3 was still healthy. We asked Paulino how much power a stock LS3 Corvette should make and his guess was around 350. Punt was hoping for a similar number, estimating 355. When the number rang up, they were both close, but the dyno veteran was closer, as the 6.2L V8 churned out 346 hp.

Bill Lowery drove in from Utah. His 1971 El Camino is powered by a 416-cubic-inch LS3 that runs a Holley Dominator. Originally equipped with a 454, Lowery used Holley engine mounts and Blackheart headers to help with his swap, and also used a Holley crossmember to mount hisT-56 transmission. The original 454 emblems are still in place, killing the sleeper vibe, but the engine still offers more grunt than you’d think just from hearing it idle. It put an impressive 515 hp to the wheel, enough to take it to the top of the naturally aspirated leaderboard.

Making its maiden voyage down the dragstrip the night before and running a low 9-second E.T., Griffin Steinfeld’s supercharged Volvo wagon was a favorite to take the top spot on the power adder leaderboard. Its 370-cubic-inch LS3 is topped by a Magnusson 2650 supercharger drawing in through a pair of drive-by-wire throttle bodies. With 20 pounds of boost on hand, it screamed to an 876hp peak and claimed the top spot. Steinfeld built the wagon for drag-and-drive duty, with the goal of the engine being low-maintenance pump-as fun.

Do you have what it takes to top the current leaderboard? If you're rolling with a wicked LS, you might have better odds here than anywhere else in Las Vegas.