TUPELO - Mustangs from six states roared into Tupelo this weekend to burn rubber at the BancorpSouth Arena.

Mustang Club of America chapters organized the third annual Tupelo Cruise, which drew more than 100 cars and their owners to Northeast Mississippi's largest city.

Turnout might have exceeded 300 cars, but early thunderstorms and the threat of hail kept many Mustang enthusiasts home, said John Farmer, one of the organizers and a board member of the national Mustang Club of America.

Farmer still deemed the event a success.

"This is a great destination, and each year we keep adding features," Farmer said. "We hope that within three years this event could be an MCA National Show."

Drivers began arriving Friday and converged on the Tupelo Automobile Museum, which has its annual Mustangs in the House exhibit during this time. The museum also hosted a banquet for the participants Saturday, and its parking lot was home to a car show and judging course.

Across the street at the BancorpSouth Arena parking lot, drivers tested their skills in an autocross event. One after another, cars peeled through an obstacle course to the cheers of several dozen spectators.

"It's a great time," said Rick Ferguson, a Baton Rouge, La., Mustang owner who watched the autocross event with his daughter.

"It's a chance to get together, show off cars and ride around," he said. "I had such a great time last year, I decided to come back."

Drivers also participated in a citywide poker run that raised money for the Police Athletic League and Sanctuary Hospice House. It was organized by the Tupelo Gum Tree Mustang Club.