The grounds are huge and well maintained. They have the Nats beat at that. It was nice to walk paved roads the entire weekend. The Nats is dusty and muddy when it rains. The car count was larger too. However, if you remove the sea of new Challengers, Chargers, Neons and trucks, the car count is comparable.
The swap meet is huge. If you are looking for a part that is a good thing. If you are selling, it's not so good. I thought the midway area was a lot smaller then the Nats although the swap is a lot bigger.
I did miss the sound of the race cars. I normally don't watch the racing but it does add to the atmosphere.
Carlisle was a good time but for me, the Nats is still king. Carlisle is an extra six hour drive compared to Columbus. I'll go to Carlisle again but it probably won't be an every year event.