The Texas Motorplex hosted the 15th Annual O'Reilly and Dallas Mustang Fun Ford Weekend world finals, during which a Street Outlaw mph record was broken, and the first female Fun Ford champion was crowned.
WINNER Fun Ford Pro champ...
WINNER
Fun Ford Pro champ Chuck Samuel made it two in a row by edging out Mike Herring for the Pro class crown in 2005. At Ennis, Samuel drove the RV Lending Group nitrous oxide-sniffing Escort past Doug Mangrum for the win.
Doug Mangrum qualified on...
Doug Mangrum qualified on top of the Pro ladder with a 6.50 run, and made it to the final where he eventually lost to Chuck Samuel. The final points tally for the season had Mangrum finishing Third right behind Mike Herring.
WINNER Cale Aronson has been...
WINNER
Cale Aronson has been making steady progress with his Jon Kaase-powered, naturally aspirated '05 Outlaw Mustang, and took home the Street Outlaw gold after Chip Havemann red lit in the final.
Fifty-three True street cars pounded the public and private pavement, with the top six cars running 10s or quicker, while the heads-up classes saw Chuck Samuel's big-block-powered Escort top 221 mph in Mr. Gasket Pro, and Chip Havemann eclipse 203 mph in ProCharger Street Outlaw.
In Blow-By Racing's Street Warrior, the already-astounding performance bar was raised yet again when Darrell Peterson put a 9.38-second run on the clocks, though his challenger, Jeremy Martorella, had run a faster mph with a 140.81 to 140.65 advantage.
Some of the class championships were sewn up a few events ago, but others like Street Stang and Street Warrior were tight down to the final few rounds of competition.
As we look to the next season, check back here for the '06 Fun Ford program guide in an upcoming issue. We'll also have coverage of the Phoenix stop on the tour. In the meantime, we bring you the Fun Ford Ennis winners and '05 Fun Ford champions.
WINNER Mac Sibley drove his...
WINNER
Mac Sibley drove his law-manned Fairmont past Suzanne Towe for the win in Ford Racing Open Comp.
WINNER Batting 12 for 12...
WINNER
Batting 12 for 12 for the season, Matt Jones dominantly won the Street Bandit championship. Second-Place finisher Dan Bott Jr. offered a bit of a challenge at a couple of races, but Jones' Mustang provided unmatchable performance.
Sporting a slick, new twin-turbocharged...
Sporting a slick, new twin-turbocharged Street Outlaw machine, Chip Havemann (left) qualified number one in Ennis with a 7.23. Here, Kim Panepinto consults the counselor about filling out his Fun Ford record paperwork, as Havemann set a mph record of 203.06 mph at Ennis.
WINNER Suzanne Towe was crowned...
WINNER
Suzanne Towe was crowned the Ford Racing Open Comp champion...
...becoming the first female...
...becoming the first female title holder in Fun Ford history.
WINNER Winston-Salem, North...
WINNER
Winston-Salem, North Carolina's Mark Anderson outgunned Street Stang's heavy hitters to take the win at Ennis. Mark's ride features a '96 Explorer short-block topped off with a Trick Flow intake manifold and cylinder heads.
WINNER Tough Truck competitor...
WINNER
Tough Truck competitor Paul Gamino...
...(here in sunglasses) piloted...
...(here in sunglasses) piloted his 5.4-liter, naturally aspirated F-150 to a final round victory. As for JDM Engineering Tough Truck sponsor Jim D'Amore--well, let's just say he was pretty happy.
WINNER Manny Alvarez drove...
WINNER
Manny Alvarez drove his HPP Racing and Houston Performance modular-powered Mustang to the Drag Radial winner's circle at Ennis. It was the first event for the Mustang after a major chassis overhaul, and the 300ci, Four-Valve powerplant made the most of the changes.
| Saturday MUSCLE MUSTANGS & FAST FORDS/Tremec |
| True Street Top 25 and Class Winners |
| No. | Driver | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Avg |
| 1732 | TONY STRONG | 9.331 | 9.592 | 9.662 | 9.528 | WINNER/MM&FF EDITOR'S CHOICE |
| | | | | | |
| 1760 | MIKE HOUSE | 10.779 | 10.427 | 10.427 | 10.544 | RUNNER-UP |
| 1729 | TYSON HERRESPEGNER | 10.636 | 10.521 | 10.521 | 10.559 |
| 1761 | MICK PROCOVICH | 10.160 | 10.971 | 10.712 | 10.614 |
| 1758 | GARTH SANICH | 10.638 | 10.733 | 10.733 | 10.701 |
| 1766 | ANTHONY DICKSON | 10.891 | 10.970 | 10.713 | 10.858 |
| 1755 | ROBERT JAZQUEZ | 11.072 | 11.374 | 11.170 | 11.205 | TOP 11 SEC |
| 1774 | JESUS VARELA JR. | 11.205 | 11.273 | 11.273 | 11.250 |
| 1741 | DUANE STEUBING | 10.526 | 13.395 | 10.629 | 11.517 |
| 1762 | RONNIE SPEAKS | 12.107 | 12.058 | 10.792 | 11.652 |
| 1784 | JIMMY CASTANDO | 11.818 | 11.991 | 11.991 | 11.933 |
| 1780 | A.J. ZABOJNIK | 11.189 | 12.101 | 12.807 | 12.032 | TOP 12 SEC |
| 1757 | WES ROGERS | 11.484 | 13.319 | 11.766 | 12.190 |
| 1765 | LARRY FULKERSON | 12.336 | 12.193 | 12.193 | 12.241 |
| 1773 | CHRIS CRIDER | 12.081 | 12.375 | 12.375 | 12.277 |
| 1756 | JEFF SCRIVNER | 12.271 | 12.303 | 12.303 | 12.292 |
| 1726 | ROCKY CONNER | 12.256 | 12.350 | 12.327 | 12.311 |
| 1778 | MIKE ALEGRE | 12.346 | 12.331 | 12.331 | 12.336 |
| 1753 | MIKE SIZUE | 12.240 | 12.414 | 12.414 | 12.356 |
| 1777 | BRIAN GARNER | 12.546 | 12.494 | 12.494 | 12.511 |
| 1735 | MICHAEL BOEHM | 12.537 | 12.608 | 12.608 | 12.584 |
| 1739 | KENNY BARHAM | 12.669 | 12.717 | 12.621 | 12.669 |
| 1745 | BRYAN DYCUS | 12.817 | 12.828 | 12.828 | 12.824 |
| 34 | JAMES MEREDITH | 13.457 | 12.781 | 12.746 | 12.995 |
| 1742 | RYAN ROGERS | 13.355 | 13.105 | 12.999 | 13.153 | TOP 13 SEC |
| 1744 | JASON ERENVER | 14.349 | 13.524 | 14.158 | 14.010 | TOP 14 SEC |
| '05 FUN FORD WEEKEND CHAMPIONS |
| Class | Name | Points |
| Mr. Gasket Pro | CHUCK SAMUEL | 1,067 |
| ProCharger Street Outlaw | BILLY GLIDDEN | 934 |
| BFGoodrich Drag Radial | ADAM LOURAMORE | 594 |
| Borla Exhaust Street Renegade | RONNIE WILSON | 859 |
| Edelbrock Street Bandit | MATT JONES | 1,054 |
| Blow-By Racing Street Warrior | DARRELL PETERSON | 1,032 |
| SCT Street Stang | TONY WHETSTONE | 930 |
| Ford Racing Open Comp | SUZANNE TOWE | 900 |
| Steeda/Hyland Mod Motor | ROBERT HINDMAN | 1,210 |
| JDM Tough Truck | DON JUSTUS | 1,040 |
| JBA Exhaust Focus Frenzy | MARK ADKINS | 970 |
WINNER Tony Strong of Midland,...
WINNER
Tony Strong of Midland, Texas, tore up the Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords True Street contingent with a 9.52 average. With an Innovative Turbo 91.5mm hairdryer heating up the A4 347ci motor, Strong's Mustang powered down the track to a best elapsed time of 9.33 seconds on Saturday.
Scott Pennington, relocated...
Scott Pennington, relocated after Hurricane Katrina unloaded on his Louisiana home, still made the Fun Ford circuit, and was able to finish Second overall for the year among the Street Renegade ranks.
Crede Young was behind the...
Crede Young was behind the wheel of a new Mustang in Street Renegade, and posted the top qualifying time of 8.009 seconds at 175 mph. Young met Ronnie Wilson in the final, and at the stripe, Young was quicker with an 8.05 to Wilson's 8.07. Wilson made up the time at the Tree, though, and took home the victory.
The top 11 racers in the Steeda/Hyland...
The top 11 racers in the Steeda/Hyland Mod Motor points chase went to every race this year, so you know the competition was tough. But Robert Hindman once again showed why he has been the champion three times prior by hammering the class with five wins this season and taking the '05 championship.
CLASS RESULTS
Mr. Gasket Pro
- (W) Chuck Samuel 6.556/221.74
- (L) Doug Mangrum 6.642/212.63
ProCharger Street Outlaw
- (W) Cale Aronson 9.045/146.24
- (L) Chip Havemann (red)
BFGoodrich Drag Radial
- (W) Manny Alvarez 8.310/162.41
- (L) Brian Greene (broke)
Borla Street Renegade
- (W) Ronnie Wilson 8.072/170.69
- (L) Crede Young 8.052/174.93
Mike House finished Second...
Mike House finished Second in True Street, garnering runner-up status as well as the low 10-second e.t. with a 10.54 average.
Edelbrock Street Bandit
- (W) Matt Jones 8.671/162.27
- (L) Michael Abdalla 9.226/150.26
Blow-By Racing Street Warrior
- (W) Darrell Peterson 9.544/136.51
- (L) John Scaro 9.757/137.61
SCT Street Stang
- (W) Mark Anderson 12.581/106.53
- (L) Johnny Langton 12.577/108.16
Steeda/Hyland Mod Motor
- (W) Robert Hindman 10.855/113.70
- (L) Danny Towe 11.743/111.85
A.J. Zabojnik (near lane)...
A.J. Zabojnik (near lane) took the low-12-second award by mixing an 11.18, a 12.10 and a 12.80 to average 12.03 seconds.
JDM Tough Truck
- (W) Paul Gamino 12.988/103.82
- (L) Ron Durham 11.223/120.92
JBA Headers Focus Frenzy
- (W) Aaron Royston 13.842/104.52
- (L) Donald Cobin 17.176/77.50
Ford Racing Open Comp
- (W) Mac Sibley 9.997/133.54
- (L) Suzanne Towe 13.003/102.35
Jason Erenver was awarded...
Jason Erenver was awarded the low-14-Second prize with his tight 14.01 average over three runs.
Aaron Royston (left) qualified...
Aaron Royston (left) qualified number one in the JBA Headers Focus Frenzy. His turbocharged Focus cleaned up in the class in Ennis, taking home the trophy, the money, and the glory.
Mark Adkins (pictured) and...
Mark Adkins (pictured) and Bob Potter went head to head in the Focus Frenzy class this year with four wins apiece. Adkins prevailed to take the championship.
Adam Louramore used numerous...
Adam Louramore used numerous qualifying appearances to gain a valuable points lead over challengers Phil Clemmons, Mike Alwardt, and John Hewlett, and took home the '05 BFGoodrich Drag Radial championship.
Don Justus (second from right)...
Don Justus (second from right) only had to qualify for the Ennis race in order to claim the JDM Tough Truck title, and did so, which left David Gates finishing a close Second for the year.
WINNER The competition in...
WINNER
The competition in Borla Street Renegade for the championship was pretty tight among the top five racers...
...Ronnie Wilson was the man...
...Ronnie Wilson was the man to beat in S/R, posting a plethora of low-eight-second runs at nearly every event. Scott Pennington used consistent qualifying appearances to nab runner-up in the championship, while Crede Young, who only ran the Southern swing of the season, finished high enough to place Third in the championship. Even though he assaulted the class with a barrage of seven-second timeslips, Dan Schonek landed in Fourth for the year.
Street Warrior featured three...
Street Warrior featured three hard-core contestants battling for the points lead. While the performance of Donald Campbell Jr.'s Mustang was a few tenths off the top two contenders, he managed to finish Third at the end of the year...
...It was '04 champ Darrell...
...It was '04 champ Darrell Peterson and former S/W champ Jeremy Martorella trading wins this year and setting the standard for a S/W Mustang. In Ennis, Martorella carried a 3-point lead in the standings, but his loss to Peterson in round two let last year's champ take the crown once again.