Ford Fun Weekend Drag Race - Sunshine State Showdown
Noted Drag Radial competitor Christina Eldert had her LaMotta Performance coupe qualified in the seventh position on Saturday, but it was Josh Klugger of Ocala, Florida, at the wheel as the expecting Eldert nurtured the fledgling D/R racer while his own ride is finished up. Klugger fought some transbrake issues early in the competition and sorted it out prior to the first round. But a loss of boost at the Tree sealed Klugger's fate as '05 D/R champ Adam Louramore took the win. | 
The '05 CFE Racing Products Street Bandit champ, Matt Jones, found some stiff competition from the bright-red Booze Brothers Mustang. The Austin, Texas, resident drove his '03 GT to the number-two spot in qualifying, and a no show from Robert Blankenship in Round 1 gave him two bye runs to the final where Booze was waiting. Booze broke the transmission about 60 feet out, while Jones was hammer-down to the finish line and the class victory. | 
Kevin Toothman wowed the crowds all weekend with wicked wheelstands from his Visual Effected '93 hatchback. He wheeled past the '83 Mustang of Bob Hanlon, but fell to Charlie Booze Jr. in Round 2 in an 8.77 to 8.87 contest. | 
Elverson, Pennsylvania's Bob Hanlon put in his bid for the CFE Racing Street Bandit prize. Sporting the smallest motor in the group at 360 ci (everyone else touts 400 ci or larger), Hanlon put up a good fight against Toothman in the first round, but fell with an 8.91 to Toothman's 8.80. | 
Last year's Borla Street Warrior champ, Darrell Peterson, qualified number one with a scorching 9.29 at 141 mph. He credited several off-season changes, including a new EFI setup and cam tweaks for the improved performance, while the new Steeda Hardcore suspension parts netted consistent 1.29-1.30 60-foot times. Making all this happen over the winter were the Thunder Autosports crew, Steeda, Brian Tooley, and Peterson's wife, Jessica. Sporting a new Southern Paint and Graphics paint job, his Stang edged out John Scaro's 9.44 effort with a 9.39 run in the final for the win. | 
Woodstock, Georgia's John Scaro picked up the pace for 2006, posting a 9.50 in qualifying to take the number-two spot. Scaro sailed past Trai Sorrow in Round 1, but it was much closer in Round 2 where Robert Mollet of Port St. Lucie, Florida, cut down the Tree, but found himself about half a car length short of Scaro at the stripe. | 
Tony Gonyon and the HP Performance team were firmly embedded in the Spring Break shootout class with Tony's big-block-powered, nitrous-sniffing notchback. He also brought out this Ford GT belonging to one of his customers, Joe Cermine. With a custom computer tune, a 2.7 blower pulley, an FRPP exhaust, and a "little" shot of juice, the GT put down 723 hp to the wheels and impressed the crowd with mid-10-second elapsed times. That was until someone complained about the nearly $200,000 car not having the required safety gear. | 
Robert Mollet of Port St. Lucie, Florida, took a huge leap forward in Street Warrior, qualifying Third with a healthy 9.57 at nearly 140 mph. Mollet got a bye in Round 1 when Joel Lehr's distributor pin loosened and lodged itself in the oil pump, and he put in a valiant effort in Round 2 with an advantage at the start against John Scaro. At the stripe, Scaro edged Mollet out with a 9.52 to his 9.61 effort. | 
Mike Bowen of Modular Powerhouse was the number-one qualifier in the new Ultra Stang class, posting a 10.68 at 129 mph. The '05 Mustang sports MP's new single intercooled turbo system and still runs the stock clutch, transmission, and rearend. |
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