Fun Ford Weekend - Baytown Bad Boys Go Looking For Trouble

More modular power. El Smith has a full 343 cubes from his Navigator block. Add a trick pair of Randy Haywood four-valve heads and a set of healthy FRPP camshafts, and you are definitely in the 10-second zone. Smith told us his combo has gone 10.66, but he backs it down to 11.50s for competition.

Charlie McCulloch has been on a rampage lately with his '98 Cobra. He has attended four Mustang shootout races this year, and Houston marked his fourth final-round appearance. McCulloch broke out this time, giving the Sean Hyland Motorsports Mod Comp victory to Bruce Waddle's '68 Cougar.

The Superchips Street Stang class is usually full of Fox and SN-95-bodied Mustangs, but a recent rule change additionally allows Thunderbirds. The 4.6-liter '97 Thunderbird of Johnny Langton jumped in the ring and immediately started ousting Mustangs right and left en route to the final. There, Langton faced off with Tom Conrad Jr., handing him a 0.033 light followed by a 12.53 on the class index 12.50 that pushed Conrad to break out with a 12.47.

The new Ford Racing Products/RPM Outlet Ultra Stang class is strictly for '05-'06 Mustangs, and it was another battle of V-6s in the Baytown final. SD Wheeler was victorious over Tom Conrad Jr. in a breakout 15-second race.

The UPR Products Car Show was full of perfectly detailed stock, modified, chromed out, Pro Street and full blown race car entries from Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Tennessee.

Charles Hower's '03 Cobra was our Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords Editor's Choice in the car show; it had a handful of bolt-ons inside and out, a nice lowered stance to go with the 20s-and, of course, its wicked flaming Cobra paint job. Hower runs it on the Houston dragstrip now and then, where it goes 12.20s on BFG drag radials.

Debbie Eckhardt drove her '92 ragtop from Corpus Christi, Texas, to capture the Manufacturer's Choice Award. She added a set of Trick Flow heads, a Pro-M 75mm mass air meter, 3.73s, and a few bolt-on suspension pieces from UPR Products. In the back-ground, you can't miss Buddy Miller's big F-350 4x4 monster truck.

Darrel McBride showed his Powerdyne-blown '94 Cobra Indianapolis Pace Car on Sunday after running it in Tremec True Street on Saturday.

Texas State Police officer Roman Collins (left) proudly displayed his '89 patrol car. Collins' buddy Tom Mallette said he got tired of hearing about how much fun it was to drive, so he bought an all-original '93 Special Service Package model for himself. The cars are both showroom condition, and each won an Open Class award.