NMRA Ford Motorsport Nationals - Grabbin' Air At The Grove

Don Walsh Jr. (left) had problems on Sunday in the semifinal round when his Mustang went into severe tire shake, which snapped parts in the Lenco transmission. The team thrashed to fix the transmission, only to come up short. They rebuilt the trans twice, but both times the gears did not work properly. Their valiant efforts still netted them with a runner-up finish.

Hot Street has become the grassroots racer's version of NHRA Pro Stock, and racers like the Schmidt brothers (pictured) rely on high-winding Windsor engines. The norm for the category are times in the 8.90-9.20 range.

Clearly, Shawn Johnson has both front wheels off the ground. That's quite an impressive feat for a Factory Stock racer considering the 3,400-pound car runs on a set of BFGoodrich 275/60-15. Johnson mowed through the field showing that Four-Valve mod motors are still king in Factory Stock.

Manny Buginga had his Super Street Outlaw car running quick. The team, led by Pat Speer and Job Spetter Jr., used a little luck and a lot of experience to get down the hot and greasy race track. Buginga went home with runner-up money.

Captain Keith Kohlmann is defending his first Truck and Lightning title and doing a fine job at it. The final was anticlimactic, as Mike Motycka left before the Tree was activated.

Defending Outlaw 10.5 series champion, Jim Briante, had a new 400ci engine under the hood. He was running what he called an engine they "just threw together" for the race. The team is awaiting the completion of a sick ProCharger-blown 445ci engine-one they say will deliver them to the sixes in Outlaw 10.5 trim.

David Hance had his seven-second Outlaw 10.5 Mustang on the property. The '05 Stang was built by Cajun Pro Cars and is powered by a Steve Petty 449ci engine with twins. Hance fought the track all weekend but managed to survive and win his first NMRA event. He beat Tim Esseck in the finals.

Three weeks before Maple Grove, the Motive Gear-backed Pro 5.0 car was involved in a racing accident. The team (Joe Morgan, Tom Sanders, Jimmy Barry, and Vic Williams) purchased this '04 Mustang GT built by RJ Race Cars and got it ready. They shoe-horned their 638ci engine (complete with three Edelbrock Nitrous foggers) into the car and headed to Maple Grove. New-car bugs prevented them from running deep into the sixes, but we expect this team to make some noise.

WinnerCan anybody beat Robert Hindman? He took the class win in Modular Muscle, and ran 11.74 on an 11.60 index. It was a bit off his normal runs, but Hindman's killer reaction times made up for the difference-his best light of the weekend was 0.002.

This is one of 107 '93 Cobra R models ever made. We're willing to bet that Shane Jennings' is the quickest of all. He qualified 16th in the 20-car Drag Radial field with an 8.92 at 162 mph. The Vortech-blown entry has gone 8.60s in cooler conditions.

Robert Motycka drove the family's Mustang to victory in the Open Comp category. He ran 9.99 on a 9.96 index and combined that with a 0.070 reaction time. Motycka beat Gary Beyer Jr. in the final round.

Hot Street allows a variety of engine sizes at different weight breaks. Some feel the 440ci engine is optimal, while others have chosen to run a 400ci mill. Racers like Mike Demayo (shown) seem to think the lightweight car combo with the 360ci engine is the way to go. With backing from Roush Racing, these guys surely did their homework. During the first race out with the tiny engine, Demayo went a few rounds and ran as quick as 9.01. He reported he could run quicker but needs to science out the correct torque converter and rear gearing.