There's no doubt that the laps one gets to make in the Bristol Motor Speedway are driving lots of people to the Fun Ford O'Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee. Those entering the Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords/Tremec True Street class were given a treat in 2005 by lapping the half-mile NASCAR track prior to turning elapsed times on the 1,320, and the event was repeated in 2006 for the 68-car field.
A favorite to win, frequent True Street racer and winner Nick Yarber went out before he could complete his three runs due to a broken rearend. With Yarber's usual low eight-second passes being absent, the title was wide open for his cousin Baron, along with a host of new contenders all vying to take home the first prize.
The hot True Street racers fought for track time with the quick heads-up and tight bracket-racing contingents, and the combination made for a great show at Fun Ford's 15th annual visit to Thunder Valley.
Despite the roving density altitude that hovered around 4,000 feet, many cars were running stout numbers, including John Gullet (6.50s all weekend long), Tim Lynch (6.97 at 213), and Erica Ortiz, who posted a career best of 6.85 at 207 mph in her Probe Pro class Thunderbird.
With a great facility and beautiful scenery, the race at Bristol is a great event to catch and one you should mark on your calendar whether you plan to race or watch. Check out the captions to see why.
Winner Danny Pennington piloted...
Winner Danny Pennington piloted his notchback to the low-11-second win in True Street with an 11.04, an 11.06, and an 11.01.
Winner D.J. Worley grabbed...
Winner D.J. Worley grabbed the low-15-second award with his Roush/Mach 1 Mustang.
Winner Mark Whitted drove...
Winner Mark Whitted drove the wheels off his Windveil Blue Stang to arrive at the low-14-second winner's circle.
Winner Hailing from Elliston,...
Winner Hailing from Elliston, Virginia, Matt Scott entered his very first True Street behind the wheel of a formidable car. His '03 Cobra features exhaust, pulley, gear and ECM upgrades. A set of sticky Hoosier tires, straight from eBay, got him down the track in fine fashion while taking the low-13-second win.
Winner Coming off a win in...
Winner Coming off a win in True Street in Richmond, Maryland's Jeff Edwards nabbed another low-12-second prize in Bristol behind the wheel of his 347ci, Paxton-blown Mustang GT.
Think you've got the fastest...
Think you've got the fastest car in True Street? You'd better be packing some serious horsepower.
Winner Tracy Silver slid...
Winner Tracy Silver slid into the low-10-second spot after Saturday's True Street competition came to a close.
Having plugged away in the...
Having plugged away in the True Street ranks for seven years now, Jacky McCarty of Nickelsville, Virginia, finally has the power to take him to the top of the True Street heap. His '91 GT features a Scott Vastel-built 442ci engine with Yates NASCAR heads and a 250hp shot of nitrous courtesy of NOS. McCarty's 9.50 average was half a tenth short of the top seat this time, however.