2006 Fun Ford Weekend Topeka Racetrack - Heads-Up In The Heartland

Ronnie Wilson (near) and Dan Schoneck have been the top performers in Precision Turbo & Engine Street Renegade throughout 2006, so anytime you see them side-by-side at the starting line, you can expect war. Wilson is from Florida, so he has learned to appreciate a frosty cold shot of nitrous oxide. Minnesota resident Schoneck is just the opposite; he's tired of the cold and prefers his ProCharger blower combo. On this weekend, Wilson got the upper hand in this battle on the way to the Street Renegade title.

Don Justus has been running in the Tough Truck class for several years. This year, he captured yet another championship. His wife, P.J., has been loyally traveling the country to help him chase the passion, but this year she decided that those days are done, and it was time she got to have a bit of fun, too. Don gathered his winnings from the past couple of years, bought her an '06 GT, slapped on a handful of goodies, and sent her to the burnout box. She made the best of it by capturing the Ford Racing Performance Products Ultra Stang Topeka title over S.D. Wheeler with a dead-on 11.86 in the final.

Brian Carpenter laid down a 7.10 to pick up the No. 2 Outlaw qualifying spot. His toughest opponent came in the first round as Cale Aronson holeshotted him with a 0.044 to 0.160 bulb, but couldn't displace the 7.34 to 7.19 performance disadvantage. Carpenter nearly matched his qualifying effort with a 7.11 in the semis before losing a pedal fest with Conrad Scarry in the final.

Jeremy Martorella was alone at the finish line in his Glidden-powered, UPR Products-sponsored Pony to claim the Borla Street Warrior prize.

Surprise entry Brian Felder from Oklahoma City came to give Ronnie Wilson a little dose of his own medicine (nitrous oxide, that is). Unfortunately, Felder came up short, running 8.41 to 7.78 in the Street Renegade final. We expect to see more of him next year.

The Superchips Racing Street 'Stang class allows just about any street-driven, mildly modified Mustang to compete. It is a fixed dial-in class with a 12.50 index, so the closer you can get without going under, the better your chance of winning. Mark Anderson has been on a tear in 2006, winning four races already. He faced the strong '88 Mustang of Craig Shepard in the last race of the day and notched win number five to lock up the points race for the year.

Mod Comp was the biggest class at Topeka, and Mac Sibley's Fairmont cop car had no problem chasing 'em down all day with the closest racing seen in the class this year. He took out the reigning class champ, Suzanne Towe, with a ridiculous 0.007 bulb and a dead-on 10.19. He then backed up his credibility with a 0.006 bulb and a 10.22 on his 10.19 to oust rookie star Chris Parisi. Next in line was Roger Banks, and then Bruce Waddle in his quicker '68 Cougar. Sibley got nearly a second at the Tree to get out front, and he stayed there, 10.28 on a 10.19 to Waddle's 9.14 to 9.00 dial, to win the Sean Hyland Motorsports Mod Comp class trophy and check.

North Carolina native Don Justus pounded the JDM Engineering Tough Truck field by more than a second on the qualifying ladder with his wheel-standing '01 Lightning pickup. He had a 0.001 light in the second round and ran a 10.700 on his 10.70 dial for the class win against Robert Cuhran. Justus and his wife rendezvoused in the winner's circle as they both won their respective classes.

Speaking of die-hards, Jim Maneth proudly displayed his Kenne Bell-supercharged '06 beauty with the top down between the sprinkles. Maneth swapped the 3.55 gears for 4.11s and upgraded the brakes, tires, and wheels. The interior was tricked out with lots of billet pieces from UPR and others, including a cool, race car, push-button start switch on the dash bezel. His sharp, low-12-second ride was our Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords Car Show Editor's Choice.