2007 Fords At Englishtown - Fun On Race Day

The moniker "Ford" has many acronyms, ranging from "First On Race Day" to a few other less-than-gracious sayings. We think we found another one, though; one that was aptly proven at the Fords at E-Town event held at scenic and historic Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey.

Originally scheduled to be a two-day event with a True Street-style category sponsored by MM&FF and a bunch of other really neat things on Saturday, the event was cut to just one day when Mother Nature decided to rain on everyone's parade. While Saturday was a washout, Sunday was anything but, as there was action on the strip, gleaming show cars, and stands filled with screaming fanatical Ford lovers.

Marlon Smith pulled gears in his blue Shelby GT500 while competing in the Mustang Bracket category. With e.t.'s in the 11.50s and trap speeds above 123 mph, Smith's blown SVT was one quick mover. His day ended in Round Two.

In addition to the event being Raceway Park's annual Fords-only event, the lone remaining clear day was also Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords Reader Appreciation Day. Say what? Yes, despite the crack MM&FF staff having just one eye open thanks to a long trip back from the SEMA show in Las Vegas just hours before, we were out roaming the pits, greeting the masses, and kissing babies. Project cars such as Project MILF, the Fridge, and other neat rides were there for our readers to check out. Thanks to companies such as Roush, Saleen, California Car Cover, JDM Engineering, Quaker State, and all the others that contributed to our annual "Holiday Gift Guide" (Jan. '08 issue), we were able to give out some really neat prizes, including a billet Ford-logo bar stool and a Roush umbrella (which would've come in handy on Saturday).

Those who rolled into Raceway Park looking for the show-car arena found nothing short of 42 different classes in which their Ford could fit in. With categories ranging from early-models to late-models, there was a spot for every car that rolled off a Ford assembly line. MM&FF even gave away special Editor's Choice awards to some lucky winners. For those who planned on putting the pedal to the medal, there were numerous index and bracket classes open to Mustangs, Lightnings, trucks, and even a few Mercurys.

Raceway Park has long been a hot spot of Mustang heads-up drag racing, so it was only fair that there were some killer Mustangs, Shelbys, and Ford GTs on the track and in the pits. We found some cars on the famous quarter-mile that deserved to be in the show area, and some cars in the show area that looked like they held residence on the strip.

While rain may have dampened Saturday and wiped out our True Street-style road cruise and competition, you can be sure we'll be back in 2008. Maybe by then Mother Nature will realize that Ford means "Fun on Race Day" and not "Fun's Over, Rain Delay!"

With 42 different classes for show cars, there was something for everyone. With cars ranging from old to new and from mild to wild, there was a treasure trove of gorgeous Fords and Mustangs.

Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords gave out two Editor's Choice awards at the Fords at E-Town event. The award for best show car went to the blue '90 Mustang notchback of Mike Ritchick. This Fox-body is loaded with a 331 sporting AFR heads backed by a Tremec TKO600.

The MM&FF Editor's Choice Drag Car award went to the vibrant red '90 Mustang convertible of Vinny Grinelli, who was busy racing, so we didn't get all the details of the car. However, Grinelli was more than happy to tell us the Stang routinely runs in the low-nine-second zone.