2008 Fun Ford Weekend Epping - Nor'easter

This clean '88 coupe belongs to Ron Smithell of Derry, New Hampshire. Sporting a stock displacement 302 enhanced with 10 psi from a Vortech V2 snail, Smithell ended up 17th in True Street with a 12.10 average. He said the car has gone an 11.70 before, and we're sure it has as the Pony ran an 11.86 on its first pass.

Brian Pulaski piloted his clean two-tone Fox-body in True Street, and ran a string of consistent low-13 second passes.

Steve Witt missed taking home the 13-second True Street win with his Fox-body by a mere tenth of a second. Witt averaged 13.15, thanks in part to a 13.08 best.

Phil Potvin was the True Street big winner in Epping. Potvin ripped off a pair of low 10-second laps, and used them to average out a 10.24.

Last year, Thomas Diliberto competed in True Street with his Terminator Cobra. This year, he brought out his latest supercharged terror, his brand-new Shelby GT500. Diliberto averaged a 13.59 with the blown mod monster, and plans to lower that average next year with some added speed parts.

Jacob Lorant gave it all he had in Mod Comp, but came up one round short in the final round against Shane Williams. Lorant's day started with a first round victory over the silver '03 Mustang GT of Dana Lombardozzi.

MM&FF's old project car, Frightning, was in the house in Epping. The four-eyed, Lightning-powered freak is still as unique as ever, and made many a trip down the Epping quarter-mile during the course of the weekend.

Mike Trimandilis made the short haul from Danbury, Connecticut, to run in Street Renegade. The NMRA Super Street Outlaw staple squared off against another NMRA regular, Don Burton in the final. With ten large on the line, Trimandilis came up a bit short as his 7.75 couldn't hold off the 7.62 of Burton.

Paul Gamino drove the JDM Engineering-campaigned Sterling Edition Saleen Mustang to victory in Ultra Stang. Gamino had an easy go of it when final round opponent S.D. Wheeler broke shortly after leaving the starting line.

Gamino made it two-for-two in Epping final rounds as he gunned down Gerry Van Veen in the money round. Gamino (far lane), started his day off with a narrow victory over Dan Christopher. Both drivers were nearly identical on the Tree, and at the stripe Gamino got the nod by a scant 17-thousandths of a second.

Nick Bonang went the distance in the Street Bandit category, gunning down the Mustang of Bob Dugan in the final. A better light and a 10.64 on the class' 10.60 index sealed the deal for Bonang.

While on his way to the Street Stang victory, Tom Conrad (far lane) slipped past James D'Amore III (near lane) in the semi-finals. After taking out D'Amore, Conrad handled the challenge of Manny Scata in the money round.

Artie Darling nearly took home the True Street win in Epping. Wheeling his coupe, Darling ended up with a 10.40-second average. His Fox-body is motivated by a 427 ci monster backed by a Lenco 5-speed and a 9-inch stocked with 40-spline axles. While the 14-point rollcage makes ingress and egress a bit difficult, it's going to be needed when he stretches the Pony's legs even further with the sauce kit that is waiting to be installed.

A total of 60 cars made the 30-mile cruise and three back-to-back passes necessary to finish on the True Street results sheets. This clean red Fox-body was one of the many that ran in the class at Epping.

Who doesn't love a powerful Mustang boiling the hides in anticipation of another dragstrip assault?

This Parnelli Jones Saleen was one of the many hot looking Mustangs, both old, new, and middle-aged, that populated the car show grounds.