2009 NMRA Keystone Drag Racing In Charlotte, NC

The True Street Overall Winner was Allen Hurley of Bristol, Tennessee, in his '88 coupe. He came to battle with a basic combination: a 400ci Windsor with Roush-Yates NASCAR take-off heads and a single-fogger nitrous system. That was good for an 8.95 average.

Johnny Morris nailed down a 12.06 average for the 12-second Winner spot in True Street. The '05 Stang features a Fastlane-built 281ci engine with a Vortech V2 blower, JPC intake, and a shot of nitrous. It makes 620 rwhp and has gone 10.60s at 127 mph on slicks-but for this event, his Stang rolled on 20-inch radial tires that spun at the hit of throttle during every run.

Lexington, North carolina's Ryan Leitner was armed with a ProCharger-blown ride that was built by famed Super Street Outlaw racer Chris Tuten. The coupe was the True Street 9-second Winner with a 9.31 average.

A former MM&FF cover car was spotted on the car show grounds. Since we were in NASCAR country, we weren't surprised to see a plethora of Roush Mustangs in the show as well. Over 100 cars were shined up in the show segment of the event.

An S197 Foose Special Edition Mustang is very rare; this could be the first privately owned Foose ride we have seen at an NMRA event. It not only looks sweet, but the two-tone Stang packs nearly 450 rwhp courtesy of an FRPP supercharger.

Johnny Lightning is closing in on his first NMRA Truck and Lightning championship. The Gen 2 ride features a fully-built 5.4L engine with a Kenne Bell 2.8H blower and goes mid-10s. He won the Charlotte event, his first NMRA win in 2009.

Joseph Marini went to the semifinals in Modular Muscle with his turbocharged S197. The car was racing on a 10.40 index but we've watched this JPC Racing-built car go 9.90s during an MM&FF S197 Shootout. It sports a 322ci Three-Valve that is pumped up by a Hellion 76mm turbo system.

Super Street Outlaw has seen some wild final rounds with tight racing and jaw-dropping performances. The final in Charlotte was neither. John MacDonald (left) won his first NMRA event, but it was an interesting victory. The engine snapped a wrist pin, which in turn completely wiped out a piston, rod, and sleeve. The car rolled to a 10.41. He actually won because his competitor, Don Burton (right), shook the 28x10.5-inch slicks so hard that the power cut-off lever was thrown-thus shutting off the car.

Conrad Scarry and the Ken Seeger Motorsports team put some blue paint on their new Pro Outlaw 10.5 entry. The car replaced their previous ride, which looked identical but had been destroyed at the NMRA season opener in Bradenton, Florida. Scarry scored a runner-up finish with his twin-turbocharged big-block combination.

It was back-to-back Open Comp wins for Paul Lehman in his '31 Model A Ford, a crowd favorite. It mixes rat-rod looks with 10-second performances.

Crossbreeding is becoming more popular. Here is Alton Clements Jr. hanging the wheels with his Mod Motor-powered Fox coupe. The Sutton High Performance-sponsored car is entered in the EFI-Renegade ranks and is constantly in the top half of the field. On this outing, the Vortech supercharged Four-Valve engine helped push Clements to a best of 8.77 at 160 mph.

Longtime (and successful) FFW racer, Gary Parker, dusted off his Modular Muscle racecar for some fun. Parker showed he is still competitive, as he took home the winner's check by beating Randy Mounce with an 11.03 on an 11.02 index.

Bruce Hemminger looks to be the only competitor who can beat MV Performance's Tim Matherly in the highly restrictive Real Street class. The nitrous-injected coupe won the event with a 9.52 at 142 mph blast-a run that has the supercharger contingent heading back to the chassis dyno to find more power.

The 30-mile cruise for the TTC Tremec True Street category took place on famed 1.5-mile Lowes Motor Speedway.