The voices spoke. The minds went to work. And a fervent need for Ford competition in the South turned into the inaugural Nitto Tire Lone Star Shootout, presented by Quantum Performance at Houston Raceway Park.
For three days in November 2009, the NMRA took over the HRP facilities to offer Ford and Mustang enthusiasts a place to burn some rubber, compete against the locals and those from out of town, and to just plain have fun with their modified Fords.
As the NMRA and Promedia staff scrambled to assemble a race in Texas after it had already begun it's 2009 season, the event came to life with Pro Outlaw and Super Street Outlaw match races, the heads-up Harland Sharp Street Bandit class, which utilized the rules from the NMRA Edelbrock Hot Street for naturally aspirated cars and NMRA Diablo Sport EFI Renegade for the power-adder cars, as well as JDM Engineering Super Stang, Detroit Locker Truck and Lightning, Roush/Steeda Mod Comp, and of course, the crowd favorite, Tremec True Street presented by Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords magazine.
In addition to the standard True Street class, the NMRA also offered a Lone Star True Street Shootout, which featured the quickest 16 cars from the field on Saturday in a heads-up eliminator. Let us tell you, there were a lot of cars in the field with parachutes, and that always makes for an exciting showdown. Some 69 were entered, but there was a high attrition rate, as only 53 made it through the cruise (which turned out to be 44 miles instead of the normal 30) and three rounds of back-to-back passes.
Though there was great racing action, a sizable car show, and manufacturer's midway and swap meet to enjoy, we thought the best thing about the event was how appreciative and supportive the attendees all were with regard to the event coming to town. Whether it was the NMRA staff or your MM&FF crew, we were all thanked on numerous occasions for coming to Texas and putting on a show. It was something we really hadn't seen before and it showed just how much people enjoyed the competition and Mustang atmosphere.
Having received such a warm welcome from the Lone Star state, the NMRA made plans to return to Houston Raceway Park this November 12-14, 2010. Once again, it will be a non-points and limited-class event, but the NMRA will join forces with the NMCA to open the event to all makes and models. With the rampant success of the Superbowl in Joliet, Illinois, and the Zmax event in North Carolina, this Houston, Texas event should be even better than this year. See you then.
The racer turnout was good;...
The racer turnout was good; we suspect the event will grow even more next year with increased advertising and the combination NMRA/NMCA event program.
The NMRA set up a number of...
The NMRA set up a number of heads-up match races for the event, and leading off were Texas-native Mike Murillo and New Mexico's Dwayne James.
New Mexico's John Urist was...
New Mexico's John Urist was brought in for match racing in the Super Street Outlaw class. Going up against the multi-time NMRA SSO champion was Houston's own Richard Lelsz. Another Texas native and Outlaw racing fixture, Chip Havemann also brought out his SSO Outlaw Mustang for a little quarter-mile mischief.
Though the Harland Sharp Street...
Though the Harland Sharp Street Bandit class was unsuccessful in bringing out some boosted competition, the all-motor contingent offered six competitors, including 2009 Hot Street champion Don Bowles, who qualified number one with an 8.74 at 153 mph. He put away Merv Davis in Round 1 and took the bye into the final, where he faced off against New Mexico's Mike Abdalla, who had disposed of Max Gross on a holeshot win in Round 1, and Robbie Blankenship, who redlighted in Round 2. Abdalla himself would go -0.163 red in the final, giving Bowles the win.
JDM Engineering threw a huge...
JDM Engineering threw a huge bash at HRP for the racers and NMRA staff. It was quite the party, with Drew Gamino slow-cooking some barbecue all day and an excited bunch of racers enjoying the spirits.
The Roush/Steeda Mod Comp...
The Roush/Steeda Mod Comp class didn't disappoint in Houston. After 17 competitors battled for the win, the final came down to Dale McClenaghan of Livonia, Michigan, and his Roush-prepped Ford Falcon against Houston-resident Joe Warwas and his late-model Mustang. The big-block-powered Falcon went -0.001 red on the Tree, handing Warwas the win.
A ten-truck field competed...
A ten-truck field competed for cash and contingency in the Detroit Truck and Lightning class in Houston; Rosharon, Texas-resident Paul Gamino qualified number one. Gamino, who competed in both the Truck and Super Stang class, marched through some tough racers to meet Jim D'Amore in the final of the Truck and Lightning class. Gamino took the advantage out of the hole and never looked back, taking the win in his home state race.
The JDM Engineering Super...
The JDM Engineering Super Stang class featured a 17-car field, and Houston, Texas' Joe Cram took the number one qualifying honors and the bye in Round 1. Cram's day ended in Round 2, but Syracuse, Indiana's Kent Nine was the one to beat on Sunday. His supercharged convertible took full advantage of Lloyd Mikeska's red light in the final round to take home the win.
Texas residents and show attendees...
Texas residents and show attendees check out the deals in the manufacturer's midway and swap meet area. UPR Products always has a crowd around its trailer.
James Rose of Friendswood,...
James Rose of Friendswood, Texas, drove his Sonic Blue Terminator to the low-11-second average in True Street competition. His 11.09 average was just enough to nudge out Michael Boehm (Spring, Texas) and his 11.13 effort.