Michigan, New Jersey, and Florida are known hot spots for muscle Mustangs, and for years, we've brought you race coverage from these Mustang honey holes. What you may not know, though, is that the great state of Texas is littered with Mustangs, performance shops, and local dragstrips. And it wasn't until recently that Texans had a place to call their own on the NMRA circuit.
In 2009, the NMRA and NMCA staff, along with the help of Houston Raceway Park, pulled together the first-ever Lone Star Shootout after the season was already underway. It was a great success, and plans were made to continue the non-points season closer. Like the Super Bowl in Joliet, Illinois, the Lone Star Shootout is a double event, bringing the best of NMRA and NMCA together for one big bash.
Saturday's car show brought out some of the best iron Detroit has produced, dominated by Mustangs and other fast Fords alike. The manufacturer's midway was packed with vendors providing a sneak peak at new products for 2011. There was also the usual swap meet, where one man's junk ... well, you know.
Special classes were formed to pit the best of NMCA and NMRA together in competition. Super Trucks & SUV was open to all years and makes of trucks and SUVs, and Late-Model EFI hosted all domestic late-model hot rods; NMRA Modular Muscle and Open Comp were combined to form Triangle Speed Shop Mod-Comp; and NMRA Hot Street joined NMCA Pro Stock to form Harland Sharp All Motor. Some familiar classes like Tremec True Street and JDM Engineering Super Stang were contested, adding to the fun.
The School of Automotive Machinists...
The School of Automotive Machinists SN-95 wheeled by Merv Davis goes head-to-head with Rob Valden in the Harland Sharp All Motor class during qualifying. Davis went red in the final, handing the victory to Valden.
True Street turnout was great, as always. Forty-two vehicles entered the competition, of which only four lacked a Blue Oval. Twenty-eight finished the 30-mile cruise and three back-to-back quarter-mile passes, led by winner Angel Padilla in Joel Cura's twin-turbo-powered '93 LX coupe. The 8.050-second average was impressive but just shy of the elusive 7-second barrier.
As its title suggests, though, the focus of the event was on the Lone Star Shootout. Like the Spring Break Shootout, the top 16 in Saturday's True Street competition were invited back to compete in a heads-up eliminator. Round by round, cars were eliminated until only one was left standing to be awarded with a 6-foot trophy, a $500 prize, and bragging rights as the ultimate street/strip car in the great state of Texas.
With the success of the Lone Star Shootout over the last two years, the NMRA and NMCA have reserved HMP this November to do it all over again. So if you live in the Houston area or want to take a road trip, meet us in Houston for the Lone Star Shootout November 11-13, 2011.
The car show was a great place...
The car show was a great place to find some of the most beautiful Fords in competition with Brand X.
Houston's own Richard Lelsz...
Houston's own Richard Lelsz and his Strictly Performance crew adjust the fuel pressure on his Super Street Outlaw New Edge between qualifying rounds.
Chris James of Houston brought...
Chris James of Houston brought out his '89 hatch to compete in Mod Comp. Chuck Hoekstra eliminated him in Round 1, but we loved his fighter plane-themed paint job. We especially loved the kill flags.
If you're into the classics,...
If you're into the classics, then the Nostalgia Super Stock class is for you. It's always fun to watch 4,000-plus-pound sleds go wheels-up.
Fox restoration is definitely...
Fox restoration is definitely a growing craze. Jorge Martinez brought out this excellent example. The coupe features a polished Cobra intake, 10th Anniversary Cobra wheels, and a beautiful custom paint job.
The Hellion Power Systems...
The Hellion Power Systems and Strictly Performance teams thrash in the pits.
Randy Seward takes some pointers...
Randy Seward takes some pointers from fellow True Streeter Chris Escobar during the Lone Star Shootout. Seward made it to the final but lost to Angel Padilla.
Crowd-favorite and fellow-Texan...
Crowd-favorite and fellow-Texan Mike Murillo made the short trip from San Antonio to partake in the weekend's fun, even though there were no points on the line.
Randy Seward gets out of the...
Randy Seward gets out of the gate quicker but is later passed by Angel Padilla (near lane) during the final of the Lone Star Shoot-out. Padilla averaged 8.050 in the True Street competition and went on to run 7s in the Shootout.
Mike Roark (near lane) wheeled...
Mike Roark (near lane) wheeled his Kenne Bell-blown, Three-Valve-converted '00 GT to a 10.177-second average, enough to be invited back to the Shootout. He made it to Round 2 but was eliminated by Stephen Rebeck.
Joe Cram and teammate Lloyd...
Joe Cram and teammate Lloyd Mikeska stand proud in victory lane. It was the first win for Mikeska in JDM Super Stang; Cram took runner-up.
Joel Cura's pristinely polished...
Joel Cura's pristinely polished '93 coupe sits unsuspecting in victory lane. Wheeled by Angel Padilla, Cura's twin-76mm-boosted beast ran 7.928, 8.027, 7.944, and 7.949 in the Lone Star Shoot-out for the win. The Cura/Padilla team plans to be in Bradenton for the Spring Break Shootout, and we're hoping to see the first 7-second average in True Street history.