Tim Lynch - '01 Mustang
Now entering the ring, weighing in at a scant 3,100 pounds, from somewhere near Atlanta, Georgia, the undisputed King of the Outlaws, Tim Lynch's '01 Mustang. OK, so we won't make money announcing title fights, but we do make our money sitting around playing with cars, and Lynch's Stang hit us hard when we drummed up candidates for the Top 10. The Lynch Mob is feared in Ford and Outlaw competition as this Stang can run sixes at 200-plus mph anywhere, anytime. We have to give big kudos to his crew of wife, Kelly, and engine builder/tuner, Steve Petty, too.
Originally starting out the '06 racing season with a twin-turbocharged 445 small-block, Lynch ditched the smaller motor for an insanely large 596 big-block Ford that's force-fed by a pair of hairdryers. Lynch was the first Outlaw runner to dip into the six-second zone on 10.5W tires, and he is a routine six-second player every time he pulls his Pony out of the stable. Finishing Second in FFW Street Outlaw points this year, Lynch's goal is to improve on his 2006 best speed of 216 mph. He says the combination is good for 6.60s at 220. Let the competition start praying now.
Manny Buginga - '89 Mustang LX
In all honesty, 28x10.5-inch slicks are mighty small tires. They're normally the tires an everyday Mustang owner would run at the track on a 12-second car. But Manny Buginga runs those measly little tires to go 7.37 seconds at 194 mph down the dragstrip. Yes, you read correctly, and it only took us 7.37 seconds to decide outright that Buginga made the Top 10 list.
We covered the car in our May '06 issue, right after Buginga ripped off the 7.37, so we knew he had to be in the Top 10. To move his Mustang down the dragstrip, the '05 NMRA S/S Outlaw Champ uses a 383ci Ford topped with Yates heads and a turbo big enough to vacuum up a battleship. In fact, the 106mm turbo helped Buginga become the first person ever to crack the 200-mph barrier on 10.5 tires. Now that's downright impressive.
David Wolfe - '89 Mustang
David Wolfe, who is the hired shoe for Ken Nelson's '89 Mustang, is a wolf in sheep's clothing. OK, pardon the pun, but it is quite apropos when describing the Wolfe/Nelson Stang, which was featured in the September '06 issue. The car looks the part with a simple black paint job, a small cowl hood, and an ultra-cool (and needed) rear wing and 'chute. That's not all it has, though.
Sporting a Hans Feustal Racing Engines 382ci small-block, Wolfe piloted the Pony to a 7.40/197-mph rip at the WFC 9 event. This was accomplished with the potent Ford topped by a set of TFS R heads and a 106mm Turbonetics turbo while traveling on Mickey Thompson 325/50-15 drag radials-yes, we said drag radials. For 2007, though, look for another hairdryer and a different paint scheme. Two turbos? Insane! Maybe, but we like insanity-it gets you in the Top 10 list.