Joe started Matt out on drag radials because of their more stable nature at the top end. Impressed with the traction of the 325/50/15 Mickey Thompson drag radial tires, they remain on for the time being.
"The car has gone 1.34-second 60-foot times on the drag radials," Joe says. "They work better than slicks and keep the mild-looking appearance." They work so well in fact that the red notchback has run a best elapsed time of 8.72 at 160 mph with Matt behind the wheel.
"I was in my 30s before I went eights and more than 150 mph," Joe says. "At 17, Matt's going 160 mph. He's having fun with it, and that's what's important. He's a really good driver. For a kid who's never staged a turbo car, his best light is a 0.015." Joe was 37 years old when he went 200. We wonder how long it will take Matt.
We'd be remiss if we didn't mention the numerous individuals who helped Matt and Joe bring the historic red coupe to where it is today. Freddy and Shane Ortines, Carl Gibson, and Pande Televski have all been integral components in getting the two back on track, as have been some of the team's sponsors, including MAT Trucking, Reider Racing and UPR Products. "I also wanted to thank Dan Schoneck for his help in Atlanta," Matt says. "He helped out with parts at the Fun Ford event."
Currently, Matt and Joe can be seen at various Fun Ford events running in the Renegade/Drag Radial class. A switch to a 91mm turbo should get Matt into the sevens, with a 101mm turbo to follow for low-seven-second power. With the ladder-bar rear suspension, it's hard to fit the car in some of the classes, but that may change sometime next year, as there are plans afoot to shoehorn Joe's twin-turbo motor from his '98 into a new S197 drag radial machine.
Now truly living up to Joe's claim of this being a family vehicle, this former regular of Mustang racing has not only been returned to its fuel-injection roots, but also to the 1,320 as Matt takes to the track in search of seven-second e.t.'s.