"Man, that thing sounds gnarly. What's under the hood--a blower?"
"Nope."
"A turbo?"
"No way."
"Well then, how much sauce are you running?"
"Not a lick. That power-adder stuff is for wimps!"

These days, it's easy to make an inordinate amount of power with the help of nitrous, a supercharger, or a turbo. Even Ford figured it out, as no less than four late-models featured a blower. The boys in blue have offered turbo models, too, but the majority of performance Mustangs still rely on naturally aspirated power.

For many, building a solid N/A combination brings great pride, as selection in cam, head port design, valving, and intake become oh-so critical. To make 400-500 streetable horse-power without those aids or exotic parts, however, is a much more difficult task. The answer to going fast with a naturally aspirated setup comes down to the combination of the parts chosen, the size of the bullet under the hood, and the package in which the engine is laid.

With that, the time has come for another MM&FF shootout, except we'll do it sans sauce or forced induction. While turbos, blowers, and nitrous are all cool, the allure of nothing more than a Mustang running on muscle transcended our love for all things power adder. To prove there are those in the Mustang community willing to go fast without the help of what can be considered the steroids of the Mustang enthusiast market, we set out to find the baddest, most sensible N/A cars out there.

The result was a mix of shootout participants, with entries ranging from a serious Fox, to a Four-Valve '01 Cobra, to a stroker S197. Throw in a couple of Windsor-powered notchbacks, a 302-based Mustang GT, an NMRA-legal Factory Stock car, and an equal breakdown of automatic and manual transmissions, and the variety of different ways to make horsepower minus a turbo, blower, or nitrous oxide was astounding. Three of our participants even drove their cars to the track.

For starters, two out of the seven cars that attended showcased a carburetor; one sported a high-compression, iron-headed 306; while another Fox-body slung a 311ci motor topped with a stock-spec cam and E7 heads. There were two notchbacks that packed Windsor punches--one measuring 410 ci and the other a whopping 418. While dropping in a supersized 351-based engine in a Fox-body with a thumping camshaft and aluminum heads is nothing new, that one of them had a carb on it added even more allure to the deal.

While the pushrod contingent was strong, so were the modular contestants. A pair of Three-Valve S197s were in attendance, both equipped with a set of aftermarket cams and ported heads. The differences lied in the transmissions and the fact that one sported a stroker engine, while the other remained at stock displacement. Throw in a basically stock Four-Valve N/A Cobra, and the disparity between all of the contestants showed just how many different ways one can make loads of power on Mother Nature alone.

While the elapsed times may not have been as quick as some of those seen in our other shootouts, any time an N/A car can break into the 10s, all while being kept street-legal, it's quite a feat. For the record, in the following charts, everyone's best shootout run is in red.

Eric Fischer
Freehold, NJ
'92 Coupe

If Eric Fischer's '92 coupe looks familiar, it's because his Stang has graced MM&FF's pages before. Both his car and his brother Bill's '88 coupe (which also participated in our shoot-out) were feature cars in the Sept. '04 issue. Heck, they even made the cover!

When it came time for our naturally aspirated shootout, Eric was all for it, and came to the track loaded for bear. Packing a 418 Windsor backed by a 4R70W automatic, Eric was the only participant able to dip down into the 10-second zone (he drove brother Bill's car as well). Not only did he get there, but he also did it consistently, and that was after driving the car to the track.

"One of our goals that we have held true to is that we always drive the car to and from the track," Eric says. "That means it must be civilized and reliable enough to make it back and forth, and maybe even stop at Burger King on the way home."

While the ultimate goal is to run 10.0 and cruise back to the homestead, on this day, Eric's 10.36 was more than enough to distance himself from the rest of the competitors. "I really didn't think we would be the quickest in the shootout," he says. "I honestly thought we would be at the bottom of the field, and that we were more like a couple of field fillers. There are so many fast Mustangs now, I didn't think we had that good of a chance.

"One of the biggest changes we made to the car was to run it on Mickey Thompson drag radials. I originally bought them so that I would have a tire that was more rugged on the street than the bias-ply ET Streets." Lo and behold, the switch to the radials yielded a 60-foot time of 1.401 seconds. From that point on, there was no stopping the hard-charging pushrod engine. It sounded good and ran like a champ all day long.

"With the way the converter works, it was better for me to leave at an idle than to footbrake the car," Eric says. "For some reason, the car 60-foots better when I leave off of an idle as opposed to giving it any rpm. Plus, with the car using the '95 computer, I set the shift points within the computer, so I just put the car in Drive, left the starting line, and let it do its thing."

Spec Sheet
Owner:	Eric Fischer
Hometown:	Freehold, NJ
Driver:	Eric Fischer
Car:	'92 Mustang coupe
Weight w/Driver:	3,174 lbs
Engine:	418ci Windsor
Built/Tuned By:	Self
Heads:	AFR 225
Camshaft:	Comp Cams; 244/246 intake/exhaust duration, 0.580/0.585 intake/exhaust lift, 109 LSA
Intake:	Ported Edelbrock Victor 5.8 EFI
Carb/Throttle Body:	Accufab 75mm throttle body
Compression Ratio:	10.5:1
Computer System:	'95 EEC with EEC tuner
Ignition:	MSD distributor, MSD coil, FMS spark plug wires, Autolite 3924 spark plugs
Transmission:	4R70W four-speed automatic
Shifter:	Stock
Torque Converter/Clutch:	Precision Industries Stallion 4,000-stall converter
Rear Gears:	3.73
Launch RPM:	Idle (950)
Shift RPM:	6,400
Best ET/MPH to Date:	10.320/128.49

Log Book
Run No.	60-ft	E.T.	MPH
1	1.420	10.364	128.49
2	1.401	10.371	127.58
3	1.422	10.459	127.29

Bill Fischer
Hazlet, NJ
'88 Coupe

It was a 1-2 sweep for the Fischer brothers at the N/A shootout, even though Bill's car had some interesting clutch problems throughout the day. Bill got stuck at work, so Dad had to drive the car to the track. Thanks to Mr. Fischer (pictured) for making the drive.

Bill's brother Eric did the racing duties in anticipation of some mid- to low-10-second slips. The best he was able to muster, though, was an easy (if you can call it that) 10.98 at a thundering 131 mph. While the trap speed indicates a car quicker than Eric's First-Place ride, the '88 coupe's clutch slipped badly.

"We have yet to figure out the cause of the problem, but the symptoms were that would slip while under full power," Eric says. "It's a brand-new clutch, so there's no reason for it to slip like it did. The only way I could get it to work was to slowly walk it off the line, and when I did that, it held through all four gears.

"On the first run, I left where we normally would with the car, at 4,800 rpm, and it proceeded to spin through the clutch in all of the gears. I talked to a couple of people who were there, Evan Smith included, and they all said to keep the clutch as cool as possible and to shorten up the burnout and such. I finally got it down pat when we ran the 10.98. I left at an idle and just walked the car off of the starting line. Since I was able to do so without heating up the clutch, I powershifted the rest of the way down track. That was key, because once I got the car off the line, I was able to apply full power."

Regardless of the problem, Bill's car was yet another example of how displacement is king when it comes to N/A motors. Holding the claim to the second-largest displacement engine at the shootout (a 410ci Windsor), the Tremec-backed mill made enough power that, if the clutch problems were nonexistent, should have pushed this flyweight Fox-body deep into the 10-second zone.

Spec Sheet
Owner:	Bill Fischer
Hometown:	Hazlet, NJ
Driver:	Eric Fischer
Car:	'88 Mustang coupe
Weight w/Driver:	3,030 lbs
Engine:	410ci Windsor
Built/Tuned By:	Self and brother Eric
Heads:	TEA/M2 Race Systems-prepped Edelbrock Victor Jr.
Camshaft:	Camshaft Innovations; 232/242 intake/exhaust duration, 0.600/0.589 intake/exhaust lift
Intake:	Edelbrock Victor Jr.
Carb/Throttle Body:	Pro-Systems HP950 carb
Compression Ratio:	10.5:1
Computer System:	None
Ignition:	MSD 6AL, MSD coil, MSD two-step, MSD spark plug wires, Autolite 3924 spark plugs
Transmission:	Tremec 3550 five-speed manual
Shifter:	Pro-5.0
Torque Converter/Clutch:	Ram clutch
Rear Gears:	3.55
Launch RPM:	4,800 (idle on the day of the shootout due to clutch problems)
Shift RPM:	6,500
Best ET/MPH to Date:	10.430/131.70

Log Book
Run No.	60-ft	E.T.	MPH
1	1.928	10.987	131.70
2	1.863	11.070	128.98
3	1.743	12.540	85.63

Justin Burcham
Crownsville, MD
'93 Cobra

Known for his wicked-fast Mustangs, Justin Burcham of JPC Racing brought a horse of a different color to the N/A shootout--the NMRA-legal Factory Stock '93 Cobra clone owned by Mike Washington. While Mike looked on, the much lighter Justin dumped the clutch and rowed the gearbox to a Third-Place finish. Before we get into the details of the Fox-body, a bit of background information on the class this car was built for will not only serve to inform, but to amaze.

Factory Stock is designed for 302 or 4.6L engines, with a maximum displacement of 313 ci. Only original-manufacturer cylinder heads are allowed, and they can't be ported (unless they are Two-Valve heads). Throw in a camshaft requirement of a max valve lift of 0.480 inch, and you can see that those fancy aluminum heads and whopping camshafts are not allowed between the shock towers. What that basically means is that Justin had to go as fast as possible with a stock-spec cam and E7 heads.

Looking for maximum performance and a 10-second timeslip, however, we found out that Justin and Mike made some alterations for our event, effectively taking it out of true Factory Stock trim. "We changed the car around a bit to try and get it into the 10s," Justin says. "We put on a pair of slicks and took 100 pounds out of the car. If we had more time between the NMRA race in Georgia and the day of the shootout, we probably could've lightened the car a bit more and gotten closer to a high 10."

Knowing that makes Justin's 11.10/120-mph blast that much more impressive. After standing the car up high on his first crack at things, he aired up the tires, raised the rpm chip to the limit, and got the car to whoa down enough to spend the entire day in the low-11.1-second zone. "The car honestly could have used a bit more gear," Justin says, "but we're happy with how things turned out." Who needs aluminum heads, right?

Spec Sheet
Owner:	Mike Washington
Hometown:	Crownsville, MD
Driver:	Justin Burcham
Car:	'93 Mustang Cobra clone
Weight w/Driver:	2,836 lbs
Engine:	311ci SBF
Built/Tuned By:	Rich Groh Racing Engines/JPC Racing (Glen Burnie, MD)
Heads:	Milled E7TE
Camshaft:	Comp Cams; stock specs
Intake:	Cobra
Carb/Throttle Body:	Holley 70mm throttle body
Compression Ratio:	10:01
Computer System:	Stock with DiabloSport chip
Ignition:	MSD Digital 7
Transmission:	Hanlon T-5 five-speed manual
Shifter:	Pro-5.0
Torque Converter/Clutch:	Centerforce clutch
Rear Gears:	Gears? What gears?
Launch RPM:	6,600
Shift RPM:	6,100
Best ET/MPH to Date:	11.040/121.45

Log Book
Run No.	60-ft	E.T.	MPH
1	1.488	11.107	120.56
2	1.499	11.112	121.17
3	1.490	11.119	120.33

James D'Amore III
Freehold, NJ
'06 Saleen S281

We had stroker pushrod engines as well as stroker modulars at the shootout. Either way, cubes ruled, and the extra displacement that JDM Engineering's Jim D'Amore III was afforded in his Three-Valve-powered Saleen got him into Fourth Place. Jim had previously run well into the low-11s in decent air, and was looking for a bunch more with the air being even better. That wasn't the case, however, as a converter that was a bit too tight caused a bog off of the line, killing e.t. in the process.

"With the old converter, I was able to footbrake the car to 3,000 on the starting line," Jim III says. "At that engine speed, the car ripped off some great 60-foot times, and that was when I ran my best. We switched to another converter, but it ended up being way too tight, and I could only stall the car to 2,500. I tried everything short of standing on the brake pedal, but it wasn't holding anything more than 2,500 before it started to slide."

Either way, Jim used the common steps of ported heads, big cams, and cubic inches to rip off a best elapsed time of 11.30, with a trap speed of 118 mph--not bad for 298 cubes, all of which were driven to and from the track without even a change of tires.

Having run the car in the FFW Street Stang class, Jim has seen his fair share of success on the track. He said it best, though, when we asked him what he likes most about his Mustang. He said, "To quote the great Ricky Bobby, I just want to go fast."

Spec Sheet
Owner:	James D'Amore III
Hometown:	Freehold, NJ
Driver:	James D'Amore III
Car:	'06 Saleen S281
Weight w/Driver:	3,476 lbs
Engine:	298 ci stroker Three-Valve modular
Built/Tuned By:	JDM Engineering (Freehold, NJ)
Heads:	JDM CNC-ported Three-Valve
Camshaft:	Comp Cams; 0.540/0.560 intake/exhaust lift
Intake:	Stock
Carb/Throttle Body:	Stock GT500 throttle body
Compression Ratio:	11:01
Computer System:	Stock with JDM Engineering tune
Ignition:	Stock with Autolite HT0s gapped at 0.030 inch
Transmission:	TCI Super Street fighter 5R55S five-speed automatic
Shifter:	Stock
Torque Converter/Clutch:	TCI 3,500-stall converter
Rear Gears:	Ford Racing 4.88
Launch RPM:	2,500
Shift RPM:	6,800
Best ET/MPH to Date:	11.150/119.00

Log Book
Run No.	60-ft	E.T.	MPH
1	1.827	11.306	118.23
2	1.658	11.351	117.70
3	1.670	11.378	117.69

David Stauder
Jacksonville, FL
'06 GT

David Stauder showed up with the other Three-Valve-powered Mustang in our shootout, and shifted his car into Fifth Place. David came the furthest to compete, as he and his white S197 hail from the great state of Florida. Unfortunately, the long trip had its effects on the car, as evidenced by the datalog and the resulting spark-plug damage.

After motoring to an 11.89 at 112 mph, David lit the scoreboards with an 11.94, but was missing a few ticks on the speed charts. Slowly but surely, the car lost more and more mph. When David downloaded the runs, he came to a conclusion. "On the second pass, it went lean at the top end of the track," he says. "The weather at Englishtown caught me off guard. Running on the ragged edge in Florida really takes on a different meaning in New Jersey. When I got home, I went to Tony's place , and we were able to diagnose the problem. First, I had too hot of a plug in the car with the HT2s I was using. Second, we found out that the stock fuel injectors were maxed out. With the tuning software I have, I wasn't able to see what the injector duty cycle was. Both of those things, combined with the ram air on the car, and the engine just wasn't getting enough fuel."

While David was able to stay in the high-11-second zone, he feels that he left a bit on the table. "We changed the injectors to a set of 39-pound pieces, went to Gainesville Raceway a couple of days after the shootout, and went an 11.89 at 114 mph--in worse air, to boot," he says. "If I had the car running properly at Englishtown, there's no doubt I could have run much better.

"The track the day of the shootout was just flat-out awesome. I dropped the clutch at 6,000, and the car just dead hooked."

No matter, David still gave it all he had, and he did quite well in the process.

Spec Sheet
Owner:	David Stauder
Hometown:	Jacksonville, FL
Driver:	David Stauder
Car:	'06 Mustang GT
Weight w/Driver:	3,566 lbs
Engine:	Stock 4.6L Three-Valve modular
Built/Tuned By:	HP Performance (Orange Park, FL)
Heads:	Boss 330 ported Three-Valve
Camshaft:	Anderson Ford Motorsport N-43
Intake:	Stock
Carb/Throttle Body:	Stock GT500 throttle body
Compression Ratio:	9.8:1
Computer System:	Stock with an HP Performance tune
Ignition:	Stock
Transmission:	Stock five-speed manual
Shifter:	Hurst
Torque Converter/Clutch:	Stock clutch
Rear Gears:	4.56
Launch RPM:	6,000
Shift RPM:	6,500
Best ET/MPH to Date:	11.898/114.00

Log Book
Run No.	60-ft	E.T.	MPH
1	1.614	11.898	112.44
2	1.603	11.943	109.17
3	1.571	11.957	108.80

Chris Winter
Florence, NJ
'89 GT

To say it has been a long time since Chris Winter took his '89 Mustang GT to the track is an understatement. "I was going to use the car to race in EFI Renegade in 1999," he says. "They changed the rules so many times, I gave up on the car, and it sat for 10 years."

With the N/A shootout being announced, Chris wanted to bring a car, but didn't know which one. Thanks to his friends, he was able to muster up the parts and pieces to ready the Fox-body for battle. "We stayed late and worked pretty much seven days straight to get the car ready to run," he says.

Unfortunately, Chris made only one run, with the result being some decided engine damage. While he cranked off a 12.25 at 114, Chris knew there was something wrong with the 306ci powerplant. "I took it easy at first and left off the footbrake because I wanted to see if everything would survive," he says. "I hit the 1-2 shift, and she was pulling like an animal. All of a sudden, the car kind of got lazy midway through Second, and when I hit the 2-3 shift, it just laid over."

Upon inspection and a subsequent compression test, Chris found that six cylinders measured 150 psi on the compression gauge. The other two didn't even move the needle. "Basically, it all stemmed from the car sitting as long as it did," he says. "The valvesprings were supposed to have 250 pounds of seat pressure, but in actuality, 8 out of the 16 had only 180 pounds. The clearances are extremely tight in this motor, and the pistons have a huge dome on them. When the engine got warm, everything expanded, and the pistons kissed the number 3 and number 6 cylinders' exhaust valves enough to bend the heads on them. They weren't closing all the way, which is why I had no compression in those cylinders."

While it may have been a one-shot day for Chris, it wasn't a total waste of time. "Now that it's together, I'll go to Englishtown with it on Wednesday nights and just have fun. I was planning on leaving off the transbrake at about 4,000, so when the heads get repaired and are put back on the car, I'll take it out and see what it does." That's what it is all about.

Spec Sheet
Owner:	Chris Winter
Hometown:	Florence, NJ
Driver:	Chris Winter
Car:	'89 Mustang GT
Weight w/Driver:	3,150 lbs
Engine:	306ci pushrod
Built/Tuned By:	Crazy Horse Racing
Heads:	World Products Windsor SR (iron)
Camshaft:	Comp Cams; 0.660 intake/exhaust lift
Intake:	Edelbrock Victor Jr.
Carb/Throttle Body:	Holley 750 carb
Compression Ratio:	13:01
Computer System:	None
Ignition:	MSD 6AL, MSD Blaster 2 coil, MSD distributor
Transmission:	Performance Automatic C4 three-speed automatic with transbrake
Shifter:	Winters
Torque Converter/Clutch:	Performance Automatic 3,800-stall converter
Rear Gears:	4.56
Launch RPM:	4,000 (footbraked on day of the shootout)
Shift RPM:	7,600
Best ET/MPH to Date:	12.256/114.76

Log Book
Run No.	60-ft	E.T.	MPH
1	2.012	12.256	114.76

Marianne Costa
Hartsdale, NY
'01 Cobra

Marianne Costa was the lone Four-Valve representative in our shootout. A regular attendee at Raceway Park, she shifted her way into Seventh Place with her Zinc Yellow Cobra. "I originally had a '95 Cobra," she says, "but I wanted a newer one to take the strain off of my '95."

Sporting nothing more than a tune, gears, an exhaust system, and a set of sticky tires, Marianne made up most of her time in the early part of the runs, ripping off some impressive short times. Her first run was the best of the day, as she slipped into the 12-second zone with a 12.96. Her best trap speed came on her last full run of the day, where she recorded a terminal velocity of 107.75. She came back around for another try but smoked the clutch in the burnout box. "I came to race, and I was pushing the car hard all day," Marianne says. "The clutch felt weird, but I didn't have a problem launching the car and powershifting it until that last run. I think it's a curse of some sort. I went to the final round in the Trophy class at the Fords at Englishtown race last year that Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords covered, and I ended up breaking the rear. Here, I smoked the clutch, although I was going to replace it anyway."

Overall, Marianne represented the Four-Valve crowd well, and once she replaces the Ford Racing Performance Parts clutch with a beefier Centerforce unit, she'll be back at the track in no time. "I think I'd be happy living next door to the track," she says. "There's nothing like the smell of burnt rubber in the morning." Amen to that!

Spec Sheet
Owner:	Marianne Costa
Hometown:	Hartsdale, NY
Driver:	Marianne Costa
Car:	'01 Mustang Cobra
Weight w/Driver:	3,514 lbs
Engine:	Stock 4.6L Four-Valve modular
Built/Tuned By:	Pro Dyno (Charlotte, NC)
Heads:	Stock
Camshaft:	Stock
Intake:	Stock
Carb/Throttle Body:	Stock throttle body
Compression Ratio:	Stock 9.85:1
Computer System:	Stock with Pro Dyno tune
Ignition:	Stock
Transmission:	Stock five-speed manual
Shifter:	Ford Racing Performance Parts
Torque Converter/Clutch:	Ford Racing Performance Parts
Rear Gears:	Richmond 4.33
Launch RPM:	2,500
Shift RPM:	6,500
Best ET/MPH to Date:	12.961/107.78

Log Book
Run No.	60-ft	E.T.	MPH
1	1.876	12.961	107.75
2	1.785	13.019	107.14
3	2.016	13.156	107.78

Atlanta is known for many things. It's home to the New World of Coca-Cola, a permanent exhibition featuring the history of the Coca-Cola Company. It was also the site of the '96 Summer Olympics. During the Civil War, Atlanta was one of the locations descended upon by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's destructive March to the Sea.

While Georgia was one of the Confederate states that eventually capitulated, today a war still wages there. This time, however, the warriors packed turbos, blowers, nitrous oxide, and flew the Blue Oval logo.

When the NMRA Keystone Ford National Series pulled into Silver Dollar Dragway in Reynolds, Georgia (100 miles south of Atlanta), a full weekend of racing was planned. Mother Nature had other plans, however, as water-laden clouds doused spectators and racers alike on Friday and Saturday. Everyone lucked out on Sunday, though, as the day dawned clear and bright. With that, all of the racers were afforded one hit at the quarter-mile before eliminations began.

For Conrad Scarry, it was worth the wait in Pro Outlaw 10.5, as the Bradenton event winner went two-for-two. After tiptoeing down the track in qualifying to a 7.02 to grab the top spot, Scarry and his twin-turbo Cobra squared off against Tim Essick's '03 Mustang in the final. Essick got the holeshot, but at the big end, Scarry's 6.94 at a slowing 194 was enough to gun down the 7.15/203-mph effort of Essick. Thanks to his second-straight win, Scarry opened a sizeable points lead in the standings.

Super Street Outlaw was just as wild as Pro Outlaw 10.5, but when the smoke cleared, it was Jarrett Halfacre and his turbocharged '93 hatchback standing proud. Halfacre, who qualified Second behind Phil Hines' 7.48-second pass, back-halfed to a booming 193-mph trap speed in qualifying, nearly cracking the 200-mph barrier in the class with a 198-mph moon shot in his second-round victory over John MacDonald. Regardless, his final-round tango with last year's points runner-up Don Burton and his nitrous-snorting Mustang wouldn't be easy. Burton left well ahead of Halfacre, but knowing he had the quicker car, Halfacre kept his foot pinned down and drove around Burton by a 7.47 to 7.82 count. Not only did Halfacre gun down the top speed and low e.t. of the event, but his win moved him into First Place in the points standings, as Bradenton winner John Urist suffered a first-round red-light loss.

Bob Cook went the opposite way of Urist, as he forgot about his first-round loss in Bradenton and handled the final-round challenge of Brian Mitchell in EFI Renegade. Cook ran the table, starting with a number-one 8.50-second qualifying effort. After winning a close race with Alton Clements in the semifinals, a contest in which both drivers were stellar on the starting line, Cook got the easy win when Mitchell fouled out in the money round. Cook motored to an 8.55 and to Second in the points standings to Mitchell, who coupled his runner-up in Atlanta with his win in Bradenton, keeping a stranglehold on the EFI Renegade field.

The Hot Street competition was smoking, as a mere 0.08 second separated top qualifier Mike DeMayo (8.80) from number-six qualifier Keith Courtney (8.88). When all was said and done, DeMayo took home the gold with a final-round triumph over Robbie Blankenship. DeMayo's '89 hatchback had a heck of a race with perennial tough customer Charlie Booze the round before, though. Booze left first by 0.04 second, but at the stripe, DeMayo's 8.743, which was the low e.t. of the event, held off Booze's 8.786 by a mere 0.03 second. The hard-earned semifinal victory was well worth it, however, as Blankenship broke after his semifinal win over Ben Mens, handing the uncontested win to DeMayo. DeMayo moved to Fourth Place in the points, although Booze, who scored the victory in Bradenton, kept the top spot.

As did Scarry in Pro Outlaw 10.5, John Kolivas went two-for-two in Drag Radial when he overcame the challenge of Bob Kurgan in a rematch of the Bradenton final. Kolivas, whose 8.17-second effort in qualifying put him more than 0.2 second ahead of the rest of the field, proceeded to obliterate the competition when eliminations began. After running an 8.24 in Round 1, he ripped off a pair of 8.12-second passes in Round 2 and the semifinals, before recording an 8.20 in the final for the win. While the outcome was the same as in Bradenton, both Kolivas and Kurgan are neck and neck in the points race, with their pair of final-round battles distancing them from Third-Place Phil Clemmons.

The final round in Real Street was a repeat of the Bradenton event, as Tim Matherly once again squared off against Jim Breese. As in Bradenton, it was Matherly coming out on top when he overcame Breese's final round holeshot to take the win by a 9.74 to 9.81 count. Breese got the best of Matherly in qualifying as his 9.76 earned him the number-one spot, but it was Matherly extending his points lead, albeit slightly, with the final-round win.

The Pure Street cars were purely spectacular, as most everyone in the class spent time on the bumper and looking at the sky. When battle was done, it was Brandon Alsept's '98 Mustang laying down the gauntlet and winning from wire-to-wire. Alsept ripped off a 10.29 to nab the number-one spot in qualifying, and then gunned down the '99 Mustang of Ryan Hecox in the final. Alsept left first and never looked back, as his 10.38 was more than enough to handle the 10.39-second effort of Hecox. The win in Atlanta, coupled with a semifinal finish in Bradenton, pushed Alsept into the points lead for the category.

The Factory Stock final was also a repeat of the Bradenton race. Bradenton winner Steve Gifford lined up against the '89 Mustang of that event's runner-up, John Leslie. According to the qualifying sheet, Leslie had a sizeable advantage, as he was the number-one qualifier with an 11.36, while Gifford settled into the three hole with an 11.60. The thing is, races are run on the track and not on paper, and for Gifford, that's a good thing as his 11.46 gunned down the 11.60 by Leslie for his second-straight win. Both Gifford and Leslie have distanced themselves from the rest of the Factory Stock field, as the two reside First and Second in points, respectively.

In the Modular Muscle final round, a pair of '01 Mustangs duked it out for the win, with the steed belonging to Tom Motycka coming out on top over the ride of Susan McClenaghan. Both drivers were nearly perfect on the starting line, as McClenaghan's 0.017 reaction time was just a tick behind Motycka's 0.005 light. At the stripe, both drivers went under their respective predictions, but after the computer did the math, it was Motycka's 12.45 (12.47) earning the decision over McClenaghan's 10.67 (10.69) by a scant 0.001 second. With her second-straight runner-up finish, though, McClenaghan moved past Reggie Burnette for the top spot in the points standings.

It was the other Motycka scoring the win in the Truck category, as Mike slipped past the '99 Lightning of Johnny Lightning for the conquest. Motycka left on Lightning, and then used a 12.07 pass on his 12.03 dial-in to handle the 11.50-second effort (11.45 dial-in) of Lightning for the victory.

Michael Olencheck gave everyone in Open Comp a driving lesson on his way to a final-round slam-dunk over Danny Towe. After recording a 0.088 reaction time and running a 10.35 on his 10.26 dial-in in the opening round of competition, Olencheck, who never changed his 10.26 prediction all day, ran a 10.261 in Round 2, a 10.265 in Round 3, a 10.263 in the semifinals, and a 10.262 in the final. Towe made it easy on Olencheck in the final as he fouled out by a miniscule 0.003 second, handing the easy win to Olencheck.

Although the rain wiped out Saturday's action, the MM&FF True Street competitors stayed until Sunday to compete. After finishing the required 30-mile cruise, the surviving cars attempted to run their required three quarter-mile passes, and it was Stephen Posenau and his '02 Mustang, a former MM&FF feature car, taking home the win. Posenau opened with the only 9-second run seen in the category, a 9.82, and then matched it up with a 10.19 and a 10.66 to seal the deal with a 10.27 average. Larry Waters Jr. ended the day as the runner-up after averaging a 10.62 in his '88 Mustang. Rounding out the top three was Elton Pearman, who also made it into the 10-second zone with a 10.87-second average, placing himself Third on the results sheet.

The NMRA crew has some time off before the next event at Milan Dragway in Milan, Michigan, in June. Since it will take place in the backyard of Ford Motor Company, expect everyone to have his or her entries set on kill as the season nears the midway point.

Atlanta NMRA true Street troopers
	Driver	Average
1.	Stephen Posenau	10.227/Winner
2.	Larry Waters Jr.	10.627/Runner-Up
3.	Elton Pearman	10.873/Third Place
4.	Justin Burcham	11.238/11-Second Winner
5.	Bill Unkel	11.455
6.	Carole Lissy	11.778
7.	Jeff Fisher	12.063/12-Second Winner
8.	Andy Hudson	12.879
9.	Wayne Davis	12.924
10.	Michael Young	12.947
11.	Clinton Roberts	13.061/13-Second Winner
12.	Reginald Batts	13.319
13.	Brett Ray	14.300/14-Second Winner

Each year, the Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords magazine staff puts together our elaborate Holiday Gift Guide featuring some of the coolest gifts and gift ideas on the planet. The Guide offers dozens of awesome gift ideas for the Ford or Mustang lover in your life, as well as featuring Santa and his helpers. This year's guide is shaping up to be a winner as we've searched out lots of interesting gift ideas.

Of course, such an article requires Santa to do quite a lot of work, so we always enlist some helpers to ease the load. We've had some super-hot helpers in the past and that makes Santa very happy.

So, with that in mind, we're putting out the call for models looking to be a part of the 2008 Holiday Gift Guide. Santa's helpers must be able to travel to our northern New Jersey office and spend a few hours at MM&FF Command Central.

The assignment requires modeling with many of the parts and gifts, and generally being able to do your own hair and makeup, however, we may even bring in a stylist if our budget permits. Models should expect to be available for a test shoot prior to the actual shoot. This is a paid assignment, as we don't expect anyone to work for free. MM&FF is also looking for models for upcoming feature photo shoots.

It goes without saying that this is a great opportunity for new models looking to get into print or for anyone interested in automotive modeling. Interested parties can send photos/portfolio to MM&FF's editor, Evan Smith, at even.smith@sourceinterlink.com. Or you can contact through snail mail at:

MM&FF
365 W. Passaic St.
Rochelle Park, NJ 07662
Attn: Evan Smith

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Can't-Miss Events In 2008 American Graffiti Stick Shift Series
www.bandimere.com

Clash Of The Titans
www.theclashofthetitans.com

Classic Gear Jammers
www.classicgearjammers.org

High Winding Gear Jammers
www.hwgearjammer.com

Heads-Up Index Series
www.racewaypark.com

Heads-Up Shootout Series
www.milandragway.com

Maryland Street Racing Association
www.mdstreetracingassoc.com

Natural Outlaws
www.natural-outlaws.com

Naturally Aspirated Shootout
www.nashootout.com

ORSCA
www.outlawracing.com

Pacific Street Car Association
www.pscaracing.com

Pro Dial Championship Series
www.racewaypark.com

Pro Stick Series
www.prostickracing.com

Street Car Shootouts
www.cecilcountydragway.com

United Manual Transmission Racers
www.umtrdragrace.com

We thought this day would never come. The scents of burnt racing gas and rubber wafted into our nostrils, signifying that after a long and arduous off-season, the '08 racing campaign was beginning in fine fashion at Orlando Speed World with the Fun Ford Weekend Spring Break Shootout. With lots of sunshine, warm temperatures, fast cars, awesome-looking show iron, and other sights galore, this year's edition of the season-opening event left no excuses for sitting at home in front of the television.

As per every year, the event kicked off with the infamous (and "unofficial") MM&FF Hooters party. Following a night of burnouts, beer, and wings, our staff kicked on over to the dragstrip to check out the lightning-fast heads-up cars, the ever-consistent index and bracket classes, and the coveted Spring Break Shootout class. When the race was over and the sun had set, many had come but few were left standing.

The abundance of Florida sunshine meant the car-show area was filled to capacity with award-quality vehicles. With gleaming paint, wheels, and rubber, everything from Mustangs and fast Fords from years gone by to brand-new Shelbys and Roush Mustangs could be seen waiting for the judges. While the show cars were shining, the race cars were flying.

The Pro final saw David Schorr gun down Todd Amandus via a 7.22 to 7.48 count. Schorr, whose Ford Escort packs an 818ci big-block Ford, qualified number one, though he never made a strong pass. "The car was spiking the tires after I pulled Second gear, pretty much all weekend," Schorr said. "Looking at the computer data after each run showed us the track was pretty loose most of the way. It was a handful, but we were able to get the job done and welcome UPR onboard this year with a win."

While Schorr mowed them down in Pro, the interesting story of the weekend came from the Keen brothers' camp, which saw not one, but two race cars. Jimmy Keen picked up Kevin Marsh and Chuck Samuel's old Pro car, making an attempt not only in that category, but with his Street Outlaw car as well. Unfortunately, Keen broke both the Pro car as well as the Outlaw car before the first round of competition. Keep an eye on the Outlaw car, though, as it sports a new 400ci bullet for this season.

The Street Outlaw class came down to Conrad Scarry and Tim Johnson. Scarry took the easy final-round single after Johnson broke the camshaft in his red turbocharged Mustang notchback. While Scarry scored the win with his small-block, twin-turbo combination, expect a change to be made in the powerplant department soon. "I'm getting a bit tired of breaking stuff all the time," Scarry said. While he was light on the details, we were able to gather that, while the twin turbos will remain, the small-block will make way for a big-block upwards of 600 ci.

Street Renegade saw a host of upsets as a loose track leveled the playing field between the fast cars and those with a tad less power. After defending Renegade champion Travis Franklin went out in Round 1, it was wide open, and former Pro 5.0 pilot Joe Morgan (behind the wheel of Jason Bryson's nitrous-gulping '03 Cobra) was the man left standing. Morgan's 441ci monster shot down John Worley in the final round with a 7.97. "We definitely weren't the fastest car in the field, but we were able to get down the track, and that's what counted," Morgan said after the race was over.

While Morgan came home with the win, another notable racer who showed up was former FFW champion Ronnie Wilson. Wilson, who made one appearance last year, gave it his best shot and qualified at the top half of the field, but found that after a couple of testing passes, the car had hurt some pistons. He jokingly said he poured in a can of Engine Restore before making his lone full-throttle pass of the weekend, an 8.13-second effort. Wilson did all he could, but he idled down the track in Round 1 knowing the engine was hurt.

Street Bandit saw the Fox-body hatchback of Kenny Gallman take down the turbocharged S197 Mustang of Joe Marini. Gallman, who was yanking gears in his small-block Stang, used a better reaction time and a 10.90 on the Street Bandit 10.60-second index to gun down former MM&FF shootout competitor Marini by a couple of car lengths at the stripe.

Ultra Stang showcased a winner that truly epitomizes the run-what-ya-brung nature of drag racing. Ron Martin drove his '06 Mustang 1,150 miles from Warren, Pennsylvania, changed the rear tires, and, utilizing an Explorer Express blower kit to increase the power of his six-pot, used a killer 0.009 reaction time to down Joe Cram in the money round.

A familiar face graced the Street Stang Winner's Circle as perennial late-round finisher Tom Conrad handled the challenge of Daniel Nestor in the money round. For Conrad, the result was similar to much of last year, when Nestor fouled out, handing him the win.

Mod Comp showcased Shane Williams and Matt Schleiv duking it out for the class win, with Williams using a sizeable holeshot to earn the victory.

In Tough Truck, Paul Gamino, who took over driving duties in the category for James D'Amore, piloted the JDM Engineering-prepped '07 Saleen hauler to victory over a red-lighting Robert Chuhran.

As is the case every year with FFW's event at Orlando, the MM&FF-sponsored Spring Break Shootout class was contested. With a rules change made between last year's running and the '08 contest, the cars were required to run full tailpipes, among other things, making the category more of a street-legal, True Street-style class. In the end, eight guys tried their hands at taking home the class title, and when the smoke cleared, it was John Rollins piloting the '05 Saleen Mustang owned by Alex Rodriguez (not that A-Rod!) to victory. The win didn't come without its share of trials and tribulations, however. "Right before the event, the car actually tagged the wall in testing," Rollins said. "We had to get the car repaired and then realized that the transmission was busted. Thanks to Lentech and Mustang Specialties, we were able to get the trans in the Tuesday before the race, put it in the car, and make the event. The car was still blowing through the converter, but we were able to do what we needed to do to take home the win."

While Rollins had an easy go of it in the final when opponent Chris DeRojas didn't make the call, his toughest run of the event came in the semifinals against the Lightning of Don Justus. Justus, who ripped off a couple of low-10.30-second passes and recorded top speed of the event, gave it all he had, but Rollins' 10.27-second effort was enough to take the win against Justus' 10.47-second run.

With the first event in the books and the rust shaken off, it's off to Atlanta Dragway for Round 2.

As the sun rose over the Florida horizon, we rolled through the gates at Bradenton Motorsports Park. Rays of light glistened on the sides of race-car trailers housing some of the wildest heads-up Mustangs. It was almost go-time for the '08 racing season, yet all we could hear were the birds chirping and smell that familiar fragrance in the air-not the whiff of warm spring air, but rather VHT. The track crew prepped the 1,320 in anticipation of hundreds of nitrous-gulping, turbo-stuffed, and supercharged muscle Mustangs and fast Fords from around the country.

As the track was conditioned to perfection, the rest of the Bradenton Motorsport Park property was sectioned off for the show grounds, swap meet, and manufacturers' midway. The event marked the start of the NMRA-Keystone Ford National's 10th Anniversary tour, with seven events total. The racing would be hot as competitors battled it out in a variety of categories-heads-up racing, open comp-style competition, the True Street Challenge, bracket racing, and the show 'n' shine. It was time to go racing, and the MM&FF staff was ready with nearly 100 pounds of camera and video gear. Be sure to check our Web site for expanded NMRA coverage.

As does every NMRA event, the Spring Nationals includes a host of activities for all types of enthusiasts. Naturally, the heads-up racing on-track headlines the festivities and grabs most of the attention. Off-track, 60 companies set up shop to sell parts, cut smoking deals (which saves you money on shipping, too), and show off the latest gadgets and widgets. Fans could walk further downtrack, past the heads-up pits, and enjoy the show field with over 200 of the finest Mustangs and Fords that Florida has to offer. Across the way, a huge swap meet was set up, and we saw some unbelievable steals on used parts and rare pieces.

The heads-up racing action was exciting as usual, and the new Turbonetics Pro Outlaw 10.5 category was a welcome addition to the show. Pro Outlaw 10.5 replaced Pro 5.0 as the NMRA's top-dog class. It consists of back-half Mustangs with 2,000-plus-horsepower engines under the hood. Turbocharged combinations were the dominant combination, but nitrous was represented, as was the supercharged contingent. Top qualifier Brian Carpenter wheeled a twin-turbo '03 Cobra that was built by Skinny Kid Race Cars and powered by a Pro Line Racing engine-the same guys who build Tim Lynch's world record-setting engines. Carpenter topped the list with an outstanding 6.88 at 212 mph. He got too aggressive with the tune-up in the semifinals and lost a close match with Livernois Motorsports' Dan Millen. The final round featured FFW's '06 Street Outlaw champ, Conrad Scarry, and Millen to duke it out at over 200 mph. The Livernois Motorsports-backed ride ran into problems, and Scarry scored his first NMRA victory.

Three-time ProCharger Super Street Outlaw champion, John Urist, debuted a brand-new race car at Bradenton. While some claim he's on the decline, he was anything but in his '08 debut. It took the champ a few runs to get things right, but in the end he ran 7.50s and won the event. It wasn't the quickest car in the field, but the new hot rod performed well for Urist when the money was on the line. He prevailed in the finals over Richard Lelsz's turbocharged '03 Cobra out of the Strictly Performance shop.

The sunny skies brought out 70 willing and able participants to the True Street Challenge. The NMRA officials paraded the field of fast Fords, not just Mustangs, around the streets of Bradenton for 30 miles. The participants were then brought into the staging lanes where they remained, with the hoods closed for a 30-minute rest period. The racing commenced, and each competitor ran three consecutive runs. Winners were crowned in a variety of indexes that ranged from the 9s to the 15s, with an overall winner and runner-up spot as well.

Racing, buying, showing, or selling-good times and fast action were all part of the MM&FF trip to Bradenton for the NMRA season opener. It was a rocking start to the '08 racing season.

True Street Invasion in Bradenton

In the drag-racing world, there's a great separation between Bracket racing and heads-up racing. While many Bracket racers are concerned with speed and performance, running consistently on an index or dial-in is the name of the game. Heads-up racing also requires consistency, but the focus is on all-out performance, leaving nothing on the table.

NHRA Stock Eliminator, as well as Super Stock, are two categories that offer both bracket and heads-up competition, all with one set of rules. Stock and Super Stock ladders are based on qualifying position, which requires that a racer go under his or her index. The further under you are, the better you qualify. As for eliminations, there are two types. At many events there are Class eliminations, in which racers compete within their own class using a heads-up format. Then, the entire qualified field runs in the bracket-style eliminator. However, should you come up against a racer in your own class during Bracket eliminations, the race is heads-up!

For the last 15 years, MM&FF has campaigned Project Stocker, our '87 LX 5.0-turned '93 Cobra in NHRA Stock, and with it we've set numerous NHRA national records and have scored over 15 class wins. We've also captured a bracket win or two along the way.

Just two weeks ago, we competed at the legendary Island Dragway in Great Meadows, New Jersey, where we scored yet another win--our second in the Sunoco Junior Stock ranks. For the past two years, we've competed in this new class called Junior Stock (yes, they ran Jr. Stock in the '60s), which pits NHRA-legal Stocker racers who want to compete heads-up (with a Pro-Tree), against each other using the 11.0-pound-per-NHRA-rated-horsepower weight break. (Each combination carries an NHRA horsepower rating, so you multiply the rating by 11.0 and add 170 pounds for the driver, to come up with the minimum weight.) The '93 Cobra was factory rated at 235 but is NHRA rated at 252, so my car must weight 2,940 pounds with driver.

Despite some hot weather, we qualified our Ford in the number-one spot with a 10.81 at 121 mph and then made it to the money round. Ironically, the final match came down to your author and Steve Ficacci Jr., who happens to be the brother of our newest team member--well, sort of. A few months ago, Steve's younger brother, Mike Ficacci, was hired as associate editor on our sister magazine Super Chevy. Ficacci was wheeling his very quick '73 Camaro, equipped with a Ficacci Racing Engine's 350 engine that's backed by a four-speed.

Heads-up racing brings with it a whole different dynamic. Of course, anyone can win, but once the Tree goes green and the cars are off, you either have the power or you don't. This time, when the Pro lights fell, I got the jump--and it was a good thing, too. I instantly pulled about a car length out of the gate and started rowing the G-Force five-speed for all it was worth. From the corner of my left eye, I knew I was ahead, but the deal was far from sealed.

Once in high gear, the Camaro was reeling me in, big time. What was once three-quarters of a car lead was nary a fender, then a bumper. He was coming on strong, and I was pressing hard on the accelerator. Thankfully, with inches to spare, we reached the 1,320 mark. And with that, my beacon came on, and victory was mine. My 10.80 at 122.23 held off his 10.74 at 123.67--by a mere 0.008 second! I was elated and pumped my fist all the way to the scale and then to fuel check. It also avenged my loss to Mike Ficacci, when he beat my wife's Mustang GT a few months back with his new Pontiac G8 GT.

Frankly, I was amazed by the awesome performance from Mr. Ficacci's Camaro. Watching him close the gap of almost a full car length was disheartening. And while I reveled briefly in my glory, I now have to get back to the drawing board and find some more power from my Kuntz & Company engine. Our next Junior Stock race is coming up, and I want be ready.

The moniker "Ford" has many acronyms, ranging from "First On Race Day" to a few other less-than-gracious sayings. We think we found another one, though; one that was aptly proven at the Fords at E-Town event held at scenic and historic Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey.

Originally scheduled to be a two-day event with a True Street-style category sponsored by MM&FF and a bunch of other really neat things on Saturday, the event was cut to just one day when Mother Nature decided to rain on everyone's parade. While Saturday was a washout, Sunday was anything but, as there was action on the strip, gleaming show cars, and stands filled with screaming fanatical Ford lovers.

In addition to the event being Raceway Park's annual Fords-only event, the lone remaining clear day was also Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords Reader Appreciation Day. Say what? Yes, despite the crack MM&FF staff having just one eye open thanks to a long trip back from the SEMA show in Las Vegas just hours before, we were out roaming the pits, greeting the masses, and kissing babies. Project cars such as Project MILF, the Fridge, and other neat rides were there for our readers to check out. Thanks to companies such as Roush, Saleen, California Car Cover, JDM Engineering, Quaker State, and all the others that contributed to our annual "Holiday Gift Guide" (Jan. '08 issue), we were able to give out some really neat prizes, including a billet Ford-logo bar stool and a Roush umbrella (which would've come in handy on Saturday).

Those who rolled into Raceway Park looking for the show-car arena found nothing short of 42 different classes in which their Ford could fit in. With categories ranging from early-models to late-models, there was a spot for every car that rolled off a Ford assembly line. MM&FF even gave away special Editor's Choice awards to some lucky winners. For those who planned on putting the pedal to the medal, there were numerous index and bracket classes open to Mustangs, Lightnings, trucks, and even a few Mercurys.

Raceway Park has long been a hot spot of Mustang heads-up drag racing, so it was only fair that there were some killer Mustangs, Shelbys, and Ford GTs on the track and in the pits. We found some cars on the famous quarter-mile that deserved to be in the show area, and some cars in the show area that looked like they held residence on the strip.

While rain may have dampened Saturday and wiped out our True Street-style road cruise and competition, you can be sure we'll be back in 2008. Maybe by then Mother Nature will realize that Ford means "Fun on Race Day" and not "Fun's Over, Rain Delay!"

The screech of seagulls and the roar of the waves were temporarily taken over by the screech of tires and the roar of Mustangs, as thousands of thoroughbreds pranced through Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, over the fourth week of July 2007. Like the Swallows in Capistrano, every year for the past seven years, thousands of Mustang lovers book their summer beach vacations for the same week and flock to the popular vacation spot to enjoy the perfect mix of family beach time with the cars they love.

But there's more to Mustang Week than just a beach gathering, as participants have the opportunity to drag race, show their rides, and do autocross.

"I've been bringing the family to Myrtle Beach for years," says Brian Pulaski of Kensington, Connecticut. "Recently, we began planning our vacation for this week so we could enjoy the beach, plus all of the Mustang Week activities."

Mustang Week's organizers plan each event with families in mind-the Mustang fun usually begins in the afternoon or evening, leaving mornings open for family time on the beach during the cooler part of the day. The '07 event kicked off with more than 300 people getting together for a meet-'n'-greet at Planet Hollywood on Tuesday, July 24, followed on Wednesday with a crowd of over 700 taking in the excitement of fun runs, autocross, and burnout contests (what Mustang event would be complete without one) at the Myrtle Beach Speedway.

A lunchtime cruise-in at Hooters at Colonial Mall was the staging ground for the 90-minute trip to Darlington Dragway for Thursday evening's Mustang-only drag night. Amazingly, more than 800 people made the trip and were thrilled with the burnouts and quick times of over 125 Mustangs. Fastlane Performance and Pro-Dyno were also on hand to help where needed.

Friday's big event was the 4th Annual Mustang Week Car Show, and it was the highlight of the week's activities. More than 500 Mustangs were put on display, and many awards were doled out in the judged and people's choice show, while thousands of spectators took time from their beach vacations to peruse the acres of hot Mustangs.

Saturday closed out Mustang Week with a cruise-in of 700-plus Mustangs to the Colonial Mall for those "last day of vacation" moments.

Mark your calendar for 2008's ultimate Mustang vacation, July 22-26. Visit www.mustangweek.com for all the details.

Some would argue that the birth of heads-up Mustang racing was created just 50 miles south of New York City in a small hamlet called Englishtown. Back in the early '90s, the Mustang Showdown Series was created by the folks at Raceway Park (also known as E-Town), pitting the baddest supercharged, turbo, and nitrous-gulping Mustangs in a three-event showdown that grew to become a rather big deal. It grew into the famous Mustang vs. Buick Showdown that garnered national attention and turned many Mustang racers into heroes.

E-Town did it again recently with the Shakedown, an Outlaw extravaganza that has become the sickest one-day, heads-up drag race in the country. The event is the brainchild of Pro 5.0/Outlaw 10.5 racer Dave Hance, who hails from the city that never sleeps. Wanting to pit the best of the best in a no-holds-barred, heads-up race at a killer venue, he sat down with the RP brass and spearheaded the inception of the event known today as the Shakedown at E-Town. It's five years later and Hance not only makes sure the event is held each year, but that it thrives and grows. With four classes being contested and enough cars to fill a full 32-car field in each, the hitters come out to play with both barrels blazing-and there's no shoe polish in sight.

The Shakedown drew monster hitters, such as Tim Lynch, Brad Brand, John Nobile, and many others, who put on a fantastic show with two qualifying sessions and four elimina-tion rounds. Things grew tense, though, as the day drew to a close, and the 7:30 p.m. curfew imposed on Raceway Park rapidly approached. "Before the event, we were ready to split the pot among all the racers," Hance says. "Thankfully, we were able to get the show in. We had no one go into the wall or wipe out any of the center cones. Things ran as smooth as could be."

When the track lights were flipped off at the end of the night, we saw a Mustang take home the victory in three out of the four classes. We also witnessed the quickest and fastest runs ever by both an IHRA Pro Stock car and a 10.5W car. Not bad for a day's work!

The top-tier category was Pro Outlaw, which consisted of Pro-Mod and Pro-Stock style cars. There was no minimum weight for the cars in this class, and it was pretty much a double-barreled gunfight. Scott Filkins in a GM product was the number-one qualifier. The only reason we even mention this is because Filkins' ripped off an astounding 5.98 to grab the top spot. That run was stout, but when the final round rolled into the burnout box, the '07 Mustang GT of John Nobile set up to do battle against the nitrous-snorting '63 Vette of Jim Kane. Kane left on Nobile, but at the stripe, it was all Nobile, as the IHRA-legal mountain-motored Pro Stock Ford Mustang ripped off an amazing 6.27 at a thundering 223 mph for the win.

In the Outlaw 10.5 category, it was none other than Tim Lynch and his crew of wife Kelly and builder/tuner Steve Petty. The category was devised to accommodate stock-style, front-suspension cars running 10.5W tires out back. Lynch and his twin-turbocharged Mustang qualified on top of the stout field with a 6.79, and then turned the wick up for eliminations. Lynch's slowest run of eliminations came in Round 1 when he clocked a 6.61. He then proceeded to run a string of low 6.50s on his way to downing the nitrous-aided Camaro of Chuck Ulsch in the final with an unheard-of 6.53. As a side note, Lynch made a pass the day earlier during the test and tune where he blistered the track to a mid-6 at 231 mph!

"We changed only a couple of things from last year," Lynch said after the event. "We put on a pair of new Precision turbos that have a billet wheel, and we switched to VP fuel. We also worked on the chassis, but that is usual for every event we go to."

After last year's Shakedown, when Lynch shocked the world with a 6.66, most figured the envelope had been pushed to the max. For the second time in as many years, though, Lynch showed everyone there is still a vast amount of the envelope left to explore.

"It amazes me how we're able to pick up in performance every year," Lynch says. "The air is always good at this race, so there being a drastic difference in conditions from year to year isn't a factor at all. It's funny how a couple of years ago, we were going 6.90s and hoping to run that at best. Now we're nearly a half a second quicker, and I keep asking myself when it's going to end. A large part of our ability to run quicker can most definitely be attributed to Steve Petty and his tuning abilities."

So with Lynch running that outstanding 6.53, is there more left for next year's event?

"We can definitely go quicker next year," he says. "When we ran the 6.66 in 2006, the eighth-mile times indicated we should have gone a bit quicker. We looked long and hard at the data and the incrementals from the 6.53 run, and we're pretty sure that we can go 6.40s next year. The incremental on the 6.53 run indicates it, so don't be surprised if we do it."

The Heavy Street final showcased a pair of GM products, but Chris Connor and his '88 Mustang did make it to the semifinals before he fouled out. Heavy Street is an interesting class made up of back-halved cars that utilize any combination or power adder. As for Drag Radial, it was an all-Mustang money round as the fast Fox-bodies of Chris Little and Mustang Mike Modeste squared off. Little had been hanging the hoops and traveling the first part of the track on the bumper for most of the day, and the wear and tear of those hard landings took their toll, as his green '90 LX broke after the launch. Modeste gave the fans a show, however, as he lit up the scoreboards with a 7.97-second, 177-mph blast.

For the Mustang contingent, life in the big city was good. Most of them ended up on Broadway. Best of all, the RP staff has added a day to the Shakedown for 2008. The event is slated for October 18-19, and we wouldn't miss it for the world.

Who knew school could be so cool? Well, for students attending UTI (Universal Technical Institute), school is very cool. Not only does UTI offer degree courses in many types of automotive, diesel, motorcycle, collision, and marine technical programs, including Hot Rod U, but each year, students get the opportunity to compete head-to-head in an all-out "you build 'em" performance shootout called the Q Collegiate/Hot Rod U Power Challenge. For 2007, students built Fox Mustangs, so our interest was piqued.

Sponsored by Q Motor Oil, Summit Racing Equipment, Ford Racing Performance Parts, Comp Cams, Nitto Tires, Lincoln Electric, AMP Performance, Planet Color, and Tremec, the challenge pits five UTI campuses against each other, and students and instructors are expected to build vehicles within a strict set of guidelines. FRPP supplied engine components such as the Boss block, 347-inch rotating assembly, and cylinder heads. Teams got a budget of $10,000 from Summit Racing, and they could also choose one power adder, although a sense of street-ability had to be retained. Each Mustang also had to be fitted with the necessary NHRA-required safety equipment and eight-point rollcage at minimum.

The contestants for this year's challenge hailed from the UTI campuses of Sacramento, California; Houston, Texas; Norwood, Massa-chusetts; Rancho Cucamonga, California; and Orlando, Florida.

Before any wrenches were turned, however, seven Mustangs were procured from AMP Performance and, using a lottery system, the teams picked which car they wanted to build. Once the Stangs were selected, the five exteriors were straightened and sprayed using Planet Color's wild hues. Only then were they distributed to the teams.

Essentially, these Mustangs were built from the ground up, just like any MM&FF reader would do with his or her project. This included selecting the best power adder, building the engine, selecting and installing the drivetrain, building the rollcage, wiring the vehicle, and then tuning the combination to make maximum power--all within a reasonable budget. Students wishing to get involved were offered the oppor-tunity to work on the race vehicles, and according to the instructors, many did.

Yet another challenge to the teams was preparing their Mustangs to fit both magazine editors/drivers--namely 6-foot 2-inch Tom Wilson, who handled the slalom and braking, and your author--me, editor of MM&FF--who stands just 5-feet 7-inches tall. This might not seem like a big deal, but it was.

Each team had just under one year to plan the build, order the parts, and complete the project. Amazingly, all five teams showed up at the UTI Sacramento campus ready to rock. Once in northern California, the action kicked off with each of the five phases of the Q Collegiate Power Challenge. They included rear-wheel horsepower; 60-0 braking; 600-foot slalom; quarter-mile drag test, and subjective judging. Scoring was based on 90 points for a win, 80 for Second Place, 70 for Third, 60 for Fourth, and 50 for Fifth. Addition-ally, there were potential points deductions for overspending and/or for breeching the rules.

Upon arriving at the UTI campus, the first thing I noticed was the cleanliness and size of the facility. Students behaved in a professional manner, and I saw brand-new equipment everywhere. I also noticed how many accredited factory programs the school offered, including Ford's FACT.

After our UTI tour, Wilson and I inspected each Mustang and saw the build quality was quite impressive. There were many variations in how each team attacked the problem; however, every group relied on nitrous for extra motivation. We found a few things needing correction, such as a sticking throttle on one Stang and a lack of a shield on one fuel sump, but overall, each car was done well. With tech out of the way, the vehicles were fired up and moved to the in-house chassis dyno.

On dyno day, UTI provided an amazing open house for students, faculty, and anyone who wanted to stop in--and hundreds attended. Famed announcer Army Armstrong called the show with a remote microphone and did interviews all day long. Each team had 30 minutes on the dyno, and the energy in the room built with every car. I was amazed to see how much ingenuity and team spirit went into each Mustang. As the final mill cracked off, the emotions were flying higher than the rpm of the screaming Boss engines. Taking top points in the dyno test was Orlando's Hurricane team with 633.91 proud ponies. But did those bold numbers come at a cost? Time would tell.

We awoke bright and early the next day and headed to Sacramento Raceway for the driving portions of the challenge. Wilson was up first, and he performed the braking tests in each vehicle. Braking and slalom were done in the shutdown area on Sacramento's quarter-mile, but the rough surface gave Wilson fits. Cold conditions and the rough road caused some lockup, but tall Tom modulated the pedal to keep the Mustangs under control. The best stopper in these conditions was Houston's GT, which went from 60-0 in 117.02 feet.

Next, Wilson tossed each Stang through the cones as quickly as he could. This time it was the Cucamonga crew that had the best setup, as a time of 6.23 seconds garnered the team top points. Interestingly, all five Mustangs scored well, with the slowest time being 6.57 seconds from Norwood's Dyno Crushers.

While corner-carving is fun, everyone was waiting for the quarter-mile mayhem to begin. Finally, it was my turn to slam some gears, and I wasted little time. Each car was allotted three runs, so I had to make each launch and gear change count. Despite the sticky Nitto tires, planting 440-600 hp was going to be a challenge. Sacramento's crew gave me a sticky track, and I was off.

Rancho's SoCal Crush SN-95 clocked a best of 12.14 at 122; then it was off to the roadster of the Norwood Dyno Crushers. This car fit me like a glove, and in it I performed the best, clocking an 11.80 at 130 mph.

The first sense of drama occurred when I hopped in Orlando's machine. Damage to the engine on the dyno finally took its toll, as WOT resulted in a huge backfire and subsequent fire in the carb. It was exciting, to say the least, but with the power greatly reduced due to a suspected blown head gasket, all I could do was nurse the car to a non-nitroused 14.85 at 102 mph. Hey, at least the car finished the competition. The drama continued with Houston's GT, which had trouble sustaining an idle. Nevertheless, I feathered the gas, heated the tires, and laid down a 12.17 at 112 without the juice. My next attempt, with the juice turned on, resulted in the intake blowing clean off the engine, bending the stock hood, and ending my day with that car.

Last up was the Sacramento Gold Rush, and with 600 proud ponies at the wheels, it had a shot at dragstrip supremacy. Three tries resulted in a quarter-mile best of 11.81 at 127 mph for this strong-running Stang. The car was tricky to drive because of the shifter-mounted nitrous activation and 4.30 gears, which meant I had to use Fifth gear. With 3.73s and a WOT switch, this car could have run well into the 11s or in the 10s for sure.

After completing a cold day at Sacramento Raceway putting five awesome Mustangs through their paces, the scores were recorded and the tally was completed. When the smoke cleared, it was the Sacramento Gold Rush team taking the championship and the trophy.

We found it very cool that each team proved victorious in at least one aspect of the competition, but overall consistency paid off for the home team. The event was a total blast for all involved, and we can't wait to see what's in store for 2008.

Photo Gallery: 2007 Q Collegiate/Hot Rod U Power Challenge - Kool School Shootout! - Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords Magazine

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]]>http://www.musclemustangfastfords.com/events/mmfp_0803_2007_q_collegiate_hot_rod_u_power_challengehttp://www.musclemustangfastfords.com/events/mmfp_0803_2007_q_collegiate_hot_rod_u_power_challengeTue, 01 Jan 2008 00:01:00 -0800The 19th Annual Rocky Mountain Mustang Roundup

As we stepped off the big bird at Denver International Airport in June 2007, the mile-high altitude (5,280 feet,) made us momentarily gasp for air. Two-and-one-half hours later, we were still light-headed as we rolled up to the front door of the Steamboat Grand Resort Hotel with our Ford Escape press car, only this time we gasped from the awesome visual display of 548 of the finest classic, late-model Mustangs and special-interest Fords assembled in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

We were there to attend the 19th Annual Rocky Mountain Mustang Roundup. Simply put, this is one of the biggest and best all-Ford summer shows in the country. Organized by a consortium of six Colorado-based Mustang enthusiast clubs, including the High Country Mustang Club, the Early Mustang Club, SAAC's Rocky Mountain Region, the Denver Region of the MCA, the Rocky Mountain Mustangs, and the Front Range Mustang Club, RMMR 19 was chaired this year by Brett Abbott and a capable staff of volunteers.

The three-day event featured Thursday's Scenic Mountain Tour, Friday's day-long SCCA Pikes Peak Region-officiated slalom, and Saturday's Show 'n' Shine event held on U.S. 40 in downtown Steamboat Springs. It's an eight-block procession of color, chrome, and horsepower.

Of course, an event of this magnitude needs sponsors. The RMMR annually enjoys the patronage of national and local concerns, including Sill Terhar Ford, Colorado Mustang Specialists, Bridgestone-Firestone, Colorado Mustang Concepts, AER (which donated a Ford engine for Sunday's Awards' Breakfast "Reverse Raffle"), and 46 other vendor/retailers. Here are a few fast facts.

RMMR 19 featured entries from 26 states.

Making a special appearance was Dennis Gage, the host of My Classic Car, who filmed the event for future airing.

Out of the 548 entries (car show and slalom combined), 95 were '05-'07 Mustangs.

Friday's day-long slalom was chaired by Hap Shadler and officiated by members of the Pikes Peak SCCA chapter.

Two hundred entries competed in the morning and afternoon autocross sessions and featured a total of 96 winners.

The quick time for the day was by Dan Dilsaver Sr., who drove a Kirkham Cobra at 35.628 seconds.

RMMR 19 featured entries from 26 states.

Making a special appearance was Dennis Gage, the host of My Classic Car, who filmed the event for future airing.

Out of the 548 entries (car show and slalom combined), 95 were '05-'07 Mustangs.

Friday's day-long slalom was chaired by Hap Shadler and officiated by members of the Pikes Peak SCCA chapter.

Two hundred entries competed in the morning and afternoon autocross sessions and featured a total of 96 winners.

The quick time for the day was by Dan Dilsaver Sr., who drove a Kirkham Cobra at 35.628 seconds.

Event Awards
Chamber's Choice Sponsored by the Steamboat Springs Chamber of Commerce
Perry and Cheryl Colebank
Wimbledon White '68 Mustang coupe

Dealer's Choice
Sponsored by Sill Terhar Ford
Bill and Sharon Carpenter
Candyapple Red '69 Mach 1

Merchant's Choice
Sponsored by the Steamboat Springs Merchant's Association
Mark Klobe
Candyapple Red '64 1/2 Mustang coupe

Good Guy
Joan Cloutier for many years of unselfish work on the show

Long-Distance, Individual
2,176 miles
Brian Dambaugh
Black '01 Mustang GT

Long-Distance, Club
5,600 miles one-way
Utah 'Stangs Mustang Club; 14 cars

Vanity Plate
Clark A. Spencer
Yellow '02 Mustang GT convertible, appropriately named "LMNTWST"

Hard Luck
Kendall Eisele
'64 1/2 Mustang coupe

For more information regarding RMMR 19 winners as well as future event information, log on to www.rockymountainmustangroundup.com.

Friday's SCCA-sanctioned autocross sessions at the Meadows parking lot were well attended. This '00 Saleen was put through its paces.

Jordan Giessinger's yellow SVT Mustang Cobra was one part of a two-car assault that he launched on the Late Street Prepared (LSP) class. This car finished Eighth at 39.070 seconds.

This lone Canyon Red Mustang SVO competed in the Fox-Body Street Prepared Ladies (FSPL) category but failed to make the final cut.

Pat Chambers from Colorado Mustang Concepts (a division of Colorado Mustang Inc.) wheeled his '07 GT to a Second-Place finish in the Unlimited (U) class, recording a best of 36.505 seconds.

Jason Squires' '93 SVT Mustang Cobra cut a nice corner on his way to winning First Place in the Fox-Body Street Modified FSM category, carding a best of 39.438 seconds.

Jack Terhar, CEO of event cosponsor Sill Terhar Ford, provided demonstration rides for a few lucky RMMR attendees in the dealership's '05 Ford GT.

Jordan Giessinger wheeled his other car, a Laser Red Cobra, that finished Ninth in class at 39.610 seconds.

This proud group of slalom winners included event organizers Bill Bruhn and Bob Cloutier, along with their daughters Ashley Bruhn (left) and Nicole Cloutier (right).

The finest classic, late-model Mustangs and special-interest Fords assembled in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Photo Gallery: The 19th Annual Rocky Mountain Mustang Roundup - Muscle Mustang Fast Fords

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]]>http://www.musclemustangfastfords.com/events/mmfp_0801_2007_19th_annual_rocky_mountain_mustang_rounduphttp://www.musclemustangfastfords.com/events/mmfp_0801_2007_19th_annual_rocky_mountain_mustang_roundupSat, 01 Dec 2007 00:12:00 -0800All Ford Mustang - Garden State Gathering

New Jersey is known for many things-juicy Jersey tomatoes, jug-handle U-turns, the Bada-Bing club, and the illustrious home of MM&FF Command Central. So when the Keystone NMRA Ford Nationals rolled into southern New Jersey's Atco Raceway, we cruised the 80 miles on the New Jersey Turnpike in full force. Atco sits just a few feet above sea level, and thanks to track owner Joe Sway and his staff, the surface is always sticky and ready for fast Stangs.

Needless to say, the Atco event was full of fast Fords, especially the shootout classes, with True Street boasting a huge field of Northeast muscle. Meanwhile, the car show had its own area on the left side of the track and was nearly at capacity.

The DiabloSport Pro 5.0 final saw the Cougar of Tony Bischoff square off against the Probe of Mike Balvsir. Balvsir forgot to set his wake-up call on the starting line and was almost two seconds behind Bischoff when the light turned green. This handed the easy win to Bischoff, who ripped off a 6.76 at 208 mph.

MSD Ignition Super Street Outlaw saw the nitrous-snorting Mustang of Don Burton line up against the turbocharged Cobra of Yanni Papakosmas, who was psychic on the starting line, recording a 0.007 reaction time. It was all for naught, though, as Burton drove past Papakosmas for the win with a 7.68 to 7.89 count.

The ProCharger EFI Renegade trophy dash pitted the S197s of Tony Orts and Aaron Stapleton against one another. Orts, looking for his first-ever NMRA win, used an 8.76 to down Stapleton's 8.82 for the victory after both drivers hit a pair of stellar reaction times.

Edelbrock Hot Street can be considered the NHRA Pro Stock of the NMRA, as every car that qualified for the field in Atco had a chance at winning the event. After running into some problems early on in the season, Charlie Booze Jr. has seemed to hit his stride as he picked up his second-straight win with a final-round victory over Justin Curry. While both drivers ran an 8.86 in the final, it was over at the start as Curry turned on the foul light.

The BFGoodrich Drag Radial final showcased the Mustangs of John Kolivas and Chris Tuten. Tuten scored a slight holeshot, but after that, it was all Kolivas, as his white Pony lit up the scoreboards with an 8.22 for the win.

The Real Street field was whittled down to Bruce Hemminger and Tim Matherly. Matherly left first, but at the stripe it was all Hemminger, whose 9.84 downed the 9.90-second effort of Matherly.

In TTC Tremec Pure Street, Victor Downs' Cobra lined up against Jimmy Wilson's Fox-body. Only one-thousandth of a second separated the two in reaction time, and the race was just as close at the finish line as Downs' 10.42 was a smidgen better than Wilson's 10.45.

Jeffrey Schmell and Steve Gifford duked it out for the K&N Factory Stock title. Schmell took the win from wire to wire, leaving the starting line first and motoring to an 11.42-second lap, which was three-hundredths of a second better than Gifford's 11.45.

Rick Doern and Susan McClenaghan squared off for the Roush Mod Muscle cash, which turned out to be a double-breakout affair. Doern got the nod, as his holeshot aided 13.74 (13.76 index) was less of an infraction than McClenaghan's 10.61 (10.65 index).

The Crane Cams Open Comp trophy dash saw a pair of veterans facing each other. Don Bowles staged against Larry Geddes, and when all was said and done, it was the yellow Roush Mustang of Bowles that was left standing, as his dead-on 9.01-second pass (9.01 index) forced Geddes to run under his 9.95-second index with a 9.89. Bowles' machine ran like a Swiss watch all weekend. That's a compliment to Ford Motor Company as his Stang is powered by a naturally aspirated experimental V-8 engine.

In the Detroit Locker Truck and Lightning category, John Riccio's Ranger gunned down Jim D'Amore's Saleen truck. D'Amore, who was doing double duty in Mod Muscle with his JDM-powered Saleen Mustang, scored the holeshot but couldn't run close enough to his 13.09 index, giving the win to Riccio, who recorded a 10.46 (10.37 index). It was neat to see the full-court press of Saleen vehicles, including an S281 NA Mustang, a blown version, D'Amore's truck, and a PJ model as they did battle with the slew of Roush vehicles and even a Shelby GT500 or two built by Evolution Motorsports.

The MM&FF True Street contingent showcased arguably the quickest and baddest True Street field seen in NMRA competition to date. To make it into the top five, competitors needed to record better than a 10.04-second average and better than a 12.46-second average to settle in the top 25. After cruising around scenic southern New Jersey for 30 miles, 38 drivers made the required three passes down the Atco quarter-mile. When the runs were tallied and averaged out, John Kokinda showed them all how it was done, recording a 9.02-second average. The low-9-second average was aided by an opening 8.61-second hit. Brian Zaid's notchback, a former MM&FF feature car, ended up in the runner-up position with a 9.83-second average, and rounding out the top three was Art Heninger, who averaged a 9.85.

As the season winds down, the point chases get closer and the pressure rises. Stay tuned as the series travels to Columbus next.

Q Collegiate Power Challenge Results
Team	RWHP	60-0 Braking	Slalom	1/4-mile/mph	Subjective points	Total Points
Sacramento Gold Rush	600.14	119.79 ft	6.37 sec	11.81/127.71	30.13	325.13
Norwood Dyno Crushers	588.78	129.99 ft	6.57 sec	11.80/130.25	31.63	309.63
Houston Team Torque	441.62	117.02 ft	6.33 sec	12.17/112.42	29.56	304.56
Rancho Cucamonga SoCal Crush	441.62	130.21 ft	6.23 sec	12.14/122.38	33.69	298.69
Orlando Hurricanes	633.91	130.26 ft	6.26 sec	14.85/102.31	25.81	290.81

True Street Top 25
John Kokinda	9.028 Winner
Brian Zaid	9.831 Runner-Up
Art Heninger	9.858
Anthony DiSario	9.917
Kris Mustacchio	10.045 Top 10 Sec
Steve Posenau	10.092
Daryl Buckner	10.144
Bob Sisk	10.189
Aramis Lugo	10.334
Corey Virnelson	10.401
Justin Burcham	10.403
Vincent Dastra	10.789
Rob Miller	11.402 Top 11 Sec
Bruce Thomas	11.405
Bill Unkel	11.561
Paul Cottone	11.570
Paul Revaitis	12.058 Top 12 Sec
Ray Rodgers	12.062
James Williams	12.089
Thomas Zaro Jr.	12.141
Brent Tauscher	12.165
Humberto Ferrer	12.186
Alan Osborn	12.318
Alex Lugo	12.324
John Hatch	12.464
John Lund	13.082 Top 13 Sec
Adam Hartman	14.082 Top 14 Sec
Sean Mohan	15.186 Top 15 Sec

In football, the Super Bowl pits the top team in the NFC against the top team in the AFC to duke it out for the title rights and the NFL season championship. The hoopla drummed up prior to the big match each year is unrivaled by few, if any, sporting events. Wanting to achieve that same level of excitement and drama, the gang at ProMedia, promoters of the NMRA Keystone Ford Nationals and NMCA Edelbrock racing associations, had its own rendition of the Super Bowl that set the two premier street-legal sanc-tioning bodies against each other in a quarter-mile slugfest.

It's called the Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing, and each year the two series converge on Route 66 Raceway just outside of Chicago for a wild weekend of drag racing, car showing, and to see the huge manufacturer's midway. Even the True Street class is a mix of machines to see not only who, but which brand of vehicle, is the baddest on the street.

This year the MM&FF staff saw a slathering of old-school musclecars and modern machines. The weekend climaxed with a showdown between the winners of the NMRA classes taking on the winners of the NMCA categories for bragging rights, bonus money, and a coveted Nitto Tire Diamond Tree ring.

The game at Route 66 was simple. Both series run concurrently in regular fashion, with qualifying and eliminations over a three-day period. After all NMRA and NMCA class winners are decided, they're thrown into the Super Bowl bonus round. ProMedia officials pitted Pro 5.0 vs. Pro Street, Super Street Outlaw vs. Super Street 10.5, Drag Radial vs. Xtreme Street, and right on down to the Open Comp and Index-style classes for both sanctions. Since the classes are different-even the heads-up ones-each category was run off an index, albeit with no breakout. The index was determined by the racer's quickest pass of the weekend. For example, John Urist squared off against Billy Glidden. Urist had run a best of 7.51, while Glidden knocked down a 7.06. Their Super Bowl meeting had Urist getting a 0.45-second head start.

Last year, Team NMRA prevailed as it came down to the final round, pairing Tony Bischoff and Pro Street racer Brian Robbins. Bischoff took the victory and sealed the fate for the NMCA crowd. The final tally was NMRA 6 and NMCA 5. This year, Team NMRA took a commanding victory over the NMCA racers as they clinched the title rather easily. The final count showed NMRA with seven wins while NMCA mustered only four.

Both sanctioning bodies attracted a lot of entries, and there was a spectacular display of cars on and off the racetrack. One of the coolest things about attending this extravaganza was getting a glimpse of a wide variety of cars while still watching Mustang drag racing. The Super Bowl truly combined the best of both worlds, and hosting it at Route 66 in Joliet, Illinois, makes it that much better. The facility is large enough to handle the 450-plus heads-up racers and hundreds of True Street and show cars that also attended the weekend's festivities. It's a top-notch facility with one of the best racing surfaces around. Combine that with favorable weather conditions, and it was the perfect setting to watch record performances and side-by-side drag racing.

Hedman Headers True Street Presented by MM&FF Top 25
	Name	Average
1.	Damon Dais	9.641
2.	Chad Slattery	9.689
3.	Steve Posenau	9.914
4.	Eric Olson	10.015