NMRA at Budds Creek, Maryland

Records Fall at MDIR

Results and photos courtesy NMRA

The May 1-3 weekend started off with perhaps the best conditions the National Mustang Racers Association (www.nmradigital.com) competitors have faced this year thanks to an overcast sky, temperatures in the high 50s, and an amazingly prepped track surface. Records fell, personal best times were accomplished, and it was a great way to kick off the 15th Annual SCT NMRA Ford Nationals presented by SVTPerformance.com.

The NMRA Keystone Automotive Ford Nationals stop at Maryland International Raceway is unique, due to all of the special features that have been added into the weekend. There is the VMP Superchargers Terminator vs. GT500 Shootout, all of the other SVT activities like the UPR Products Car Show and HP Tuners True Street for those specialty cars, and of course, the JPC Racing Turbo Coyote Shootout. The sun popped out on Saturday and Sunday, bringing performances back to reality and getting the racers into race mode for eliminations.

In VP Racing Fuels Street Outlaw, Andy Manson (lead photo) made it back into the Aerospace Components Winner's Circle scoring his second career class win. There have been three different winners in Street Outlaw in three NMRA events this year. Manson's ProCharger-powered Mustang pushed deep into the 6.80s with a 6.84 at 205 mph to secure the victory over John Urist who posted a 6.90 at 204 mph.

The Edelbrock Renegade class saw Frank Varela and the Hellion Racing B-Team continue to dominate those ranks and take his third straight victory. This time it was Alton Clements in the other lane getting the runner-up; 7.85 at 181 mph to Varela's 7.62 at 184 mph.

ProCharger Coyote Modified had a wild weekend of drag racing with two favorites breaking before eliminations, leaving Haley James as the shoe-in for the win. But winners are decided on track and a staging duel in the final round against NMRA newcomer Ronnie Reynolds (shown) proved to throw her off her game. Reynolds took his wife's street car to the Aerospace Components Winner's Circle by running low nine-second runs all weekend long. He ran 9.20 at 146 mph in the finals while James left before the tree was activated.

Are we seeing a new streak begin in ACT Pure Street? Jimmy Wilson took his second straight victory in the naturally aspirated class when he beat perennial front-runner Teddy Weaver. Wilson unleashed a 9.53 at 140 mph to top the field as Weaver blasted his way to a final round performance of 9.59 at 140 mph.

The Strange Engineering Coyote Stock class was all about Drew Lyons as he and crew chief Bruce Hemminger have been in back-to-back Winner's Circle parties. The sealed crate motor from Ford Performance didn't prevent Lyons from running consistent 10.20s; he beat Gifford, 10.29 at 129 mph to 10.38 at 128 mph.

In American Racing Headers Factory Stock, Matt Amrine continues running over the Coyotes with his two-valve powered 1998 Mustang GT. This time it was Justin Fogelsonger sitting on the other side of the track and Amrine saved his best pass for last with a 10.67 at 125 mph performance while the Coyote 5.0 motivated-1986 Mustang LX cruised to a 10.83 at 121 mph.