This will be a theme we think will happen all year long; John Mihovitz took back the overall record for a Modular-powered drag race vehicle from NMCA West Pro Street class rivals, Greg Seth-Hunter of Modular Mustang Racing. Mihovitz has been the sole owner of the record for past four or five years but that all changed when MMR picked up a Jerry Haas constructed Pro Modified chassis last year. Seth-Hunter piloted it to the a quick 6.088. That barely edged out Mihovitz who’s best time had been a 6.089.

The Accufab team loaded up and headed to the second race of 2013 for the NMCA West series, which is going down at Pomona Raceway. During test and tune at the event Mihovitz laid down a career best of 6.05 at 241 mph in what was not only the quickest Modular powered run but also the quickest pass from any Pro Street car on the property during the pre-race test session. Mihovitz relies on a 4.6L Four-Valve modular engine built in-house at the famous throttle body and racecar component company, Accufab Racing. The car is a Larson Race Car built tube-chassis Mustang that has seen time back east in NMRA Pro 5.0 and NMCA Pro Street. Are fives far behind? The weather and track conditions will determine that this weekend at the NMCA West event at Pomona.

Afco Street Outlaw

Big-Block Nitrous up to 588ci base weight adjusted to 3,000 pounds

Small-Block Nitrous base weight is adjusted to 2,400 pounds

365ci and smaller engines and all Modular Motors deduct 100 pounds from base weight

All supercharged entries with a ProCharger F1R or Vortech Xi deduct 100 pounds from supercharged base weight

Edelbrock Renegade

Air-to-Water intercoolers add 150 pounds to base weight (formerly 200 pounds)

Air-to-Air intercoolers add 75 pounds to base weight (formerly 100 pounds)

Manual Transmissions add 50 pounds to base weight (formerly 75 pounds)

Strange Engineering Coyote Stock, Presented by 5.0 Mustang & Super Ford Magazine

No Changes

Nitto Tire Factory

No Changes

Granatelli Motor Sports 5.0 Shootout

There have been some questions regarding a few areas, first was the dashboard and if a lightweight one could be utilized. The NMRA Tech Committee feels that a lightweight dashboard isn’t infringing on what the Shootout is about; the quickest 5.0 Mustangs on stock suspension. Another clarification pertains to towing to the staging lanes and that is permitted.

While Teddy Weaver had run in NMRA’s no longer contested Pure Street since ’03, he’s going full-throttle in NMCA’s ACT Mean Street this season, and he got off to a good start at the 11th Annual Ross Racing Pistons NMCA Muscle Car Nationals featuring the Chevrolet Performance LSX Challenge at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida in March.

There, he set ET and top speed records after running 10.050 and 133.53 mph, and earned the class win, his first with the NMCA/NMRA. He followed that with an even faster 9.86 at 137 mph at the to-be-continued-because-of-rain Georgia race in April and has his sights set on more.

The Virginia resident bought his ’01 Mustang Bullitt in ’07 as a roller with a salvage title after a fire had swept through it. He hired Never Lift Chassis in Oklahoma to install a ten-point chome-moly cage and frame-connectors, and to weld up the torque boxes. Naturally-aspirated power comes from a Roush Competition Engines-built 311 cubic-inch pushrod bullet featuring Trick Flow Twisted Wedge heads and an Edekbrock Victor Jr. intake topped with a ProSystems 750 CFM carburetor. UPR suspension has been put in place and Weaver relies on a G-Force T5 transmission and a SPEC clutch each time he leaves the line at a minimum of 7000 rpm and goes through the traps at over 8000 rpm.

“It has taken a lot of testing clutches over the years to get the T5 to stand up to those kinds of launches and shifting,” said Weaver. “You have to have the right clutch combination, as far as pressure plates and clutch discs go, or else the T-5 will go boom.”

Weaver, who has a strong appetite for pushing his naturally-aspirated combination to the limit, chatted briefly with us this week. See what he had to say below – and then see his high-revving, wheel-yanking Mustang Bullitt at the 8th Annual Nitto Tire NMCA/NMRA Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing at Route 66 Raceway in Illinois, July 11-14.

What, if any, changes did you make to your car or combination for your move from Pure Street to ACT Mean Street?

I had to run a 650 carburetor in Pure Street, but I can run a 750 carburetor in Mean Street. I also can run better fuel for Mean Street (VP C10 UL, C12, C14, C14+ and C16) and I can run three-inch exhaust instead of two-inch exhaust.

You’re a few races in now. How would you say the two classes differ?

The cars in Mean Street are about two tenths faster than the cars in Pure Street were, but the competition in Pure Street was more cut-throat. Everyone seemed to be on the edge and the guys were definitely cut-throat when trying to persuade the rules committee and even on the message board. You don’t really see that in Mean Street.

You switched from fuel-injection to carburetion in March of last season. What prompted that?

I had a bunch of issues with the fuel-injection and getting it tuned properly, and I had a bunch of tuners attempt to tune it. It was an easy decision because it has made tuning the car easier. Charlie Booze, Jr. helped me a lot, on his shop’s chassis dyno, at the track and on the phone. I still consult with him for tuning changes with the carburetor and I still bounce ideas off of him.

Will the car sit idle until the race in Illinois, or do you have plans for it?

The chassis is being refined, and the car will be back on the dyno as we look for more tuning improvements. I will be testing at several local test and tune events before the race in Joliet.

You’ve already accomplished a lot this season. What are your goals moving forward?

I plan to make all of the races and win a championship. I have not had one and would really like one. When I’m not racing with the NMCA, I also take part in a stick-shift organization in this area called the High Winding Gear Jammers and I have won some races with them.

Who helps along the way?

My main crew guy is Jimmy Raniella, who also painted my car, and I also have a lot of help from from my wife, Melissa as well as Charlie Booze, Jr., Tim Matherly, Jimmy Wilson, Alan Von Ahnen, JPC Racing and Ron Sharp of Roush Competition Engines. One person who helped me assemble the car was a good friend of mine, Donnie Doyle. We spent many late nights for a month straight to get the car from nothing to a complete race car.

By Mary Lendzion

Attention all NMRA Drag Racing competitors, the mid-season is upon us and the Tech Department has requested that all Mid-Season Rule Requests be turned in by May 13, 2013 (Monday) for consideration. The Tech Department is trying to expedite the process to get any adjustments and rule modifications handled in a quick and decisive manner. As usual, the rule adjustments are limited to clarifications, weight adjustments, and never any component upgrades (like adding cylinder heads or intakes to the approved list or adjusting engine sizes). We value all of your input and while not all requests are granted, each one is studied and determined if it is in the best interest of the category.

Please submit your Mid-Season requests to: NMRARules@ProMediaPub.com, be sure to include your name and NMRA car number.

Thanks for a great start to the 2013 season!

There is still time to Pre-Register for the NMCA West event at the prestigious drag strip at the Pomona Fairgrounds. Click the photo above for pre-registration and other event information. There is a discount associated with the pre-registeration so take advantage of it, otherwise pay full price at the gate. Reserve your entry in a race category before the spots are filled up. Do it today and we will see you at the races!

We spoke with Rick in the pits before the race ever got started, and he explained that he had finally installed a new transmission in the car after years of running a 2.48 first-gear Turbo400 transmission. In fact, he had put Charlie in the seat of the car at a test session a few weeks prior, and Booze came out of the driver’s seat wondering how Riccardi even managed to keep the car going straight down the track. The steep first-gear ratio had a lot happening in the car, namely the 1-2 shift before the car even reached the sixty-foot clocks. They brainstormed, and thought about the fact that if the car was able to take more advantage of first gear instead of tearing right through it, it might get quicker on the track, so one of Charlie’s 2.10 first-gear units was installed in preparation for this event. Riccardi raced for the weekend at 2,645 pounds, which is about 30 more than he’s required to weigh in NA 10.5 competition.

On the other side of the tree, Charlie didn’t change anything in his program in anticipation of the race, but he did weigh in at about 2,725 pounds, quite a bit higher than Rick’s steed. Nonetheless, the pair took to the track and put on one hell of a show for the fans. Riccardi’s machine responded positively to the transmission change, allowing him to run a new personal-best of 8.10 at over 165 MPH with an absolutely insane 1.13 sixty-foot clocking – a huge increase for him as the car was previously stuck in the 8.20′s with the old transmission combination. Booze’s car, to its credit, ran incredibly consistent 8.33, 8.32, and 8.35 elapsed times during the course of Sunday, all at over 160 MPH, after an 8.28 at 160 on Saturday with a 1.140 short time. Not a bad showing for an engine that’s seen lots of hard use and is due to be retired, as Charlie is working on a brand-new engine program for 10.5 competition. It was awesome to hear and see these two high-winding small-blocks rockin’ the track – there’s just nothing like the sound of pure horsepower.

Oliver Racing Parts has stepped up to the plate as a contingency posting sponsor for the NMRA drag racing series for the 2013 season. Celebrating their 30^th Anniversary in 2013, Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Oliver manufactures high-performance connecting rods for racing applications.

The company, which recently introduced 26 new connecting rods, has built its reputation on the “four pillars of Oliver Racing Parts:” craftsmanship, precision, durability and strength. All Oliver Connecting Rods are manufactured in the United States, made from American mill-certified aircraft quality steel and feature their exclusive “Parabolic Beam^®” design that provides the highest strength-to-weight ratio in the industry.

Details about all Oliver products are available in their just-released catalog, which also includes information on ordering custom connecting rods. A copy of the Oliver catalog can be obtained by calling (616) 451-8333, or it can also be viewed online at www.OliverRacingParts.com .

With NMRA, Oliver Racing Parts will be posting contingency in the following classes:

• Afco Street Outlaw
• Edelbrock Renegade

Make sure to pick up a copy of the July issue of 5.0 Mustang and Super Fords Magazine and check out the six pages of NMRA Bradenton Coverage beginning on page 82.

CLICK HERE FOR HUNDREDS OF PHOTOS FROM NMRA AT MARYLAND

The 13^th Annual SCT NMRA Ford Nationals presented by Downs Ford Performance was chock full of action throughout the weekend. Between the regular NMRA program and all the SVT 20^th Anniversary goings-on, there was something for everyone, and great racing action for all.

In AFCO Street Outlaw, qualifying was exciting as John Urist took the top spot with a 7.154 at over 198 miles per hour. However Phil Hines was only .002-second behind Urist. As eliminations rolled around, there were two more players in the seven-teens as Jason Lee and Sean Ashe both came out hard. Urist defeated Ashe’s 7.12 on a holeshot victory in the semis to meet Hines in the final round. Urist left first and in a dramatic side-by-side race, Urist’s 7.14 defeated Hines quicker 7.12 on a holeshot victory.

Edelbrock Renegade was one of the tightest fields the class has seen in a long time, as Brian Mitchell led the 11-car field with an outstanding 8.298 at over 169 miles per hour, while the next seven competitors were all within two tenths of each other. Mitchell ran through his side of the field, while Adam Arndt did the same on his half of the ladder. In the final round, the pair left with almost identical reaction times and down track, Mitchell powered ahead to take the win light, 8.35 to 8.62.

Shane Stymiest ran away with Strange Engineering Coyote Stock qualifying, destroying the existing ET record by almost two tenths of a second, and leaving the number two qualifier, Joe Guertin, almost two-and-a-half tenths back with his 10.60 qualifying effort. Jacob Lamb cut through his side of the ladder to meet Stymiest in the final round. The pair left together but down track, Stymiest pulled ahead, his 10.50 defeating Lamb’s 10.69.

Nitto Tire Factory Stock was led in qualifying by the Two-Valve 4.6-liter combination of Matt Amrine, as he sped to a personal-best 10.739 at over 124 miles per hour. That put him almost two tenths ahead of the number two qualifier, John Leslie, Jr. – who took the Atlanta final round win during qualifying.  Leslie defeated his sister, Sondra in the first round to receive the bye into the final where he faced Amrine. Leslie spun hard out of the hole, while Amrine hooked and shot down track, taking the win light with a 10.93 at 124 miles per hour.

One of the special SVT Shootout classes here was the VMP Superchargers GT500/Terminator Shootout. The heads-up class was led by Harold Horton and his 100-percent stock longblock with an 8.72 at over 160 miles per hour. Horton managed to slice his way through the field where he met Jacob Conant in the final round. Conant put the car on the bumper hard as Horton streaked to an 8.71 at 159 for the win.

Susan Roush-McClenaghan sat atop the Exedy Racing Clutch Modular Muscle qualifying field with a .003-second reaction time. In eliminations, McClenaghan worked her way through the field to meet her Roush teammate Donnie Bowles in the final. Bowles cut a .005 light on the tree and only .005 separated the pair at the stripe, but McClenaghan broke out, giving Bowles the win.

In Flex-A-Lite Open Comp, Charlie Atkinson took the top spot with a .003 reaction time as well. As the ladder played out, it came down to Randy Conway and Tony Murray.Murray went red in a big way, giving Conway his second win of the weekend, as he also took home the win on Saturday in the postponed Atlanta eliminations.

Detroit Locker Truck and Lightning saw an unusual name take the top spot, with Randy Conway carding an .037 light for the catbird seat going into eliminations. On Sunday it came down to the reigning champ Johnny Lightning and Jimmy Cantrell. As the tree came down, Cantrell had a killer .001 light and ran took the win light on the top end.

After the first round of eliminations in Roush Super Stang, reigning champion Chad Wendel took top qualifier honors with an impressive .015 reaction time.  Wendel worked his way through the field to meet Pete Espeut in the final round. Wendel ran into issues and Espeut was on the brakes hard as he crossed the stripe way ahead and took the win.

Tremec True Street had two additional divisions specifically for SVT vehicles as part of the SVT Shootout. Dennis Moore took the overall True Street win with a 10.402-second three-pass average. In the SVT Muscle True Street Category, Ben Moses took the win with a 10.659-second three-pass average, while Matias Perez took the SVT Lightning True Street win with an average ET of 9.998 seconds.

In Saturday Aeromotive Bracket Showdown action, Randy Perdue took the win in Bracket 1, Travis LaRogue took the win in Bracket 2, Tom Conrad, Jr. took the win in Bracket 3, and Merv Moyer, Jr. took the win in the Pro Stick bracket.

Sunday’s Aeromotive Bracket Showdown saw Jake Wilstead take the win in Bracket 1, Brian Shaffer win in Bracket 2, George Moorefield win in Bracket 3, and The win in Pro Stick go to Bruce Meacham.