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Autumn Schwalbe Aiming for Exedy Racing Clutch Modular Muscle and SunCoast Performance 8.60 Street Race

Posted By: Steve Baur
Written By Mary Lendzion
Photography by the Race Pages Staff

 
Inspired by her parents who raced, Autumn Schwalbe decided eight years ago that she wanted to race, too. So she took a street-driven 1993 Mustang powered by a supercharged small-block Ford to the strip to practice bracket racing, and soon after, she won two races designated for high school students.
 
A few years later, while she was in college, she bought a 1989 Mustang as a roller, and she and her father, Darren Schwalbe, installed a Gen II Coyote engine, Whipple supercharger and C4 transmission, and performed other work on the car to get it race-ready. Along the way, they had help from friends as well as Schwalbe’s boyfriend, Christopher Blug, and Naber Racing in Wixom, Michigan, dove in and got the car dialed-in for her.
 
“I had sponsors come on board before we went to the track, including Whipple Superchargers, Naber Racing, Weld Wheels, VP Racing Fuels, Lucas Oils, Ricart Automotive, Own Boss Supply Co., CJ Pony Parts and Sean’s Transmissions,” said Schwalbe. “With their help, I was going to be able to start racing in the category that I wanted to race in, NMRA Exedy Racing Clutch Modular Muscle.”
 
When everything was in place, Schwalbe made her debut in the category at the NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing presented by HPJ Performance last May at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois.
 
“We had an issue while we were dyno-tuning the car before the race, so I didn’t get any testing in beforehand, but it was good to get the car out for the first time,” said Schwalbe.
 
She proceeded to take part in the NMRA events at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Michigan and Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio, and then replaced her C4 transmission with a Turbo 400 transmission before heading to the NMRA event at Beech Bend Raceway in Kentucky last fall.
 
“My car was averaging 9.70s and 147 or 148 mph, and I went as far as second round in eliminations last year,” said Schwalbe, a Global Ford Performance Marketing Specialist for Ford Performance. “I finished in the sixteenth spot in points out of about fifty racers, which was a lot better than I thought I would finish. It was a great start to my running in the NMRA series. It showed that I mean business and am looking to be in the top ten or the top five in points.”
 
Schwalbe now is in the process of preparing for the 2022 race season, and she recently had her car at FENFABrication in Westland, Michigan to receive front-exit exhaust and headers, a parachute, and an ice box for her supercharger.
 
Holbrook Racing Engines is building a new Gen II Coyote engine for her, and she plans to go from a 6-rib belt system to a 10-rib belt system for her Whipple supercharger.
 
Her tuner, Saif Naber of Naber Racing, will soon install a Haltech Nexus engine management system.
 
“With these upgrades, I know my car will be faster and more consistent,” said Schwalbe. “Going faster will be challenging, but good.”
 
Schwalbe plans to take part in all six of the NMRA events on this year’s tour, which begins with the 28th Annual Spring Break Shootout, March 3-6 at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida. She said she’ll focus on Exedy Racing Clutch Modular Muscle, while also jumping into the NMRA’s new SunCoast Performance 8.60 Street Race, a heads-up category that will be contested at the 28th Annual Spring Break Shootout, as well as the 14th Annual NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals, April 21-24 at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina, 22nd Annual NMRA Ford Performance Nationals, June 9-12 at Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio and the 24th Annual NMRA World Finals + Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival, Sept. 29-Oct. 3 at Beech Bend Raceway in Kentucky.
 
“I’m really excited to get back to the track, get some more seat time, challenge myself as a driver, and learn from my mistakes,” said Schwalbe. “I’m also looking forward to some wins.”

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