Pre-season testing in Florida is underway with two huge track rentals, one at Bradenton Motorsports Park and the other at Orlando Speed World. An army of Pro Mods, Radial racers, and NMCA/NHRA Factory Super Car/Showdown cars have descended upon the state to prepare for a wild season of drag racing. It was the 2016 Cobra Jet of Kevin Skinner that made the most noise in the opening days of pre-season with an insane 7.82 at just 156 mph at Bradenton Motorsports Park.

The track conditions were nearly perfect thanks to the Total Venue Concepts crew being on-site and Skinner got off the launch pad with a stout 1.17 sixty-foot time. He stopped the clocks at the 1/8-mile in just 4.960 seconds, which could be the first NMCA/NHRA car to drop into the 4-second zone, at a speed of 140.88 mph. According to eyewitnesses, Skinner lifted sometime around the 1,000 foot mark and coasted to a jaw-dropping 7.825. Considering the best runs were in the 7.90s by the Dodge camp in 2018, the Cobra Jet appears to be the front-runner for this year's factory battle.

As reported from a source on the ground, Skinner is using a 50th Anniversary Cobra Jet combination, built by Holbrook Racing Engines. It differs from the 2016 engine he ran last year in NMCA and NHRA competitions as it is officially a 5.2L as compared to a 5.0L. Also new is the Whipple 3.0L supercharger and inlet system when the 2013, 2014, and 2016 models utilized a Whipple 2.9L in different configurations.

PTP Racing handles the tuning chores while Holt Race Cars built the chassis. There are numerous Dodge and Ford teams in the state testing and rumors are NHRA officials are present to verify and inspect the cars as they zone in on the 2019 rules. Considering the heavy minimum weights all three models run right now, unnamed sources are reporting that officials will use pulley dimensions to help even the playing field for all three manufacturers.