Written by Mary Lendzion
Photos by NMRA and courtesy of Bob Cosby
Bob Cosby was a meteorologist for the U.S. Navy for 25 years, and retired as a Naval Officer in 2009.
He was then a high school teacher for four years, but these days, he is spending more time with his wife, Rachel, around the home they built in the middle of a pasture in Sherman, Texas.
For fun and fellowship among racers, Cosby has competed in several categories in the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals over the years. They include Richmond Gear Factory Stock, where he earned a championship in his wheel-standing Mustang in 2004, CJ Pony Parts Ford Muscle and Vengeance Clutch Coyote Stock, but after trying Whatever It Takes Transmission Parts Street Bandit 10.10 when it debuted at the last event of 2023, he decided to stay in the category for 9- and 10-second race street-legal cars, in 2024.
“I love heads-up racing, but I don’t have the resources to be as competitive as I would need to be right now, so when NMRA started Whatever It Takes Transmission Parts Street Bandit 10.10, I jumped at it because it sounded like it could be comparable to heads-up, but with an index, and my car fit in,” said Cosby.
His Mustang runs well with a Gen III Coyote engine and a G-Force G101A transmission, and while Cosby has been as quick as 9.70s on slicks, he dials to be as close as he can to his category’s 10.10 index while rolling on the required DOT tires.
Only able to commit to two events on this year’s Holley NMRA Ford Nationals tour, Cosby circled on his calendar the Holley NMRA/Red Line Oil NMCA Race for the Rings & Saturday Thrill Festival, which was in May at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois, and the 26th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA World Finals featuring the Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival, which is Sept. 26-29 at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Kentucky.
At the race in Illinois, a storm rolled through, leaving Cosby hunkered down and holding onto his tent, and he may run into some more rain between rounds at the race in Kentucky. He is, however, rolling with that, as to him, the experience is more about the camaraderie that anything else.
“I know we may have some rain in Kentucky, but I am still looking forward to seeing friends there,” said Cosby, whose wife, Rachel, travels to most events with him. “I also have a new clutch tamer I want to try out. I installed it to get my tires to hook. It will help soften the clutch engagement and the launch, which will in turn help me hook up and get down track. If I don’t get to try it out as often as I would like to at this race, we will still have a campfire, sit around and talk with friends. That is what it is all about for me.”
Photos by NMRA and courtesy of Bob Cosby
Bob Cosby was a meteorologist for the U.S. Navy for 25 years, and retired as a Naval Officer in 2009.
He was then a high school teacher for four years, but these days, he is spending more time with his wife, Rachel, around the home they built in the middle of a pasture in Sherman, Texas.
For fun and fellowship among racers, Cosby has competed in several categories in the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals over the years. They include Richmond Gear Factory Stock, where he earned a championship in his wheel-standing Mustang in 2004, CJ Pony Parts Ford Muscle and Vengeance Clutch Coyote Stock, but after trying Whatever It Takes Transmission Parts Street Bandit 10.10 when it debuted at the last event of 2023, he decided to stay in the category for 9- and 10-second race street-legal cars, in 2024.
“I love heads-up racing, but I don’t have the resources to be as competitive as I would need to be right now, so when NMRA started Whatever It Takes Transmission Parts Street Bandit 10.10, I jumped at it because it sounded like it could be comparable to heads-up, but with an index, and my car fit in,” said Cosby.
His Mustang runs well with a Gen III Coyote engine and a G-Force G101A transmission, and while Cosby has been as quick as 9.70s on slicks, he dials to be as close as he can to his category’s 10.10 index while rolling on the required DOT tires.
Only able to commit to two events on this year’s Holley NMRA Ford Nationals tour, Cosby circled on his calendar the Holley NMRA/Red Line Oil NMCA Race for the Rings & Saturday Thrill Festival, which was in May at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois, and the 26th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA World Finals featuring the Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival, which is Sept. 26-29 at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Kentucky.
At the race in Illinois, a storm rolled through, leaving Cosby hunkered down and holding onto his tent, and he may run into some more rain between rounds at the race in Kentucky. He is, however, rolling with that, as to him, the experience is more about the camaraderie that anything else.
“I know we may have some rain in Kentucky, but I am still looking forward to seeing friends there,” said Cosby, whose wife, Rachel, travels to most events with him. “I also have a new clutch tamer I want to try out. I installed it to get my tires to hook. It will help soften the clutch engagement and the launch, which will in turn help me hook up and get down track. If I don’t get to try it out as often as I would like to at this race, we will still have a campfire, sit around and talk with friends. That is what it is all about for me.”