After a captivating chase to the championship, Dan Ryntz rounded up a second place finish in NMRA Richmond Gear Factory Stock points last year.

As remarkable as that was, the diehard driver is determined to do even better this year, and has made upgrades that he's sure will help him hit his mark in his SST Performance-supported Mustang motivated by a 5.0 Coyote engine, JLT Performance cold-air intake and G-Force Transmissions G101-A transmission and rolling on UPR, Baseline and Menscer Motorsports suspension components and Hoosier slicks.

We bought James Meredith's old Mach 1 and used various parts from it for my car, including the whole spindle set-up, brake set-up and ceramic bearings, and all of that should help my car free-roll better and reduce drag, said Ryntz, whose combination is tuned by Revolution Automotive.We also rewired the whole interior of the car.

It appears as though the work was worthwhile, as Ryntz earned a win at the first race of the year, the 24th Annual Nitto NMRA Spring Break Shootout in March at Bradenton Motorsports Park, and a runner-up at the second race of the year, the 10th Annual NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals in April at Atlanta Dragway.

Then, after finding the sweet spot with his shock set-up and making some additional changes he declines to detail, he headed to the third race of the year, the 18th Annual CJ Pony Parts NMRA Ford Motorsport Nationals in May at Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania, where he soared to a 10.262 to set the category's elapsed-time record.

While that race was postponed when rain fell, it will be completed at the 15th Annual NMRA Ford Super Nationals, this weekend, June 7-10 at National Trail Raceway in Ohio, and Ryntz, who's currently leading points, hopes to double up on event wins.

I've contemplated switching to Steeda Limited Street, but now that I'm seeing success in Factory Stock, I want to stay-put and try to win the championship, said Ryntz. I have a lot of support from fellow racers including Shane and Nate Stymiest, Steve Kurimchak, Mike Stouffer and Justin Fogelsonger, and my son, Joshua Ryntz, and I'm grateful for that.See Ryntz in action at the event or through the SpeedVideo live feed HERE