RYNO Classifieds NMRA Spring Break Shootout Friday Coverage

Mar 03, 2023

Today the action revs up at the 29th Annual RYNO Classifieds NMRA Spring Break Shootout Presented by Nitto Tire. Early in the day racers wrap up testing before rolling into multiple rounds of qualifying that set the stage for the first elimination rounds of the season starting tomorrow.

While the action is heating up on the drag strip, the Competition Clutch Ford Drift Invitational competitors are warming up the tires over on the OSW Drift Pad. Likewise, the TransTec Fox-Body Reunion is taking shape alongside the UPR Products Car Show field.

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Here is the schedule of today’s festivities at the RYNO Classifieds NMRA Spring Break Shootout Presented by Nitto Tire at Orlando Speed World.

Over on the OSW Drift Pad, the first-ever Competition Clutch Ford Drift Invitational attracted a wide array of tire-shredding Fords and Ford-powered machines. Tomorrow they will be joined by the Funhavers from RTR Vehicles, Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Chelsea Denofa, but the action is already impressive today!

Making his NMRA debut in the Suncoast Performance 8.60 Street Race class is Colin Smith of West Chester, Pennsylvania, in his striking, yellow 2003 SVT Cobra. Not your average Terminator, it is powered by a Kenne Bell-boosted Coyote swap, which propelled it to an 8.80 rip in testing thanks in part to a Big Stuff 3 tune by JPC. Smith is on hand with his pal Andrew Pierce (right).

Andrew Pierce isn’t just cheering on his friend, however. He is gunning for the 9.0 category in Circle D Specialties True Street. His ride is a 2018 Mustang GT with a fresh MPR Gen 3 Coyote motor and ProCharger F-1A burning pump E85. Backed by a stock transmission with a Circle D converter, his S550 was built and tuned a Coastal Dyno & Performance, which is on hand with more than a dozen modern Mustangs.

The swap meet is strong this weekend out at Orlando Speed World, and in light of the Fox-Body Reunion over in the car show, there are lots of used Fox bits up for sale.

With help from fellow racer Dennis Hilliard, Hector Navarro of Central Florida Motorsports brought his V6-powered S197 out of hibernation to run at the 29th Annual RYNO Classifieds NMRA Spring Break Shootout Presented by Nitto Tire. Sporting a Precision turbo and Alky meth injection underhood the six-banger runs strong thanks to several pre-race upgrades, including Aerospace brakes, Strange front coilovers, QA1 double-adjustable rear dampers, and a Corbeau racing seat. Eventually, he hopes to put his six-cylinder ’Stang into the 9-second zone, but this weekend he would be happy with low 10s.

If you have a love for these cars, the TransTec Fox-Body Reunion powered by Foxy Events is bringing out some beautiful machines to the NMRA season opener.

HP Tuners Super Stang stalwart Marvin Knack is trying something new this season. He recently swapped out his Mustang’s factory PCM in favor of a Holley EFI system mated to the factory wiring with a RACE Gateway interface. He is working with Redline Motorsports to dial in the tune, and he hopes the upgrade will help him continue his winning ways in the class.

Autumn Schwalbe is committed to running five of the six races in the Suncoast Performance 8.60 Street Race class. After learning her Coyote engine needed a refresh after the World Finals, she turned to her sponsor Holbrook Racing Engine to set it straight. With a fresh dyno tune from Naber Racing and a transmission refreshed by Sean's Transmission Service, she is ready to run this weekend in Orlando, and she even has fresh merch if you want to support her cause in style.

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