By Mary Lendzion
When James Meredith came to the NMRA in 2013, he suited up for G-Force Racing Transmissions Coyote Stock competition in his Mustang Mach 1.
The following year, he decided to take on Richmond Gear Factory Stock and was competitive in his 10-second Mustang Mach 1 powered by a Coyote engine. He even earned a championship in the category in 2016.
Ready to change gears, he climbed into a Capri built by fellow racer Mike Bowen of Powerhouse Automotive in 2018 for Exedy Racing Clutch Modular Muscle. He promptly picked up to mid 9s in the car which was lighter than his Mustang Mach I and powered by a Coyote engine with gas-ported Mahle pistons and a Cobra Jet intake backed with a C4 transmission rebuilt by Winners Circle Transmission.
Soon after securing a top-ten finish in Exedy Racing Clutch Modular Muscle points in 2021, Meredith, who had also added nitrous to his combination to pick up to low 9s for a few ProCharger Coyote Modified races, announced that he was going to aim for 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, March 3-6 at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida, 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.
“When I saw the announcement about the new SunCoast Performance 8.60 Street Race category, I was immediately interested, and I thought that I could run that number if we did a few things to my Capri,” said Meredith, who will pair his Coyote engine with a Nitrous Outlet system and is turning his car over to fellow racer Bart Tobener for some work.
Tobener will install a new Powerglide from Winners Circle Transmissions along with 4:10 gearing and a B&M Pro Stick shifter, a new driveshaft and an upgraded fuel system.
“I have a Weldon fuel pump, and I’m going with bigger fuel lines, which Bart Tobener will get for me, and new injectors, which Mike Bowen will get for me,” said Meredith, whose Capri is equipped with Afco rear coilovers and Strange front coilovers and will roll on Mickey Thompson radial tires wrapped around Billet Specialties wheels.
Bowen, who is Meredith’s crew chief, and Tobener will use Holley EFI to tune Meredith’s combination, and Meredith hopes to test before the 28th Annual Spring Break Shootout, March 3-6 at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida.
“We have a bit of work ahead of us, but I’m very excited to run the new SunCoast Performance 8.60 Street Race category,” said Meredith. “I think it’s a middle ground between index and heads-up racing, and I’m looking forward to going faster.”
“When I saw the announcement about the new SunCoast Performance 8.60 Street Race category, I was immediately interested, and I thought that I could run that number if we did a few things to my Capri,” said Meredith, who will pair his Coyote engine with a Nitrous Outlet system and is turning his car over to fellow racer Bart Tobener for some work.
Tobener will install a new Powerglide from Winners Circle Transmissions along with 4:10 gearing and a B&M Pro Stick shifter, a new driveshaft and an upgraded fuel system.
“I have a Weldon fuel pump, and I’m going with bigger fuel lines, which Bart Tobener will get for me, and new injectors, which Mike Bowen will get for me,” said Meredith, whose Capri is equipped with Afco rear coilovers and Strange front coilovers and will roll on Mickey Thompson radial tires wrapped around Billet Specialties wheels.
Bowen, who is Meredith’s crew chief, and Tobener will use Holley EFI to tune Meredith’s combination, and Meredith hopes to test before the 28th Annual Spring Break Shootout, March 3-6 at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida.
“We have a bit of work ahead of us, but I’m very excited to run the new SunCoast Performance 8.60 Street Race category,” said Meredith. “I think it’s a middle ground between index and heads-up racing, and I’m looking forward to going faster.”