Spotlight—Jennifer Fahey
This Floridian is focused on fun and family while racing in HP Tuners Super Stang
Interview by Mary Lendzion
Photography by the FSC Staff
Twenty-five years ago, Jennifer Fahey accepted an offer to go on a blind date with the man who is now her husband, Dennis Fahey. They chose to meet up at Grand Prix Tampa, which offered go-karts, miniature golf, and arcade games. When Dennis pulled up in a red 1993 Mustang, Jennifer couldn’t help but notice the eye-catching car.
While she didn’t ride in it that night, she did a week later, when she and Dennis went on a second date. It was on July 4, and they watched a movie and fireworks, and Jennifer’s interest in Dennis, as well as in the Mustang, intensified.
She affirms that it is Dennis who encouraged her enthusiasm for cars, as she went on to watch him race his various Mustangs through the years before she purchased her first Mustang, a 2011 Mustang GT, in 2021 and started racing in NMRA HP Tuners Super Stang in 2022.
In addition to having a blast on the track, the Brooksville, Florida resident is having the time of her life on the way to the track, as she and Dennis, along with their children, Connor and Caitlyn, and her mother, Elizabeth, travel to the NMRA races together and enjoy a lot of experiences en route.
They play games in the car, they stop at attractions in various states, they take turns listening to the kind of music they each like, and they talk about the upcoming race. Most importantly, they make many memories during the mini-vacations.
Because of her family, Jennifer, who pulled off a Top 10 finish in HP Tuners Super Stang in 2022, is already looking forward to the 2023 race season. She has set some goals, as she wants to take part in all six races on the series’ annual tour, win a race and finish in the top five in points.
Read on for more about Jennifer, or Coyote Jenn as she is often called, who, along with her husband, Dennis, is a self-employed real estate investor.
WHEN DID YOU DECIDE YOU WANTED TO START RACING?
Well, soon after Dennis and I met, I was going to watch him street race in South Tampa and I was going to car shows with him, and at that point, I had an appreciation for all makes and models of cars, but over the past ten years, I have really developed an appreciation for Mustangs, and that intensified when Dennis started racing in NMRA True Street about 10 years ago. But when Dennis took me to a test and tune session at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida in 2021, and I made passes in my Durango, followed a little later by our Lightning, I wanted to race. Dennis was a good teacher. He told me about all of the steps to take, and how to watch the light and press the gas pedal down as hard as I could on the third amber. He helped me stay relaxed, but it was still a major rush to go down-track. It definitely made me want to race more and more, so we decided to put our Lightning up for sale so that we would have money to buy a car that I could race.
WHAT KIND OF CAR DID YOU WANT TO RACE?
I wanted a Mustang, and we found one online through the Facebook Marketplace. It was a 2011 Mustang GT being sold by an older gentleman about two hours north of us in Florida. The gentleman was a little hard to reach, but we kept trying because we really wanted the car. We finally reached him and went to look at it. I loved the Iconic Silver paint, and everything about it, actually. It had a Gen 1 Coyote engine and an automatic transmission, and it had 60,000 miles on it. There was nothing about the car that was of major concern, so we took it for a test drive, bought it, and drove it home that very day.
DID YOU KEEP IT STOCK, OR DID YOU BEGIN MAKING MODIFICATIONS RIGHT AWAY?
We left it stock and drove it on the street for a little while, and then we began making modifications to it.
HAD YOU ALREADY DECIDED WHICH CATEGORY YOU WANTED TO RACE IN?
At the time, I was planning to race in NMRA and NMCA True Street, but after talking with a few people, including Steve Baur, about which category I should race in, Steve recommended I race in Super Stang, and we decided that we wanted to try it. We looked at all of the rules to be sure our car would be a fit, and we looked at how to qualify, what we would need to run, and everything else. We know that driving a car with drive-by-wire could be a little tricky in a category that qualifies based on reaction time, but I wanted to try it.
WHEN DID YOU DIVE INTO THE HP TUNERS SUPER STANG CATEGORY?
I ran the category, for the very first time, with no test session prior, at the first race of the 2022 NMRA season at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida. I was super nervous, and a little intimidated by the other racers, but I did better than I thought I would and I made it past the first round of eliminations before losing in the second round of eliminations. We made friends with the other racers right away, including Chris Parisi and Chris Rusch. I really liked it.
DID YOU CONTINUE TO RUN THE CAR IN STOCK-FORM, OR DID YOU MAKE SOME CHANGES DURING THE 2022 SEASON?
We partnered with Hughes Performance for a custom converter, and we worked with Kelly Aiken with Kelltrac on custom-valve Viking coilovers. We converted the car to go from pump fuel to VP Racing X85, and we installed a JLT cold air intake and Innovators West harmonic balancer. We put Belak wheels and radial tires on the car, and we replaced the stock brakes with Baer brakes.
WHAT ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM YOUR FIRST YEAR, 2022, IN HP TUNERS SUPER STANG?
A big highlight of the year was recording a .004 reaction time and qualifying in the second spot, right behind Chris Parisi, at the race in North Carolina. We actually qualified pretty well for the first half of the season, but we struggled to consistently go rounds because apparently, I don’t like to lift, and I broke out several times. It also took some time to get used to the changes we made to the car mid-season, and to see how the car was responding to the changes and how I should respond to the changes.
HOW DID YOU SHAKE THAT OFF?
I told myself that I wasn’t going to let it rattle me, and that I wasn’t going to give up, especially because my son, Connor, who is 16, and my daughter, Caitlyn, who is 11, were watching. I wanted to show them that you can do whatever you put your mind to. It means everything to me that they come to the races with Dennis and me. Regardless of how I run, my kids are always in the pits with high-fives and hugs.
DO YOUR SON, CONNOR, AND DAUGHTER, CAITLYN, WANT TO PILOT RACE CARS LIKE YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND, DENNIS?
As a matter of fact, my son, Connor, turned 16 last May, and he really wants to race, so he and his grandma, Elizabeth Hisey, my mom, found a 2011 Mustang GT for him, and he will race in Super Stang with me next year. He has already raced the car locally, and it runs 12.30s. It will definitely be an experience being next to him in the lanes, and I’m excited about it. We plan to race all six races on the 2023 NMRA tour, and Dennis will likely race his 1979 Mustang Pace Car in True Street.
DO YOU PLAN TO PERFORM ANY WORK ON YOUR MUSTANG OVER THE WINTER?
We’re going to try to take some weight off of my car and try different rear gearing, but I don’t want to do too much because we were very close to having it dialed in after the mid-season changes in 2022. It was averaging 11.30s, and I will admit that I would like to run 11.00.
YOU ARE CERTAINLY OFF TO A GREAT START. WHO HELPED MAKE THIS HAPPEN?
That would be my husband, Dennis, who has been my biggest fan, supporter, and crew chief. I wouldn’t be where I am without him. I also would like to thank my children, Connor and Caitlyn, for standing by me, encouraging me, and giving me hugs when I need hugs, and my mom, Elizabeth Hisey, who comes to all of the races with us. Connor videos my passes to study later and takes care of my tire pressure adjustments, and Caitlyn started learning to record all of my runs in the logbook. I also appreciate help from Cameron at Hughes Performance, Tony at HP Tuners, Kelly at Kellrac, Spike at Spike’s Performance, Derek Putnam, and National Parts Depot. I’m looking forward to 2023.
This Floridian is focused on fun and family while racing in HP Tuners Super Stang
Interview by Mary Lendzion
Photography by the FSC Staff
Twenty-five years ago, Jennifer Fahey accepted an offer to go on a blind date with the man who is now her husband, Dennis Fahey. They chose to meet up at Grand Prix Tampa, which offered go-karts, miniature golf, and arcade games. When Dennis pulled up in a red 1993 Mustang, Jennifer couldn’t help but notice the eye-catching car.
While she didn’t ride in it that night, she did a week later, when she and Dennis went on a second date. It was on July 4, and they watched a movie and fireworks, and Jennifer’s interest in Dennis, as well as in the Mustang, intensified.
She affirms that it is Dennis who encouraged her enthusiasm for cars, as she went on to watch him race his various Mustangs through the years before she purchased her first Mustang, a 2011 Mustang GT, in 2021 and started racing in NMRA HP Tuners Super Stang in 2022.
In addition to having a blast on the track, the Brooksville, Florida resident is having the time of her life on the way to the track, as she and Dennis, along with their children, Connor and Caitlyn, and her mother, Elizabeth, travel to the NMRA races together and enjoy a lot of experiences en route.
They play games in the car, they stop at attractions in various states, they take turns listening to the kind of music they each like, and they talk about the upcoming race. Most importantly, they make many memories during the mini-vacations.
Because of her family, Jennifer, who pulled off a Top 10 finish in HP Tuners Super Stang in 2022, is already looking forward to the 2023 race season. She has set some goals, as she wants to take part in all six races on the series’ annual tour, win a race and finish in the top five in points.
Read on for more about Jennifer, or Coyote Jenn as she is often called, who, along with her husband, Dennis, is a self-employed real estate investor.
WHEN DID YOU DECIDE YOU WANTED TO START RACING?
Well, soon after Dennis and I met, I was going to watch him street race in South Tampa and I was going to car shows with him, and at that point, I had an appreciation for all makes and models of cars, but over the past ten years, I have really developed an appreciation for Mustangs, and that intensified when Dennis started racing in NMRA True Street about 10 years ago. But when Dennis took me to a test and tune session at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida in 2021, and I made passes in my Durango, followed a little later by our Lightning, I wanted to race. Dennis was a good teacher. He told me about all of the steps to take, and how to watch the light and press the gas pedal down as hard as I could on the third amber. He helped me stay relaxed, but it was still a major rush to go down-track. It definitely made me want to race more and more, so we decided to put our Lightning up for sale so that we would have money to buy a car that I could race.
WHAT KIND OF CAR DID YOU WANT TO RACE?
I wanted a Mustang, and we found one online through the Facebook Marketplace. It was a 2011 Mustang GT being sold by an older gentleman about two hours north of us in Florida. The gentleman was a little hard to reach, but we kept trying because we really wanted the car. We finally reached him and went to look at it. I loved the Iconic Silver paint, and everything about it, actually. It had a Gen 1 Coyote engine and an automatic transmission, and it had 60,000 miles on it. There was nothing about the car that was of major concern, so we took it for a test drive, bought it, and drove it home that very day.
DID YOU KEEP IT STOCK, OR DID YOU BEGIN MAKING MODIFICATIONS RIGHT AWAY?
We left it stock and drove it on the street for a little while, and then we began making modifications to it.
HAD YOU ALREADY DECIDED WHICH CATEGORY YOU WANTED TO RACE IN?
At the time, I was planning to race in NMRA and NMCA True Street, but after talking with a few people, including Steve Baur, about which category I should race in, Steve recommended I race in Super Stang, and we decided that we wanted to try it. We looked at all of the rules to be sure our car would be a fit, and we looked at how to qualify, what we would need to run, and everything else. We know that driving a car with drive-by-wire could be a little tricky in a category that qualifies based on reaction time, but I wanted to try it.
WHEN DID YOU DIVE INTO THE HP TUNERS SUPER STANG CATEGORY?
I ran the category, for the very first time, with no test session prior, at the first race of the 2022 NMRA season at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida. I was super nervous, and a little intimidated by the other racers, but I did better than I thought I would and I made it past the first round of eliminations before losing in the second round of eliminations. We made friends with the other racers right away, including Chris Parisi and Chris Rusch. I really liked it.
DID YOU CONTINUE TO RUN THE CAR IN STOCK-FORM, OR DID YOU MAKE SOME CHANGES DURING THE 2022 SEASON?
We partnered with Hughes Performance for a custom converter, and we worked with Kelly Aiken with Kelltrac on custom-valve Viking coilovers. We converted the car to go from pump fuel to VP Racing X85, and we installed a JLT cold air intake and Innovators West harmonic balancer. We put Belak wheels and radial tires on the car, and we replaced the stock brakes with Baer brakes.
WHAT ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM YOUR FIRST YEAR, 2022, IN HP TUNERS SUPER STANG?
A big highlight of the year was recording a .004 reaction time and qualifying in the second spot, right behind Chris Parisi, at the race in North Carolina. We actually qualified pretty well for the first half of the season, but we struggled to consistently go rounds because apparently, I don’t like to lift, and I broke out several times. It also took some time to get used to the changes we made to the car mid-season, and to see how the car was responding to the changes and how I should respond to the changes.
HOW DID YOU SHAKE THAT OFF?
I told myself that I wasn’t going to let it rattle me, and that I wasn’t going to give up, especially because my son, Connor, who is 16, and my daughter, Caitlyn, who is 11, were watching. I wanted to show them that you can do whatever you put your mind to. It means everything to me that they come to the races with Dennis and me. Regardless of how I run, my kids are always in the pits with high-fives and hugs.
DO YOUR SON, CONNOR, AND DAUGHTER, CAITLYN, WANT TO PILOT RACE CARS LIKE YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND, DENNIS?
As a matter of fact, my son, Connor, turned 16 last May, and he really wants to race, so he and his grandma, Elizabeth Hisey, my mom, found a 2011 Mustang GT for him, and he will race in Super Stang with me next year. He has already raced the car locally, and it runs 12.30s. It will definitely be an experience being next to him in the lanes, and I’m excited about it. We plan to race all six races on the 2023 NMRA tour, and Dennis will likely race his 1979 Mustang Pace Car in True Street.
DO YOU PLAN TO PERFORM ANY WORK ON YOUR MUSTANG OVER THE WINTER?
We’re going to try to take some weight off of my car and try different rear gearing, but I don’t want to do too much because we were very close to having it dialed in after the mid-season changes in 2022. It was averaging 11.30s, and I will admit that I would like to run 11.00.
YOU ARE CERTAINLY OFF TO A GREAT START. WHO HELPED MAKE THIS HAPPEN?
That would be my husband, Dennis, who has been my biggest fan, supporter, and crew chief. I wouldn’t be where I am without him. I also would like to thank my children, Connor and Caitlyn, for standing by me, encouraging me, and giving me hugs when I need hugs, and my mom, Elizabeth Hisey, who comes to all of the races with us. Connor videos my passes to study later and takes care of my tire pressure adjustments, and Caitlyn started learning to record all of my runs in the logbook. I also appreciate help from Cameron at Hughes Performance, Tony at HP Tuners, Kelly at Kellrac, Spike at Spike’s Performance, Derek Putnam, and National Parts Depot. I’m looking forward to 2023.
