By Mary Lendzion Photos courtesy of Kelly Shotwell The moment that Kelly Shotwell stepped onto the NMRA JDM Engineering Limited Street stage in the fall of 2017, he stood out. He set the pace in qualifying with an 8.93 and secured the win that weekend at Beech Bend Raceway in Kentucky, in the 1995 Mustang he had purchased from his brother, Casey Shotwell, and prepped with a 347 cubic-inch e...

After nearly 50 years, McLeod Racing remains at the forefront of clutch and driveline technology in the automotive aftermarket. Although the company is now owned by Paul Lee, Red Roberts originally started it, and this outfit has quite an interesting story behind its name. Back in the late 50s and throughout the 60s, Roberts worked with renowned clutch innovator, Bill Hayes. In 71, Roberts d...

In 2019, it was Jeff Bloem who traveled down from his home in Canada and dominated the Spring Break Shootout by winning that heads-up class, as well as the overall win in QA1 True Street. He added another win at the season finals at Beech Bend Raceway during the NMRA World Finals and Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival by taking the King of the Street crown. Donato Sierchio was the first competitor...

The NMRA and NMCA quickly pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic by moving the All-American Nationals to US 131 Motorsports Park over the weekend of August 27-30, 2020. Arrington Performance stepped in as the title sponsor thanks to the event's relatively close proximity to its Michigan-based facility. Mike Copeland and Arrington Performance are valued partners of the NMCA and he's been aggressi...

Thanks to all of our racers and fans for a successful event last month and we are excited for our trip to the St. Louis area at the end of the month. The NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing event July 30-August 2 at World Wide Technology Raceway will be conducted under safety guidelines to ensure everyone's comfort. Common sense distancing will be in effect throughout the venue. W...

NMRA/NMCA SUPEBOWL OF STREET LEGAL DRAG RACING World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway St. Louis event Racer/Vendor Stacking and Parking information Wednesday July 29th 8AM Overnight Vendor and Racer stacking in the Red Highlighted area on map Thursday July 30th Vendor and Racer Stacking in designated area on map 7:30AM Racer/Vendor Gate opens. 7PM Racer/Vendo...

The Holley NMRA Ford Nationals is proud to announce it has signed a 5-year deal with Bradenton Motorsports Park to host the world-famous Nitto Tire Spring Break Shootout through the 2025 racing season.   The Spring Break Shootout is synonymous with the Ford Mustang movement as it's been a 27-year tradition to kickoff the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals championship in Bradenton, Florida. We...

The NMRA Technical Committee released rule clarifications/adjustments today for the Limited Street and Renegade classes. Adjustments include: A base weight adjustment for small-block nitrous combinations in NMRA Renegade. A cylinder head clarification on the Trick Flow 11R heads in NMRA Limited Street. A weight adder adjustment on the 302/351 combinations using a 76mm turbo in NMRA Limi...

It is quickly becoming tradition at event facilities that have a NASCAR oval, the QA1 True Street enthusiasts get to complete the 30-mile cruise on the high-banks of the IndyCar/NASCAR oval! It goes down July 30 through August 2nd at World Wide Technology Raceway (Madison, IL) during the biggest event of the year the Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing Presented by HPJ Perf...

Total Venue Concepts and World Wide Technology Raceway have reached an agreement where the drag strip, located five minutes from downtown St. Louis, will become the official test track for TVC-coordinated professional testing events. Total Venue Concepts, the leading producer of drag strip service equipment and track preparation, will coordinate all drag strip testing at World Wide Technology Race...

Just a few short months ago, Nitto Tire released the all-new NT555RII drag radial, which became the Official Tire of NMRA QA1 True Street for 2020. Showing its commitment to NMRA/NMCA enthusiasts, Nitto added a generous bonus program for True Street racers, as well as NMCA HEMI Shootout and Chevrolet Street Car Challenge competitors. The winners of the 9-second, 10-second, 11-second, 12-second, 13...

After an action-packed Saturday, the 12th Annual Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center All-Star Nationals roars into its final day at Atlanta Dragway this weekend. Today the heads-up and index classes run through eliminations deciding who takes those coveted trips to the Aerospace Components Winner's Circle. A special class will also crown a winner today as well when the top eight finishers in the Dodge // ...

Written by Ainsley Jacobs Although the 12th Annual Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, was originally scheduled to be run in April, the repercussions from the Covid-19 pandemic forced a date change to June 26-28, 2020. It was definitely worth the wait, though, as the event was run to completion over a near-perfect weekend and racers ...

Today the path to the Aerospace Components Winner's Circle gets clearer at the 12th Annual Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals. Racers finalize the qualifying order and kick off eliminations at Atlanta Dragway. Competitors in the Chevrolet Performance Street Car Challenge, Dodge // Mopar HEMI Shootout, True Street classes will decide the winners in each index category today. T...

Today's 12th Annual Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center All-Star Nationals program kicked off early, with racers hitting the track at 7:30 a.m. to allow for those who paid for Thursday's delayed test tune to complete their hits before Friday's regular program kicked off. Today will see two rounds of qualifying in the heads-up and index classes, while competitors in the Chevrolet Performance St...

The excitement is undeniable as NMRA and NMCA racers return to action at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, for the 12th Annual Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals. Such was the pent up excitement the huge line of racers yesterday inspired the early opening of the gates. Today things get underway with three rounds of time trial sessions as competitors dial in their combinat...

By Mary Lendzion Photos by NMRA and courtesy of Martin Connelley After so successfully running nitrous, Martin Connelley surprised some fans and fellow racers when he went with a ProCharger last year. He gathered information and got to know his new combination consisting of a BES Racing Engines-built 363 cubic-inch 8.2 deck Ford engine, Trick Flow High Port heads, belt-driven ProCharger D-1...

The NMRA Technical Committee released a rule clarification today in Limited Street. Precision Turbo and Engine has updated its part number system and the only changes to the rules reference those part numbers. The turbochargers are the identical technical specifications that have been legal in the category since Limited Street's inception. This update is to conform to Precision's new tracking syst...

By Mary Lendzion Photos courtesy of Kevin Sanders When Kevin Sanders purchased his 1987 Mustang about ten years ago, it was just a shell. It didn't have an engine or a transmission, among other things, and his wife, Kimberly, wasn't sure he would be able get the car to run, but about two years later, he did. After racing locally for a while, Sanders, of Louisville, Kentucky, discovered N...

Coyote-swapping Fox-Body Mustangs is all the rage, and at the forefront of that trend was longtime NMRA racer Michael Washington, who shelved his pushrod powerplant and dropped in a 5.0-liter Coyote engine into his Mustang to go Coyote Stock racing way back in 2013. While Washington enjoyed the sealed crate engine class, he wanted to see what the Coyote engine platform could do beyond the stock co...

We are excited to get back to racing with the Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals at Atlanta Dragway after a prolonged break. There are several announcements we would like to make you aware of several changes, like the WEDNESDAY opening of the gates which requires ADVANCE TICKET purchase for entry as there won't be a cash line on Wednesday. We encourage all racers to use the F...

Ford Performance is anticipating the next generation G-Force Racing Transmissions Coyote Stock engine package to be available on June 19, 2020 and it is based on the Gen 3 Coyote platform. The major highlights of the new Coyote Stock engine are a much higher output coupled with Direct Injection. NMRA began working with Ford Performance during the summer of 2019 with the goal of smoothing the trans...

Interview by Mary Lendzion Photos by Fastest Street Car Staff In the past two decades, Vinny Palazzolo has driven many Mustangs, and each one has had more power and more potential than the previous. He's determined to do whatever it takes to be competitive in various categories, and ran as quick and fast as 4.31 and 171 mph in the eighth-mile on his way to the NMRA VP Racing Madditives Stre...

The Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals is just a few weeks away and the deadline for VP Racing Fuels pre-orders for delivery to Atlanta Dragway is June 15th, 2020. In order to get your fuel delivered, you'll need to fill out the order form. Be sure to follow the instructions on the form and make sure you submit it on time! Click HERE for the form.

The NMRA Technical Committee released a rule adjustment today in Limited Street. Adjustments include a weight deduct clarification for some nitrous combinations. These changes go into effect immediately, unless otherwise noted in this document. The 2020 NMRA Class Rules and all Rule Revisions/Clarifications can be found here: https://www.nmradigital.com/2020-event-info/class-rules-payouts/

The NMRA/NMCA All-American Nationals will be contested at US 131 Motorsports Park (Martin, MI) over the weekend of August 27-30, 2020. The change in venue is due to Summit Motorsports Park's decision to remain closed for 2020 as they regroup and plan for a return to action in 2021. It has been a crazy year but one that is rewarding as we made new friends with Jason Peterson and his staff at US...

The NMRA Technical Committee released a rule adjustment today in Limited Street. Adjustments include a base weight change for the 5.4/5.8L Supercharger (Roots/Screw) combinations. These amendments go into effect immediately, unless otherwise noted in this document. The 2020 NMRA Class Rules and all Rule Revisions/Clarifications can be found here: www.nmradigital.com.

By Mary Lendzion A standout at Ultra Street events across the country, Mike Freeman decided to add NMCA Edelbrock Xtreme Street and NMRA Edelbrock Renegade to his adventures in 2019. With plenty of persistence from the beginning of the year through the end of the year, he pulled off a fourth-place finish in Ultra Street points, fourth-place finish in NMCA Edelbrock Xtreme Street and second-p...

With speed, style and a name that embodies both, Ford today announces the Mustang Mach 1 is roaring back to life this year, with its debut coming this spring. The iconic fastback coupe that debuted during the first golden era of muscle cars in the late-1960s now returns for global Mustang enthusiasts looking for the epitome of naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 performance in a new golden age of ...

Written by Ainsley Jacobs Photography by Kevin DiOssi Parents always want the best for their children, and often sacrifice so that their progeny can develop into prodigies. Paul Spurgeon is no different, and, when his son, Daniel Spurgeon, decided to get into drag racing, Paul went all in and the two built a car in collaboration. To read the full story, CLICK HERE.

The NMRA Competition committee has adjusted the 2020 NMRA point's system to reflect the new schedule due to the disruptive COVID-19 pandemic. Points will be accumulated by counting the best four out of five national events for VP Racing Madditives Street Outlaw, Edelbrock Renegade, JDM Engineering Limited Street, G-Force Racing Transmissions Coyote Stock, Richmond Gear Factory Stock, Exedy Racing ...

The second annual EATON TVS Supercharger Throwdown returns in 2020 with a brand-new format, giving competitors 5 ways to win and new location at World Wide Technology Raceway during the Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing presented by HPJ Performance over the weekend of July 30-August 2, 2020. The rules are simple, if your vehicle relies on a late-model engine (GM LS/LT,...

By Mary Lendzion Photos courtesy of Mark Anderson While Mark Anderson didn't race last year, he's ready to row through gears in his Mustang this year in NMRA Richmond Gear Factory Stock. And, the Illinois-based driver, who works for Laris Motorsports Insurance, the official insurance provider for the NMRA and NMCA, recently made some changes to his combination to be even more competitive. ...

By Mary Lendzion While searching for a car to race back in 2001, Shane Williams was spellbound by a 1999 Mustang with a 4.6 Two-Valve engine and a stock automatic transmission that was for sale near his home in Knoxville, Tennessee. After giving it the once-over, he made an offer, and then made it his. By the following weekend, he had introduced it to the very competitive NMRA Exedy Racing C...

Dr. Jamie Meyer has taken the role of President of the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show and media company, effective this week. Meyer, who has a long and storied history in motorsports and racing, will lead the PRI team in increasing engagement and support for the industry through enhanced programs and services for the motorsports community. In addition to providing the industry wi...

By Mary Lendzion Photos by NMRA and courtesy of Bryan Gardner Determined to dive into NMRA Richmond Gear Factory Stock competition several years ago, Bryan Gardner purchased a 1979 Mustang with a four-popper. With help from Bart Welte, who was competing in the category at the time, he replaced that engine with a small-block Ford, backed it with a T-5 by G-Force Transmissions and traveled to...

Due to the COVID-19 crisis and based on the Illinois regional plan, it is unlikely the Chicago-area will reopen for a spectator event in a reasonable amount of time. The Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing Presented by HPJ Performance has been moved to World Wide Technology Raceway outside of St. Louis (Madison, IL) the weekend of July 30 - August 2, 2020. We're very co...

ProMedia Events & Publishing is POSTPONING the Scoggin Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA Power Festival presented by HPJ Performance at World Wide Technology Raceway May 28-31 due to COVID-19 pandemic and current regulations. We are postponing the event and we are working with Chris Blair and his staff on a variety of options to make this event happen. It is no surprise what is going on in the...

Many teenagers dream of opening a business with friends, but few ever actually succeed in doing so. The folks at Optic Armor, however, did exactly that and have become the leading manufacturer of polycarbonate, scratch-resistant windows. To read the whole story, CLICK HERE.

By Mary Lendzion Drew Lyons has accomplished a lot in the nearly fifteen years that he has been racing his Mustang. He has won many rounds and races, set records and earned two championships in NMRA G-Force Racing Transmissions Coyote Stock while riding out wheelies and rowing gears. He and his Mustang are a match, and that's why it came as a surprise to some fans when he accepted fellow ...

Race officials from the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals have adjusted the daily Index class schedules for the Scoggin Dicky Parts Center NMRA/NMCA Power Festival (Madison, IL), NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals (Commerca, GA), and the Nitrous Supply NMRA/NMCA All-American Nationals (Norwalk, OH) after several discussions with racers. Racer feedback is important and several racers approached me the other...

By Mary Lendzion Growing up just outside of Detroit, the Motor City, Steve Halprin was heavily influenced by cars, and when he met Don Walsh Sr. and Don Walsh Jr. as a teenager, he was heavily influenced by them. He started going to the track with them, and was immediately interested in everything involved with Walsh Sr.'s racing program. Before long, he and Walsh Jr. took a 1979 Mustang fro...

Few things are more disappointing than breaking a new toy. So, when Alton Clements took ownership of Manny Buginga's Little Red ride and wadded it up not long after, he got busy making it like new again so that he could get back to enjoying the car as quick as possible. A two-time NMRA Edelbrock Renegade champion, Clements switched to NMRA VP Racing Madditives Street Outlaw in 2018 while driv...

Written by Ainsley Jacobs Photography by Kevin DiOssi With an affection for Shelby Mustangs, Dwayne Hickman couldn't help adding a black-with-white-stripes 10 Shelby GT500 to his collection in early 2019. After campaigning his familiar white-with-black-stripes 11 Mustang GT500 in NMRA competition, he added its counterpart, and the serpent has already shown it packs a powerful bite. Now 53...

Sometimes, change is necessary in order to move forward. When Missouri-based racer Tony Hobson realized his old car just wasn't cutting it anymore, he decided to get rolling with something new Manny Buginga's famed Fox body. Hobson, who has campaigned his AEM-backed 14 Ford Mustang out of the JPC Racing camp in NMRA Edelbrock Renegade and NMRA VP Racing Fuels Street Outlaw for years, knew hi...

Growing up in Indiana not far from the racing capital of the world, there was no doubt that Clair Stewart II would follow in his father's motorsports footsteps with a racing career of his own. A dedicated drag racer who has been actively involved in the sport for over twenty years, Stewart recently capitalized on his experience by earning his first long-awaited and much-deserved championship title...

Photos Courtesy of Ford Performance With just the sound of sticky tires digging into the track surface a Mustang pounds the pavement with 1,400 horsepower and 1,100 lb-ft of torque. Without so much as a growling exhaust or the scent of race gas, it whirs down the track. It should cover the quarter mile in the low-8-second range at over 170 mph. A dedicated straight-line machine, this prototy...

Written by Ainsley Jacobs Photography by Kevin DiOssi Some wind up working a job out of necessity so that they can afford to do something they love. Others, like Ben Stoner, do something they love, which enables them to create a career that never gets old. Now a successful co-owner of the Fathouse Fabrications performance shop and leader of the Jam Factory motorsports complex development,...

By Mary Lendzion Photos courtesy of Mike Ciborowski For the past few years, Mike Ciborowski was purposeful while pursuing wins in NMRA Advanced Fuel Dynamics Limited Street, and he had plenty of them. He even earned championships in the category in 2018 and 2019 in his red 2014 Mustang rocking a Rich Groh Racing Coyote engine, VMP Performance supercharger and ProFormance Turbo 400. Then ...

By Mary Lendzion Photos by NMRA and courtesy of Kevin McMullin Nearly twenty years ago, Kevin McMullin was racing in NMRA Edelbrock Renegade and Fun Ford Weekend Street Renegade. He was putting down 9-second passes with a small-block Ford and a Novi 2000 supercharger under the hood of his Mustang before he pulled his car into his garage, put a cover on it and turned his focus to his family ...