Atco Raceway's legendary "hook"...
Atco Raceway's legendary "hook" and subterranean air had Chris Van Gilder's '90 ragtop LX and many other NMRA Mustangs launching with their front wheels high all weekend.
Atco, New Jersey
The NMRA, its racers, and fans arrived at Atco Raceway in New Jersey for the ninth annual Nitto Tire Ford Nationals last May, determined to exorcise the oppressive-heat/rainy-weather demons that have cursed the event (traditionally held in August) in prior years.
The date change marked the return of the always-exciting, night-qualifying session on Friday, and also brought out the best in Atco's unforgiving traction and mineshaft atmosphere as Real Street, Hot Street, and EFI Renegade 'Stangs spent plenty of time on their rear bumpers, and e.t. and speed records plummeted in those classes on Sunday, just like the temperature, which never topped 65 chilly degrees.
The event kicks off what has become your tech editor's annual extended run through the East Coast (this year, behind the wheel of a '10 Ford Fusion Sport, detailed in my blog on our website). As you'll see in the following photos and captions, NMRA's decision to change the date of its Atco race proved to be a great move for racers and fans, who definitely won't miss all of the foul-weather events of the past.
 While Sunday's rain was a...  While Sunday's rain was a far cry from the washouts we've experienced at Atco in the past, we have to give props to track personnel for the great job they did at putting the bite back in the racing surface after the shower passed, setting the stage for bumper shots and high-speed blasts. |  Scott Anderson and Steve Thompson's...  Scott Anderson and Steve Thompson's super-clean '88 Mustang LX coupe was the lone nitrous competitor in the Drag Radial class at the ninth annual Nitto Tire Ford Nationals. While the brand-new Pony was being dialed-in and way off the pace at Atco, Scott and Steve are confident that the new setup will be quicker and faster than their former car, which ran 8.20s with the same 400ci engine and fogger combination. |  FYI While he didn't have...  FYI
While he didn't have the quickest or fastest 'Stang on the property, we still give Brent White major props for entering his brand-spankin'-new '10 Mustang GT in the JDM Engineering Super 'Stang category, reaching Round 4 before losing to Don Justus. Brent's drive from North Webster, Indiana, and Atco (and back) marked the first miles recorded on the Pony's odometer, as the journey started immediately after Brent took delivery of the car! |