As for the evolution of the sport, the legalization of the 351ci Windsor Ford blocks had the biggest impact on the hobby. Now the 5.0 Mustangs competing in Pro 5.0 could use huge-cubic-inch motors with all sorts of power adders. The fact that Norman's car ran just such a combination didn't get past many. Also, this was the first race where tubbed, or back-halved cars, started to make their way into the 5.0 segment of racing. It raised some eyebrows from those who were fighting to keep their nine-second Mustangs going straight with only replacement lower control arms as a rear suspension.
Modern RacingWithout a doubt, the May 1998 Mobil 1 World Ford Challenge marks the beginning of the modern era for heads-up 5.0 Mustang drag racing. It changed the country's view of this sport, invigorating a Ford hobby that had started to stagnate with no clear leader or focal point. George Gonzalez's vision was the ultimate Ford event, with huge payouts, massive numbers of cars, 25,000 spectators, the world's biggest all-Ford car show, a Ford cruise from across the country to Bowling Green, and national coverage on ESPN. It whipped the Ford public into a frenzy months before the event even went down. WFC met all expectations with extravagance never before thrown toward a Ford drag race. It established the WFC as the one must-do event of a Ford fan's year. Winners of what most experts consider the greatest 5.0 Mustang drag race ever included Doug Mangrum, Alan Dudley, Jim Wohlford, Jay Allen, Dan Jaynes, and John Edwards.
Perhaps the most important thing the WFC did was to establish Ford drag racing as a serious motorsports event, not just a small pastime followed by a dedicated few. It opened the eyes of the aftermarket. Drag racing a 5.0 Mustang had become a national-caliber sporting event worthy of big crowds of fans, big cash purse payouts, and television exposure. To this day, the WFC is the biggest Ford event of the year, drawing as many as 45,000 fans.
In 1998, former 5.0 Mustang magazine staffers James Lawrence and Steve Wolcott formed the NMRA, which for the first time since the AMRA, offered Ford fans an alternative Ford-only sanctioning body to FFW. Utilizing the Race Pages magazine to promote its series and its racers, this organization has grown in leaps and bounds during its first four seasons of existence. Throngs of 5.0 and modular Mustang racers have dedicated themselves to running this series, with dreams of event wins and a national championship. With venues at Maple Grove, Atco, Bradenton, and Bowling Green, the NMRA has quickly become a mainstay.
Better than EverFirst introduced by your author in a '96 FFW publication, the idea of a class for just Ford modular-powered Mustangs seemed a natural way to follow in the footsteps of their 5.0 pushrod forefathers. The classes that have been developed by FFW and the NMRA have been huge successes, with dozens of new modular Mustangs coming out to compete in an Open Comp format. The continued development of high-performance modular Mustangs by Ford Motor Company had lent itself to this type of racing. In some heads-up categories, the modular Mustangs have even started to beat the 5.0 combinations. It all leads to a healthy future for Ford racing.
As with modular racing, the impact of the World Wide Web has to be considered a huge part of the continuing development of the 5.0 and modular Mustangs. With countless Web sites dedicated to your favorite ponycar, you can find out information on just about anything you could imagine, including performance parts, clubs, racers near you, speed shops, specific classes, and even live Ford event coverage. This resource has now become an integral part of the Ford world.