Award of Excellence Winners
Name	Year
Andrew Winterstine	2002 Lightning
Phillip Alexander	2000 Lightning
David Thoma	2003 Lightning
Dwayne St. Clair	1986 GT
Michael Williams	1973 V8
John Edwards	1970 V8
Timothy Don Lawrence	1968 GT
Charles and Renee Heath	1967 V6
Ed Malone	1967 GT
Buster Moore	1968 Sprint
Lisa Boehm	1968 GT/CS
Mike Throckmorton	1968 GT
Terry Coats	1968 V8
Cleve Barrow	1966 Shelby GT350
Tim Taylor	1966 Sprint 200
Timothy Davey	1965 Other
Lamar Doster	1993 LX
Jason Putnam	1990 GT
Miles Harris	1988 LX
John-David Knight	1988 GT
Brad Wilson	1991 LX
Ted Brown	1993 LX
Jason Froelich	1987 GT
Charlie Hunt	1991 GT
Penn Wilson	1993 LX
Jerry Haymore	1993 LX
Russell Whitworth	1993 Cobra
Brian Barnes	1992 GT
Eddie Olinger	1993 Cobra
Martin Brothers Paint	1993 Cobra
Thomas Dilworth	1994 GT
Eric Greene	1997 Saleen
Bradon Ennett	1995 Cobra
Shane Jarrett	1997 GT
Larry Simpson	1995 GT
Blake Terry	1997 GT
Jeff Mozingo	1995 GT
Devan Johnson	1994 GT
Wayne and Cissy Goode	2003 Cobra
Roger Bowers	2003 Cobra
Susan Rodriguez	2004 GT
John Butler	2001 Cobra
Tarren Row	2003 Cobra
Larry Stepp	2003 Cobra
Kirby Page	2001 Cobra
Craig Broussard	2003 Cobra
Michele Remillard	2001 GT
Brian Winterstine	2003 Cobra
Colby Hunt	2003 Saleen
Caleb Edwards	2001 Saleen
Kim & Rod Elish	2001 Cobra
Derek Revan	2003 Cobra
Matthew Goodell	2004 Cobra
Stuart Earp	2003 Saleen
Samuel Densmore	2004 Cobra
Dan Royle	2004 Cobra
Rudy McDaniel	2003 Cobra
Teri & Kevin Brabham	1999 Cobra
Brad Billings	2004 Cobra
Frank Seper	2002 GT
Dalin Parker	2001 Bullitt
Garrett Younts	2003 Cobra
Luther Sims	2003 GT
Brian Barnes	2001 GT
Ronald Graham	2005 GT
Earl Haliday Sr	2005 GT
Caleb Cripps	2005 GT
Harry Bandy	2005 GT
Tim Sumner	2006 GT
Sue and Dan Sloan	2008 GT
Susan Edwards	2008 GT
Bradon Stamey	2005 GT
Jodie Hall	2006 GT
Jeremy Strickland	2006 GT
Marc Cheek	2007 GT
Warren and Lynn Martin	2008 Shelby GT
Jim Pauly	2007 V6
William Gearhart	2005 GT
David Sensabaugh	2008 GT
Ken Mason	2005 GT
Mike Sistare	2007 Holman Moody
Steve Hunt	2005 Saleen
Morey and Linda Moeller	2005 Saleen
Betty Davey	2005 GT
Randy Rush	2007 GT
Dustin Northway	2005 GT
Kenneth Davis	2006 Saleen
Richard McCollum	2007 GT
Kent Gill	2006 GT
Frankie Defeo	2006 GT
Mike Hilliker	2007 GT
Terri Cole	2005 Saleen
Steve Frishmuth	2006 V6
Gene Marcoux	2005 GT
Sonny Elam	2005 GT
Jeff Rehborn	2007 Roush
Kenneth Troutman	2007 GT
Trisha Newberry	2005 GT
Richard Belyski	2007 Shelby GT
Lynn Parrish	2006 GT
Dwight Mitchell	2007 Saleen
Scott Knight	2007 Roush
Victor Stevens	2007 GT
Ronald Walters	2005 Saleen
Rodney Dupree	2007 GT
Matthew Russ	2007 Shelby GT
Don Miller	2005 V6
Renato Gragasin	2006 GT
Bill Mears	2004 Mach 1
Don Hughes	2004 Mach 1
Michael Bowen	2004 Mach 1
Gary Proffitt	2004 Mach 1

Every year, racers from ProMedia's NMRA and NMCA heads-up drag-racing sanctions converge on Route 66 Raceway in Joliet ("Chicagoland"), Illinois, for what has become somewhat recognized as one of the hottest events of either season: the Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing.inline_mediumwraptextrightDave Guy showed everyone that his '96 'Stang made a full and robust recovery from its confrontation with the wall during the Milan race. At the Super Bowl, Dave and his red rocket made running 7s on BFG 325/50-15 drag radials look easy, and put up a new e.t. record of 7.973 (at 182.72 mph) in the process.26809912/eventcoverage/m5lp_1001_2009_nitto_tire_nmra_nmca_super_bowl_of_street_legal_drag_racingm5lp_1001_04_+nmra_street_racing_super_bowl+1996_stang.jpgTrue

Summer is a hectic season for us at 5.0&SF. From car shows to NMRA events, the calendar is stacked long and deep with potential events to attract our cameras. It's also a busy time for personal vacations, where we actually step away from the Mustang scene for a moment to remember what our families look like. How we've never made the effort to get out to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for the annual Mustang Week event up until this point, I just don't know.inline_mediumwraptextrightMeet 'N' Greet
According to the Mustang Week staff, more than 400 Mustangs and SVTs filled Planet Hollywood's parking lot for the official meet 'n' greet. People were obviously excited about the event, and we met readers from as far away as Florida and New York, so the event's central location obviously helps. This crowd formed to see the unveiling of a project car built as a tribute to Mustang Week staffer Bill Jones, who passed away last year. The car began as a well-worn '95 Mustang GT convertible, owned by Joel Gilchrist, a pastor who is heavily involved in Mustang Week. Joel spent time with Bill's family while he was in the hospital, and spoke at Bill's funeral.25668629/eventcoverage/m5lp_1001_2009_mustang_weekm5lp_1001_02_+2009_mustang_week+planet_hollywood.jpgTrue

March 5-8, Bradenton, FL

• NMRA Spring Break Shootout at Bradenton Motorsport Park, presented by Nitto Tire.
• All-Ford drag racing, manufacturer's midway, and car show sponsored by Mustang Monthly.
• Info: 714/444-2426; www.nmradigital.com

2009 NMRA Keystone Automotive Ford Nationals Schedule

As you can imagine, having a Ford event in the shadows of the motor-city means there's lots of potential automotive competition in the area. From cruise nights and open-track events to street action and NASCAR races, the gasoline-fueled distractions are myriad. As such, the NMRA wisely decided to truncate its event. The main reason for the short event was NASCAR had rolled into town on the same weekend, so the NMRA thought it best to give motorsports fans an opportunity to enjoy the NMRA race on Friday and Saturday, and the NASCAR race on Sunday.

When the last Castrol Syntec Top Car Challenge participant pulled off Buttonwillow Raceway Park's road course we weren't quite sure how our Mustang challenger had performed. For sure it had lapped faster than the '60s-era Chevy Caprice that Lowrider magazine had just fielded--complete with air bag suspension, no less--but mentally tabulating where our entry finished was beyond our estimation.inline_mediumwraptextright31081845/eventcoverage/m5lp_0912_2009_castrol_syntec_top_car_challenge_web_exclusivem5lp_091200_car_10+Castrol_Syntec_Top_Car_Challenge+.jpgTrue

As you can imagine, having a Ford event in the shadows of the motor-city means there's lots of potential automotive competition in the area. From cruise nights and open-track events to street action and NASCAR races, the gasoline-fueled distractions are myriad. As such, the NMRA wisely decided to truncate its event. The main reason for the short event was NASCAR had rolled into town on the same weekend, so the NMRA thought it best to give motorsports fans an opportunity to enjoy the NMRA race on Friday and Saturday, and the NASCAR race on Sunday.inline_mediumwraptextrightIt's been a long time coming, but John Leslie Jr. finally did it-he got his first Factory Stock win at Milan. After stepping up with a Rich Groh Racing power plant, John steadily ran quicker and quicker. He's inched closer and closer to victory, and at Milan, his efforts came to fruition. John qualified Second with an 11.26, then it was on to eliminations, where Jay Dold rolled through the lights in Round 1 to make that an easy win. John then had a second-round bye. Matt Amrine redlit in Round 3, but John ran it out to get lane choice. In the final round against Jim St. Charles, John had the lead right out of the gate, and he extended it as the two racers went down track. Final tally: John ran an 11.29 at 118 mph to Jim's 11.33 at 119 mph.26564845/eventcoverage/m5lp_0912_ford_racing_annual_media_eventm5lp_0912_02_+ford_racing_invitational+factory_stock.jpgTrue

Mustangs continued their march on the 24th Annual Fabulous Fords Forever show April 19, muscling their way out of their traditional late-model parking lot and into "other" parking lot. Once exclusively the domain of Model T's, A's, Torinos, and such, the other of the two main parking lots had rows of newer Mustangs standing proud.inline_mediumwraptextright30554061/eventcoverage/m5lp_0911_2009_fabulous_fords_foreverm5lp_0911_01+2009_fabulous_fords_forever+2003_mustang_gt.jpgTrue

Horse Sense: Robin Burnett's first racecar was a Ford Fiesta with over 109,000 miles on it. We'll wait while you Google "Ford Fiesta," but Robin won a local SCCA Improved Touring Car class at Waterford Hills Road Racing course. Waterford Hills is a tight, technical race course located in Clarkston, Michigan. Now that you are reminded of the Fiesta, you also see that the car is making a comeback stateside after a successful run over in Europe.inline_mediumwraptextrightProviding some serious thunder and making many others look like they are standing still was Robin Burnett in his Steeda-sponsored No. 21 race car. Robin races the 21 car in the NASA American Iron series and was the '08 champion in that class. To keep finishing on the podium, Robin relies on a Ford Racing Performance Parts Boss 302 engine and pretty much every suspension component from the Steeda catalog, which means you too can bolt AI-level handling onto your S197.26397967/eventcoverage/m5lp_0911_2009_camp_steedam5lp_091100_camp_3_o+2009_camp_steeda+.jpgTrue

When the last Castrol Syntec Top Car Challenge participant pulled off Buttonwillow Raceway Park's road course we weren't quite sure how our Mustang challenger had performed. For sure it had lapped faster than the '60s-era Chevy Caprice that Lowrider magazine had just fielded--complete with air bag suspension, no less--but mentally tabulating where our entry finished was beyond our estimation.inline_mediumwraptextrightSon Ron and father Dan Cooper strike a pose in front of Ron's workaday Mustang and our Top Car Challenge entrant. Retired from his own trucking company, Dan lent a trackside hand, as well as moral support.31064175/eventcoverage/m5lp_0912_2009_castrol_syntec_top_car_challengem5lp_091200_car_02+Castrol_Syntec_Top_Car_Challenge+.jpgTrue

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.

Most of us aren't too excited about the idea of blowing out 45 candles on a birthday cake, but when it comes to celebrating 45 years of Mustangs, it's easy to get hyped up. Fortunately the Mustang Club of America provided the perfect venue to bust out that celebratory spirit-a 45th Anniversary show at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. This fittingly gorgeous facility provided a picturesque backdrop that brought Mustang fans from all over the globe together with their favorite cars and the company that produced them.

AETC® Advanced Ford Modular Performance Conference December 7-9, 2009 In Orlando, Florida

Does your Mustang put down over 750hp to the wheels? Maybe your Mustang makes that number by 5,000 rpm, but does it possess grocery-getter drivability? Can it run 9s on Nitto NT555R Extreme Drag radials? No one has done that, yet. Is the car capable of making a lunch run to the nearest, or not so nearest BBQ joint in air-conditioned comfort? Is your Mustang equally at home in the car show area as it is on the street or track? Is it capable of competing in 5.0 Mustang and Super Ford magazine's King of the Street competition? If you read these questions answering a resounding "yes" to every one, now's your chance to prove it.

Saturday, August 1st, 2009 saw Brothers Performance Warehouse open their newest facility near Daytona Beach. Located at I-4 and S.R. 44 the 8000 sq. ft. showroom has all their parts in stock. They can install and dyno test your car right there if you'd like.

Though the NMRA season closed on a high note last October, the country's turmoil was at full-throttle. Gas prices were high; the economy threw a rod; an election was imminent. After a tumultuous off-season, would the racers and fans be ready to race again in the spring? We had a feeling that cheaper gas and the need to forget all the bad news and the winter weather would make for a healthy event. That's just the way it turned out.

Horse Sense: We really have to thank the Illinois Corn Growers Association (www.ilcorn.org) and Center Ethanol (www.centerethanol.com) for providing us with enough E85 to run our cars down the track, especially since during our mid-October event window, refineries usually blend up an mixture with more gasoline and less E85 to help with cold starts. Likewise, we couldn't have run the event without Gateway International Raceway (www.gatewayraceway.com) offering us the hospitality of its racing surface for the day. Thanks to all involved for helping us pull off a great event.