After months of anticipating the delivery of their new Ford Mustang FR500S race cars, 19 competitors in the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup received their keys during the official series launch this past weekend at Miller Motorsports Park.

Festivities got underway on Friday night with a reception in Salt Lake City, where Miller Motorsports Park owner Larry H. Miller and Ford Racing Performance Group manager Jamie Allison addressed the anxious teams and drivers. On Saturday the teams assembled at Miller Motorsports Park to meet with series officials and attend a number of seminars to help them prepare to compete in the series. The seminars dealt with car set-up, parts availability, the BFGoodrich g-Force R1 tires, the data-acquisition system and the various mechanical parts and systems on the cars. Competitors were also able to complete their registration duties and have photos taken for their identification cards.

The American Family Association, an organization devoted to protecting families from reason and understanding, started a boycott of Ford for being too friendly to homosexual groups. Ford originally caved to AFA pressure though claimed they continued to support gay social events financially. The AFA claims Ford has reduced such donations and has ceased almost all advertising in gay publications. Ford, to its credit, claimed this was because they’d cut back on buying ads everywhere in light of their ongoing financial troubles and wants to treat everyone fairly. We guess they were having too much fun flipping through gay periodicals to read our Knight Rider live blog, which chronicled the night-long Ford advertisement and included a Lesbian/Bi Surf FBI Agent and a, ahem, close relationship between KITT and Mike.

I’m pretty sad to write this, Boyd Coddington died at age 63 on Wednesday at 6:20am. He was a man of many ideas and a hot rod king. I caught a few clips of his show a few years ago, they were very enjoyable to watch. The hot rods he made were definitely amazing. He will be missed by many mustang enthusiasts across the world. Rest in peace Boyd Coddington!

Mustang enthusiasts nationwide will have something else to look forward to in 2008 as Team Shinoda recently unveiled their plans for a new Boss Mustang. With a variety of packages being offered, the Boss will be sure to have something for any mustang lover regardless of their budget.

The 2008 Boss Shinoda Legacy package has been geared towards those who worry about breaking the bank or those who would like to do their own modifications as their budget and time allow. It comes with the Shinoda Spoiler, Graphics pack (Vibe or Hockey Stick style), engine cover, floormats, and pedal covers. The Legacy package can be added to a V6 or GT (coupe or convertible) platforms - the convertible also coming equipped with a light bar.

The Level I Boss Shinoda adds a bit power to the elegance. Producing nearly 350 hp and upgrading the suspension, the Level I could easily be a daily driver, or something to break out over the weekend for those days where all you want to do is drive.

Ford racing gets involved for the Level II-S, Level II-FR and Level II-T packages. Powered by the Vortech Supercharger, the Level II-S and II-FR will bring a smile to anyone’s face as they see competition shrinking in their rear-view, while the Level II-T does the same while substituting the Supercharger with a Turbocharger. With the addition of the BCS Level II suspension (on the Level II-S and II-T) and the Ford Racing Handling Pack and BCS Control arms and Panhard bar on the Level II-FR, It’s still a very practical car around town.

Team Shinoda and Ford Racing pulled out all the stops when they designed the Level III. They wanted something to stand above the rest, and successfully created the most powerful production mustang available. The Level III Boss Shinoda has been upgraded further to the BCS Level Three Suspension to keep you in control of the asphalt-melting 750 hp it produces. The Level III was designed for those who have the desire - and means - to attain the right to say “What Z06?”.

It would be almost impossible for Team Shinoda to bring this line of specialty Mustangs back without the addition of the ever-popular Boss 429. It arrives on the scene with a naturally aspirated 429 hp 3-valve aluminum engine, and the BCS Level Three Suspension pack. This beloved masterpiece returns displaying no graphics or decals, and relies not on the flash of cosmetic extras to turn heads, but solely on it’s unadulterated power.

Shelby Automobiles and the Terlingua Racing Team announced a series of vehicles and products for the grassroots racing community that live up to the Terlingua Racing legend. Ranging from a high performance package for Ford Mustangs to special edition Shelby Cobra, the program was introduced during a press conference at the 2007 SEMA show.

We formed the Shelby Terlingua Racing Team to thumb our nose at the stubborn, old racing establishment, win races and more importantly have fun, noted Shelby Automobiles Founder Carroll Shelby. That rowdy lifestyle became as popular as the cars we raced. In fact, our ‘bunny’ (the Terlingua logo) appealed to more people than those at the Playboy mansion. Now we’re passing the Terlingua Racing Team torch to new generation with products and vehicle packages that bring back that anti-establishment attitude so they can carve out their own legends.

During the press conference at SEMA, legendary Terlingua Team member #2 Bill Neale and the Shelby Automobiles team unveiled three vehicles that had been brought up to Terlingua Racing Team specifications. A 2008 V6 Ford Mustang, a 1965 427 Shelby Cobra and a 1967 Ford Mustang all displayed in Terlingua state of tune.

The package for the V6 Mustang includes improvements to the braking and suspension systems which were developed with Shelby’s partners at Ford Racing. For power an optional supercharger will bump up the horsepower to 375. The coupe sports a deep draw hood, 20 anthracite Razor wheels and a host styling changes including the famous Terlingua rabbit. The package will be applied, with a Shelby serial number, by official factory mod shops including the one at Shelby’s Las Vegas facility. The retail base package price is estimated at about $7,995

We wanted to create a V6 Terlingua Racing Team Mustang to offer young people a big bang for their buck, added Bill Neale. With its great power-to-weight ratio and superior handling, the car is perfect for drifting, drag racing and lapping the road course. The entry level car will give more people an opportunity to enjoy the thrill of competition.

For old school Terlingua Racing Team fans, Shelby Automobiles and Neale also introduced a 1967 Terlingua continuation model Mustang that was revamped with modern technology. On the exterior, the car looks like the vintage 1967 Trans Am race car driven by Jerry Titus and Ken Miles; under the sheet metal, it is serious new age performance. From the authentic paint scheme to the 525 horsepower 408 c.i.d engine, the car is all business. Only a few of these cars, with a MSRP beginning at approximately $99,500, will be built annually under contract by Keith Craft Motorsports. Each will receive a Shelby serial number that will be registered in an official Shelby Automobiles registry.

Because every Shelby car and product we build has a bit of Cobra DNA in it, we’re working on a Terlingua Racing Team package for 427 and 289 Cobras, explained Shelby Automobiles President Amy Boylan. We’re developing a special package that will turn up the performance a notch as well. We’ll announce the final content and pricing on these models by Carroll’s birthday in January 2008.

The Terlingua Racing Team story is the stuff of legend. Its roots began when Ford Motor Company asked Carroll Shelby to turn its Mustang into a race winner. His team succeeded with a competition version of the Shelby GT350. About that time, Shelby and a few friends were enjoying the Rat Pack lifestyle in the Texas ghost town of Terlingua. Their parties and competitive attitude are legendary as they had everyone from Pancho Villa to Steve McQueen to join the group. To symbolize their philosophy, Neale designed Lucifer, the black and yellow a logo with a rabbit holding his paw in the air.

Ken Miles was the first to put the ‘prancing rabbit’ in the winner’s circle a victory at Green Valley Raceway in 1965. When the logo became a Gawdawful Yellow livery for the 1967 Shelby Trans Am car, the philosophy really caught fire. When Shelby ceased production in 1970, drivers put the heraldry on other vehicles.

In addition to the Terlingua Racing Team packages, we plan to offer parts, memorabilia, licensed goods and organize special events, noted Ms. Boylan. We’re going to thumb our nose again at the seriousness of racing and give young drag racers, drifters and road racers a way to have their fair share of the fun.

For a spell, it looked like the Rehagen Racing team would finish one-two in the Fresh From Florida 200, the season-opening event on the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series. Hugh Plumb in the No. 60 Mustang and Dean Martin in the No. 59 ROUSH®/Valvoline Mustang were running nose-to-tail in the top spots at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with a nearly ten second lead over the third place car.

Unfortunately, miscommunication and confusion during a late pit stop dropped both cars back in the field with precious few minutes remaining in the three-hour race to make up the ground. By the time the checkered flag flew on the three-hour event, Plumb (with co-driver Mike Canney) finished sixth while Martin was able to make a last lap pass and will be credited with Jack Roush, Jr. for a tenth place finish.

“One mistake got us today,” said a dejected Roush who started the No. 59 ROUSH/Valvoline Mustang in 11th position, his career-best. “It looked like we had a real chance for a win today. We’ll get it figured out though.”

Both cars led the race at various points; Plumb led a total of 20 laps, Martin was at the point for 10 laps, and Roush led the field around the 3.56-mile stadium road course for two laps. This event combined both the Grand Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) classes of the KONI Challenge on the racetrack simultaneously so making your way through traffic would prove crucial to a successful finish as there were 89 cars competing in the race.

“The racing was really intense out there,” Roush said after the event. “I expected it to be a real meat-grinder with all the cars on the track and am a little surprised that there were not more accidents. It was intense for sure, but not as bad as I had anticipated that it would be.”

As a side note, this event marked the first time that motorsports legend and NASCAR team owner Jack Roush had the opportunity to watch his son compete in person in the professional ranks of the KONI Challenge Series.

The No. 59 Ford Mustang, based out of the Rehagen Racing shop in Livonia, Mich., carries sponsorship from ROUSH Performance, Valvoline, Simply Wow and Battery Brain. In 2006, this was the highest-finishing Mustang in the series.

The Fresh From Florida 200 was taped for a Saturday, February 2 broadcast on SPEED Channel at 8 p.m. Eastern. The next event on the KONI Challenge schedule will take place at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn., on May 26-28.

Check out this orange Shelby GT Transformer, man it is really cool to see how it transforms into a robot. If found this off Street Fire, thanks goes out to them for hosting the cool vid. Reminds me, I have to watch the movie Transformers again. Absolutely loved that movie, chase scene between the Saleen and Camaro is awesome!

Over the past 40+ years, the designers at Ford have progressively refined the Mustang into more than just a ‘hotrod’. Though keeping in touch with its muscle-car heritage, almost every aspect of the car has been fine tuned to near sports car levels. That is, in my humble opinion, with the exception of the brakes. While 0 to 60 times have decreased and top speeds have climbed, it at least seems to me, that Ford has left one important issue up to us to take care of: stopping!

Brake upgrades are not usually at the top of anyone’s ‘to-do’ list when modifying their car. Somehow, going faster almost always takes precedence over stopping faster. Being the a-typical that I am, my decision was to shorten the stopping distance before shortening the acceleration distance, as well as, providing better control of the vehicle through any defensive maneuvers I might encounter during daily driving.

Over the past year, my 2004 Mach 1 has gone through a transformation, bringing it up to a totally new level of vehicular being. Not only has the original Mach 1 look been mingled with Roush styling, with the addition of a full Roush Stage 2 suspension, the car exhibits completely different handling manners. Naturally, when it came time to improve the stopping power, I was leaning toward the Roush offered upgrades, but price was a factor that I couldn’t ignore; until, that is, the fellows at Stage3Motorsports offered me the Roush/ Alcon kit at what seemed an absurdly low price (too absurd to share with anyone).

Before I knew it, I had the kit in hand and was faced with the task of installing it. Not being able to leave ‘well enough’ alone, the first thing I did was to change the looks of the calipers and rotors; a splash of red, I thought, would not only show off the huge Alcon calipers, but would also set-off the 18” chrome Roush wheels. I was right!

The following text takes you through the installation process. Though, the instructions supplied with the kit, were intended for the factory installers and not the aftermarket, with a basic mechanical understanding and simple tools, anyone can accomplish the upgrade.

First and foremost, wash the vehicle. I find that a gleaming vehicle can boost the motivation needed to complete any project. Not to mention, when your neighbor comes over and leans on the car to ask what you’re doing to it now, he won’t leave any unsightly smudges. When the car is squeaky clean and dry, move it to where the work will take place. If you have to pull the car up on boards, first to get the jack under the front, now is the time to do that. Then chock the rear tires. Safety is not for sissies, but for those that wish to see the mods finished.

Slightly loosen the lug-nuts now, unless you are satisfied with using a jack hammer for the task. Jack the front end up. I lift mine high enough to set each of a pair of jack stands under the rearward-most point where the front cross-member bolts to the chassis. Remove the lugs and pull the wheels/tires off. Loosen and remove the two 15mm bolts holding the calipers in place. I use short bungee cords to suspend the calipers out of the way. Coat hangers, wire, work just as well. Remove the rotors. Some force may be needed to break the rust free between the spindle and rotor.

Clean the face and the caliper mounting points of the spindle. Using a 7/16” flare wrench, loosen and remove the factory brake hose. Pry out the spring clip and save it; you will be re-using it. You will start losing brake fluid, so be ready to catch it. You can now take the stock caliper out of your way, completely. Install the supplied stainless brake hose, remembering that they are specific to left and right sides. Leaving the cap in the banjo end should stop further fluid loss. Do not attach to caliper at this time.

You are ready to install the caliper brackets. Since the Alcons are a non-floating caliper system the caliper must be carefully mounted so that it rests directly centered over the rotor. To do this, the kit is supplied with various shims. These are to be placed between the caliper bracket and the spindle to bring the caliper to its proper position. Trial and error may be needed to find the correct amount of spacing. Not all cars will require the same. I started out with two of the thicker shims and got lucky.

Mount the caliper bracket, with the shims, to the spindle. Torque the 19mm bolts to 85 ft-lb. While the caliper brackets are the same for both sides, the rotors and calipers are not. Rotors are marked on the outer edge closest to the back. Part number ends in ‘R’ or ‘L’. Get it? Calipers are also marked. If the caliper ends up mounted toward the back of the wheel with the bleeder screws facing up, you got it right.

Mount the rotor to the spindle and tighten into place with two lug-nuts. (factory nuts probably won’t be long enough) Next, comes the caliper. Using two allen-head bolts and spring-washers mount the caliper; cinch, but do not tighten. Check for clearance between rotor and caliper. Caliper should be centered over rotor with at least .010” clearance on either side of the rotor. Feeler gauges are a good idea, here. If not proper clearance, remove caliper, rotor and bracket and re-shim as needed. Once proper clearance is obtained, torque the 10mm allen-head caliper bolts to 75 ft-lb.

The brake hose can now be installed on the backside of caliper using banjo bolt and one crush washer on each side of fitting. The banjo should point up and slightly toward the strut. Ensure that the hose will not contact any suspension parts or the wheel/tire; especially at full lock-to-lock turns. Once routed properly, tighten 14mm banjo bolt to 20 ft-lb.

Bleeding Brakes:

This requires a properly sized box wrench, for the bleeder and a length of hose as well as a means to catch fluid. Good Fluid is a MUST. Roush recommends Performance Friction’s Z-Rated fluid #90016 for street and occasional track use ( or Ford HD#C6AZ-19542-AA) These two fluids are properly packaged in cans, not plastic bottles and have proven more effective than more expensive fluids. For racing, Roush recommends ans uses only Castrol SRF.

Always remember, good to excellent brakes or fluid do not function without adequate cooling. In fact the more serious your brake system, the more attention needs to be directed to proper ducting as they will generate more heat due to the increased capacity.

Slowly pour fluid into master cylinder as to not aerate the fluid.

BLEEDING BRAKES IS NOT DONE WITH PRESSURE, IT IS PURELY A FUNCTION OF MOVING FLUID THROUGH THE SYSTEM. THE OBJECT IS TO DISPLACE AIR, NOT TO SEE HOW FAR FLUID CAN BE SHOT FROM THE CALIPER!!!

Enlist someone to help you bleed the brakes. Make sure they also read the instructions so that they understand the goal.

For systems which are essentially dry front and rear, start by filling the master cylinder with fluid.

Next, at the caliper farthest from the master cylinder attach a clear plastic bleed line to the bleed and open it. VERL SLOWLY, stroke the brake pedal until fluid comes out, then close the bleeder.
Actual bleeding sequence:

A)Have your helper very slowly with modest pressure stroke the pedal ONE TIME until hydraulic resistance is encountered. Ask you helper to hold at this point with the same moderate pressure and notify you that he is “holding”.

B)Open the bleeder, letting the pedal go to the floor or until it stops, using the same moderate pressure. Close the bleeder and notify your helper that it is “closed”.

Repeat bleeding sequence (never stroke the pedal more than one time) until all signs of air are purged (no bubbles) from fluid.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT LET THE MASTER CYLINDER RUN DRY. Be sure to check fluid level after every third bleeding sequence or sooner if reservoir volume is small.

Move to the location that is next furthest from the master cylinder and repeat the procedures previously outlined. Continue until all calipers have been bleed. You are now 75% complete with the bleeding process.
Now take a small block of wood or a plastic hammer, and carefully tap the calipers to dislodge any trapped air bubbles.

Before reinstalling wheels and placing car on ground, carefully wipe clean all caliper surfaces, hose joints, and fittings making sure they are all dry and free from seeping. If not, inspect and tighten appropriately. Spray all rotor surfaces with brake cleaner to remove all dirt and oils from your hand that may have been transferred to the rotor during assembly.

For street use, as with any time you open the brake system, it may be advisable to repeat the bleeding procedure after driving the vehicle for a day as driving the car may dislodge additional air bubbles in the system. For competition cars, we recommend repeating this procedure directly after at least the first two sessions the car is on the track and at the beginning of each weekend thereafter.

Even if your pedal is high and firm and additional bleeding is deemed unnecessary, always inspect the calipers, hoses, and fittings after the first outing for signs of any fluis seeping and correct immediately.

Rotor Seasoning / Pad Bedding:

The first step in preparing the brake system for duty is to “season’ the rotors. The most visible effects are that of burning the machine oils from the surface of the iron and establishing a wear pattern between the pad and rotor. The most complex task it performs is that of relieving the internal stresses within the material. It you’ve ever poured water into a glass of ice, and noticed the ice cracking, then you’ve witnessed, first hand, the effects of internal stresses. The rotor casting and cooling processes leave the rotor with internal stresses.

By gradually heating the material, the crystalline matrix will reconfigure to relieve these internal stresses. After theses stresses are relieved, the rotor is ready to accept the heat of bedding pads. Heating the rotors before they are fully seasoned can result in material deformation and thus a vibration from the brakes.

Rotors need to be gradually elevated to ‘race’ temperatures before any severe use. A ‘nibble’ or slight vibration, may indicate that rotors were heated too quickly. Having the rotors turned at a machine shop, can cure this vibration. However, make sure you find a quality shop to perform this function, in many cases finding someone to machine rotors to actually be parallel and to deliver run out of .001” is very difficult, if not impossible.

After initial ‘seasoning’ when running your car at open track events or serious canyon carving, you should use the first lap of a session (or first couple of miles of open road), to warm the brakes as well as the engine, gearbox, etc. Where an engine turns chemical energy into motion, the brakes turn that motion into thermal energy….and lots of it! And where there is no cooling system for the brakes as there is in the engine, and there’s not, the brakes could use the courtesy of a warm-up lap.

Remember to ALWAYS WARM THE BRAKES before any heavy use! It is also considered mandatory to run air ducts to the eye (center) of the rotor on any car used on track or in actual competition.

Seasoning rotors:

Before you begin, please note: the following represents the minimum recommended ‘seasoning’ process. If your situation offers any opportunity to perform gentile preliminary ‘seasoning’ outlined in step 2 below for a long period of time. This will generally render even better performance and increase further long term rotor life.

Use the vehicle for 5 to 6 days of gentle driving. Use the brakes to the same extent that you used the stock brakes. DO NOT TEST PERFORMANCE OR ATTEMPT HEAVY USE UNTIL ALL ITEMS OUTLINED HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. It is imperative that excessive heat is not put into the rotors at this stage. They nee temperature-cycling to relieve the internal stresses.

After completing 5 to 6 days of gentle driving, find a safe location where the brakes can be run to temperature.

A.Your goal is to gradually increase brake temperatures with progressively faster stops. Start by performing (4) stops from 60 mph to 15 mph. as you would in the normal course of driving.
B.Next, perform (4) medium effort partial stops (about 50% of maximum stopping force) from 60 mph to 15 mph. Follow this with (5) minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE OR NO BRAKING to allow rotors to cool.
C.Then, perform(4)medium-hard effort pedal stops (about 75%) from 60 mph to 15 mph. Follow this with (10) minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE OR NO BRAKING to allow rotors to cool.
D.Park the car and allow brakes to cool overnight to ambient temperature. You are now 50% done with the rotor ‘seasoning/bedding’ procedure. Proceed to step 4 the following day.

Return to the safe location where the brakes can be run to temperature.

A.Make sure the brakes are warmed to full operating temperature and then perform (4) medium effort partial stops (about 50%) from 60 mph to 15 mph. Follow this with (5) minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE OR NO BRAKING, to cool rotors.

B.Then, perform (4) medium-hard effort pedal stops (about 75%) from 60 mph to 15 mph. Follow this with (10) minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE OR NO BRAKING to allow rotors to cool.

C. NOW, make (6) HARD pedal stops from 60+ mph to 15 mph or until rotors have reached an operation temperature of between 900 and 1100 degrees. Every effort should be made to perform this procedure without locking a wheel. Follow this with (10) minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE OR NO BRAKING to allow rotors time to cool.

Let the system cool overnight. The rotors are then ready for the next step in preparing your brake system: Bedding Pads.

Bedding Pads:

The friction material in semi-metallic pads is held together by an organic binder, usually a type of phenolic material. As the pads get hot, the binder boils, and burns, from the top surface of the pad. Once this burning or ‘bedding’ takes place, the friction material makes proper contact with the rotor.

Some race/performance pads are designated as pre-burnished from the manufacturer. In our experience, these pads still benefit from ‘bedding’. ‘Bedding’ pads establishes a wear pattern between the pads and rotor. Some pads deposit a layer of carbon in the surface of the rotor. They need that carbon to perform at peak efficiency.

Roush/Baer Claw systems which are equipped with PBR caliper, SS/DRAG, SPORT, GT, or GTP, come standard with metallic pads. However, PRO, PRO+, and EXTREM+ systems with Alcon calipers feature carbon metallic pads from Pagid, Performance Friction, or Tekstar.

Bedding metallic or carbon metallic pads (never ‘DRAG’ the brakes)

Never ‘bed’ pads on rotrs that have not first been ‘seasoned’. Always allow a substantial coast down zone when ‘bedding’ pads that will allow you to safely drive the car to a stop in the event of fade.

A.Perform (2) repeated light to medium stops from 65 mph to 10 mph. to bring rotors to temperature.
Perform (2) heavy stops, back to back, at a point just pending wheel lock or ABS actuation from 65 mph to 5 mph.

B.Drive for (5) to (10) minutes to create cooling airflow without using brakes if possible.
Perform (3) light stops in succession.

C.Perform (8) heavy stops back to back, at a point just pending wheel lock or ABS actuation from 65 mph to 5 mph.

D.Drive for (10) minutes to crate cooling airflow, without using brakes, if possible.

Metallic brake pads nee high temperatures to keep them ‘bedded’. If you drive the car for a period of time without using the brakes extensively, you may need to ‘bed’ the pads again. Simply repeat the procedure.

When switching from Performance Friction brand or other carbon-metallic pads ( not recommended) you will need to wear through the layer of carbon that the PFC pads have deposited in the rotor surface. The new pads won’t grip well at all until this layer of carbon is removed.

Racers should ‘bed’ a few sets of pads at time. In the event you need to change pads during a race, you MUST use a set of ‘bedded’ pads. Racing on ‘non-bedded’ pads leads to a type of fade caused by binding agents coming out of the pad too quickly. Thus is called ‘green fade’. These binders may create a liquid (actually a gas) layer between pad and rotor. Liquids have a very poor coefficient of friction. This is the reason for reverse slotting or crossdrilling of rotor, as it allows a pathway for the gasses to escape.

Testing:
Testing has shown a dramatic improvement in stopping distances over stock brakes. Stopping from 100 mph to 0 with the stockers is around 390 feet. With just the front Alcon upgrade that was shortened to 370 feet. The larger rotors and calipers will also eliminate most brake fade due to heavy use and high heat; almost perfect for those who occasionally run on the track. For highway use, keep in mind though, where you can stop in much shorter distances, now, the guy behind you can’t. So watch out for him.

These are the spy pictures of the 2010 Mustang interior. Not a whole lot to see here, but it kind of gives you an idea what it might look like.

Last summer, a major new regional Mustang event made its mark on the Eastern seaboard. Held at Daytona Beach in 2007, Super Stang Fest garnered over 400 cars at its first festival style event which featured a huge Mustang show and cavalcade of surrounding activities for participants. The major success and excitement of the 2007 event has fueled a groundswell for an even bigger and better Super Stang Fest in 2008.

To build on the success of last summer’s festival, Super Stang Fest 2008 has moved to a more centrally located and better suited venue at the Rockingham Raceway Park in North Carolina, known in NASCAR circles as “The Rock”. Located just south-east of Charlotte, the new venue has enabled Super Stang Fest 2008 to expand the festival, adding a number of key elements that will build enthusiasm and attract more participants. The event will be held Friday and Saturday, June 13-14. 2008.

“Super Stang Fest is more than just a Mustang show. We have something for everyone whether you want to show n’ shine your beautiful pony, spend some time on the track, buy some new performance parts or just pack up the family to come look at the beautiful pony cars, ” says Jason Miles, Super Stang Fest Event Chairman.

A Road Course Auto Challenge in partnership with Silverhorse Racing is one of the major new cornerstones of Super Stang Fest 2008, opening up the event to a larger group of tire shredding enthusiasts. Event participants can sign up for open track sessions as well as get special event rates for the on-site Fast Track Stock Car driving school. For straight line warriors, Super Stang Fest 2008 features a Kickoff Drag Night at the adjacent Rockingham Dragway as well as a smoky burnout contest sponsored by AmericanMuscle.com.

“Having the drag strip and circle track in walking distance of each other is a major win for participants. The Rockingham Dragway is one of the most popular quarter-mile drag strips on the east coast and the Rockingham Speedway has 40+ years of NASCAR history,” adds Miles. This means that participants wont have to spend half the weekend packing up and driving from one venue to the other to take advantage of all the activities.

Super Stang Fest 2008 promises to eclipse the success of the 2007 event in the number of participants as well as expanse of display areas for parts, accessories, and organizations. The event has partnered up with several clubs and sponsors already to feature a Manufacturer’s Midway and for the first time, a huge used parts swap meet.

Super Stang Fest 2008 has a growing list of sponsors that include Roush Performance, AmericanMuscle.com, Silverhorse Racing, BMC Performance, Maximum Motorsports and SteedShop.com. Clubs that are partnering with the event to date include the Black Mustang Club, Silver Mustang Club, SVT Cobra Club, Stangfreak.com, Sand Hills Mustang Club, and FnSweet.com Roush Enthusiasts.

As a benefit to stature of the Rockingham Raceway Park, hotels and nearby restaurants are plentiful for those planning to travel across long distances to attend Super Stang Fest 2008. In 2007, the festival had participants from as far away as Canada, and this event promises to continue attracting participants from the far reaches of the US.

Registration is now open for the event at the Super Stang Fest 2008 website. People are encouraged to sign up early as the event is limited to 700 cars and is likely to sell out prior to the event. The event is taking both online and mail in registrations. Enthusiasts are encouraged to print out the registration flyer and make copies for club meetings. The cost of the event is $30 per car, and only $30 additional for the Road Course Challenge - a huge bargain for road course access. (Total $60 for show & road course)