2016 Ford Fever Classic

Temperature Was Rising as the Blue Oval Brigade Invaded Maryland International Raceway

Evan J. Smith Freelancer

November 21, 2016

On a blustery weekend in October, hundreds of furious Fords converged on Maryland International Raceway for the Ford Fever Classic that featured tire-burning heads-up, Index and bracket drags, plus a car show, swap meet and manufacturers display that packed the facility with miles of Blue Oval goodness.

Ford fans were treated non-stop action with wheel-standing Mustangs and Fords in a variety of classes including Limited Drag Radial, X275, Ultra Street, the all-new Nitrous No Time Small-Block Shootout. The event also offered Open Comp-style racing in Super Stang and the dial-in crowd could select from Mod ET, Street ET or gear-banging Stick ET for those who like to jam gears. Truckers competed in the Lightning Shootout and classic drag fans loved the 422 Motorsports Nostalgia Super Stocker, which threw us back in time with massive FE power. As a special treat, fans got to watch some awesome Match race cars, plus Danny O’Day’s Wheelstander.

Josh Humphery of Mechanicsville, MD brought out his modded 2004 Mach 1. The Mustang featured a JLT CAI, BBK throttle body, custom cams, Kooks headers, 4.56 gears and a built transmission.

The Ford Fever Classic at Maryland International Raceway brought high-flying ponies out of the barn. This was Russell Vargo, who went low 10s with his 331 that’s backed by a G-Force Racing T5.

Racing kicked off Saturday with a howling, which forced the track officials to limit the majority of racing to the eighth-mile. This didn’t affect some of the heads-up classes, such as X275, Ultra Street and Limited Street, because they normally race to the 660-foot mark. Thankfully, the wind mellowed for Sunday, and racers legged their machines out on the full quarter-mile.

The Ford Fever Classic brought out colorful and very fast Fords and Mercs, and we hustled around MIR’s facility to capture the endless action. It’s always exciting to see the classics, the late-models and the unique rides as we traverse the country at various Ford events.

Rich Bruder (far lane) of Edison, New Jersey ran 4.397/160 mph in the eight-mile to win the X275 class. Here he faced Ryan Heacox during Round one action.

Best of Show went to Vicki Rahmer and her spectacular 1967 Pro Street GTA Fairlane. Rahmer has owned the Ford 33 years, and the ground-up restoration was finished in 2015.

And the Maryland crowd didn’t disappoint. We’ve never see so many Mavricks in one place, and there was a plethora of “Big” Fords competing in the show and on the strip. While MM&FF predominately covers 1979-present Mustangs and Fords, we haven’t forgot about the 385-series and FE Big-Blocks out there. The MIR staff worked hard to ensure the Ford Fever Classic provided us with an amazing array of cars and trucks and we can only wonder what we’ll see in 2017.

Show Results

Saturday
Best of Show: Vicki Rahmer 1967 Fairlane GTA
Best Paint: Sean Mulchey 2001 Mustang GT
Best Interior: Chris Thompson Model A Truck
Best Engineered: David Ross 1966 Shelby GT350
Best Ford Car: Bill Spencer 1965 Cobra
Best Mustang: Kenny Southerd Jr. 1968 Mustang

Sunday
Best of Show: Sean Mulchey 2001 Mustang GT
Best Paint: Vicki Rahmer 1967 Fairlane GTA
Best Interior: Roger Mahoney 1994 Ranger
Best Engineered: David Harris 2009 Shelby GT500
Best Ford Car: Butch Hunt 1963 Galaxie
Best Mustang: Emory Harrigan 1969 Mach 1