January 9-10, Silver Springs, FL

• 16th annual Ford and Mustang Roundup at Silver Springs, hosted by National Parts Depot and co-sponsored by Mustang Monthly and Modified Mustangs & Fords magazines.
• Free registration to first 1,000 pre-registered cars by January 1, which includes two passes to Silver Springs. People's Choice judging, Mustang Monthly, Modified Mustangs & Fords Editor's choice awards.
• Info: Stacy Gunn, 352/861-8701 (ext. 4208) or email to sgunn@npdlink.com.

February 7, Deland, FL

• Inaugural Cruise-In hosted by Central Florida Pony Sports at Hampton's Drive-In, 250 International Speedway Blvd.
• All vehicles welcome.
• Info: www.cflponysports.com

The 2009 KONI Challenge series came to a close earlier this month. We started our new No. 61 ROUSH/Valvoline Mustang team this year under the banner of Horsepower Ranch. With it came plenty of challenges, especially on the side of bizarre mechanical problems: a failed brake line, a loose wheel, failed suspension parts (three separate times), etc.

Let's get it over with right now - It was unseasonably HOT Thursday, Friday and Saturday with temperatures over 100o in the shade. Track temperature at the Saturday drag races was 134 degrees at 2:00 pm. Then a weather front moved through early Sunday morning and typical nice summer weather greeted us for the Car Show. The next week, Tulsa had temps in the mid 80s - Go figure.inline_mediumwraptextrightThe national vendors always show up at Mid America with their guns loaded and Classic Design Concepts was no exception--showcasing all of the new goodies for the '10 Mustangs such as their Classic Light Bar, Chin Spoiler, Shaker Hood and more!26740069/eventcoverage/mdmp_091020_35th_annual_mid_america_ford_performance_and_team_shelby_nationalsmdmp_091020_01_2009_mid_america_ford_performance_and_team_shelby_nationals+vendor.jpgTrue

YearOne and Chip Foose teamed up to throw another successful Braselton Bash and raised more than 100k for charity.inline_mediumwraptextright25499345/eventcoverage/mdmp_091015_2009_yearone_foose_bash_wrap_upmdmp_year_one_foose_bash_wrap_up_winners.jpgTrue

Coming to Milan, Michigan, for the third year now, the 6th Annual Aeromotive NMRA Ford Nat-ionals brought a compacted schedule and cooler weather to the event for the first time. The compacted schedule, while surely a money saver for the NMRA, allowed local enthusiasts, as well as the racers and spectators, to enjoy the NASCAR race at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday (the NMRA event was held Friday and Saturday only this year). This meant only two days of racing, late into the evening, and only a single car show day on Saturday. We thought the reduced schedule was a great idea, and apparently so did the racers. Saturday's car show was down a bit from past events due to the threat of rain (which drizzled on us for maybe 10 minutes), but nonetheless, the turnout of cars was impressive. From '60s era muscle to the latest and greatest from Ford, there was certainly a lot of interesting Ford iron in the car show area; ably run by the NMRA's Lisa Bodrey and the Milan event's host club, the Motor City Terminators (www.motorcityterminators.org/).inline_mediumwraptextrightAs noted in the intro, with Milan in Ford's backyard you never know what the guys in the red polo shirts are going to bring out. This year Ford Racing introduced its new Boss 351 block and the '10 FR500CJ program. Most notably was the availability of official "body in white" '10 Mustangs, along with several packaged kits to build your own race car (interior, wiring, and so on).30845010/eventcoverage/mdmp_0910_6th_annual_aeromotive_nmra_ford_nationals_eventmdmp_091000_nmra_02_o+2009_Aeromotive_NMRA_ford_nationals_event_milan_michigan+.jpgTrue

Variety is the spice of life they say, and nowhere will a Ford fan see more variety than at the annual Carlisle All-Ford Nationals, held at the Carlisle Fairgrounds in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the first weekend in June. With thousands of cars on the fairgrounds all weekend you're apt to see just about anything Ford has made over the last 105 years. For many it was their first real glimpse at the '10 Mustang GT500, the SVT F-150 Raptor, and other new Fords. For others it was a chance to see their favorite Fords that don't usually come out but a few times a year. Rarities like Cobra Jet drag cars, Mercury Montego GTs, Mustang IIs, Mavericks, Falcon sedan deliveries, trucks of all years and body styles, and much, much more. The Carlisle All-Ford Nationals is truly a homecoming for many a Ford fan.inline_mediumwraptextrightEvery year Ford gets more and more involved with the Carlisle All-Ford Nationals, including displays of new products, ride and drives, and more. At this year's show several daily seminars were held in front of the famous Carlisle grandstands detailing the latest from Ford to the crowd. Various Ford engineers and celebrities on hand gave the crowd the inside scoop. Here, Linsey Weenk, driver of the Built Ford Tough Blue Thunder monster truck (which was on display as well) describes some of the attributes of the '10 F-150 SVT Raptor pickup.25373792/eventcoverage/mdmp_0910_2009_annual_carlisle_all_ford_ford_nationalsmdmp_091000_all_01_o+2009_carlisle_all_ford_nationals+.jpgTrue

We've been on quite a roll lately in KONI Challenge competition. Two races ago Billly Johnson (my co-driver) and I finished third at Barber Motorsports Park. Then we finished second at Le Circuit de Trois Rivieres. As we headed into Miller Motorsports Park a couple of weeks ago, the hope was high that we could continue moving up the podium steps.

Tradition has it that on the third weekend of July, Pacific Northwest Mustang fans converge on Bellevue Washington, and the annual Mustangs Northwest Roundup. This year was no exception, as over July 16-19, the show in the suburbs of Seattle celebrated it's 29th iteration with its usual style.

The NMRA, for those of you that aren't aware, also owns the NMCA (National Muscle Car Association). The NMCA offers heads up and bracket-style racing, along with a car show, just like the NMRA, but it's open to all makes and models. For the fourth year now the NMRA Keystone Automotive Nationals and NMCA Edelbrock Hot Rod & Muscle Car Nationals have joined forces to offer the Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing, sponsored by Nitto Tires in Joliet, Illinois, at the infamous Route 66 Raceway. This combined event not only offers a refreshing view from the burnout box, but there are actually two separate car shows going on at the same event offering plenty of eye candy to look at. Let's not forget the huge burnout contest and staggering manufacturer's mid-way and swap meet areas, this is one of the few events on the NMRA schedule you really don't want to miss.inline_mediumwraptextrightIllinois has some serious Ford enthusiasts and it looked like all of them were at Route 66 Raceway for the Super Bowl event. From early F-series trucks and Mercury Comets to Fox Mustangs and S197s, there certainly was something in the car show field to suit anyone's tastes, that's for sure.26444656/eventcoverage/mdmp_0911_the_4th_annual_super_bowl_of_street_legal_racing_nationalsmdmp_0911_01_+street_legal_drag_racing_nationals+route_66_raceway_car_show.jpgTrue

The 9th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA Ford NationalsHeading into the second stop of the NMRA 2009 season, the weather didn't look like it was going to cooperate for anyone; racers, spectators, vendors, and show car owners alike. But come event weekend, the stars aligned and it was great weather for racing as well as the NMRA's All-Ford Show and Shine at the 9th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA Ford Nationals presented by Downs Ford Motorsport. And not only was the weather great, but so was the participation. Things are tough all over, that's for sure, but we've been seeing people enjoying themselves at events like the NMRA and others since the first of the year and all we can say is we're glad people are getting out and still enjoying themselves, even if it means tightening the belt elsewhere.

It's now deep into August and the 2009 season is coming down to the wire. My team, the No. 61 ROUSH/Valvoline Mustang just finished second in the KONI Challenge race at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. This was the 40th year of Grand-Prix here. For those of you who haven't ever been to Trois-Rivieres, it's a great city, about an hour-and-a-half northeast of Montreal. I'm especially impressed at how many people are into motorsports there. One cool thing to see was how many people driving around town here had modified Mustangs. There were quite a few Mustangs on the street, and it was hard to find one that didn't at least have some appearance customizations made to it.

Whether it's drag racing, auto cross, road racing, or drifting, performance driving junkies everywhere will readily admit that there's no such thing as too much track time. Any time we can suit up and strap in is a good a day, be it a few laps to check a suspension setup, or a full day's worth of racing. For first timers to seasoned track rats one of the best deals in track time is the annual Camp Steeda held at famed Sebring International Raceway in the spring each year. Held in conjunction with the SVT Owners Association (SVTOA) and Track Guys On Track Events' Southern Region, the event offers up two days of full course track use with SVTOA instructors in classroom, in-car, and track side instruction. Other event sponsors included Chicane23, and Blevins Enterprises.

Needless to say, we had this one circled on the calendar since the start of the season. Although I've never driven the track, a venue 20 miles from the house, allowing family and friends to come to a pre-race party and see the action up close will make for a great weekend indeed. Combine that, with the fact that it's our last planned Mustang Challenge race of the year, and we had plenty of motivation to run up front. Loyal followers will remember however, that last time out at Mid Ohio we finished a distant third to the two championship contenders, and we needed to step-up our game if we were going to have the pace to contend in Chicagoland.

A line of Mustangs stretched more than a half mile down the street and around the corner when the gates opened at 9am at the first-ever AmericanMuscle Car Show and Charity Event on Sunday July 19th. As staff from the nation's largest online seller of Mustang parts welcomed each car with a slew of freebies from T-shirts to raffle tickets, a parade of polished paint and chrome rolled down Lee Blvd. in Malvern, PA.

At the beginning of our trek, the car had a total of 51 miles on the clock (making the aforementioned mishap with the errant glob of rubber gave even greater umbrage). Ford kindly asked that we take it easy the first few hundred miles to allow for a proper break-in period. Abiding by its wishes was not difficult, as, even though the great state of Ohio has many smooth, flat roads on which to allow a spirited run, the law enforcement end is a bit stringent on not allowing performance-intended cars like Mustangs to stretch their proverbial legs. Therefore, we lumbered along. Neither FoMoCo nor Buckeye's finest needed to worry.

It's now early July and we are heading towards the Fourth and the holiday celebrations. Our last race for the No. 61 ROUSH/Valvoline Mustang was the KONI Sports Car Challenge race at Mid-Ohio, which took place a couple of weeks ago. With the exception of some mechanical failures that were an unfortunate by-product of the sport, we showed very well there. I wanted to take an opportunity to describe some of the preparations that we, as drivers, go through talking specifically about what we did at this race weekend.

For those who have been following along the down...and up...and down-again season for TeamBRE, you know that we fixed our HP issues in Alabama, thanks to Strang Motorsports and Southeast Fleet Services. With that out of the way, we got back on the podium at Barber in Round 3, but also had disappointment in Round 4, getting a questionable drive-through penalty that took us off the podium an out of the points championship. That event caused us to re-evaluate the rest of the season, and sit-out Rounds 5 and 6 of the series (no point in racking up the credit cards even further with no hope of a championship). However, there's only so much beer, pretzels and Speed TV that one guy can take before it's time to get back into the mix. What better place than Mosport, a short 3 hour drive from the where the car lives in Buffalo, NY.?

As I write this blog entry, it's now Sunday, May 31, 2009. It's been an intense month for the No. 61 ROUSH/Valvoline Mustang team. We've had three races in May; at Thunderbolt Raceway (New Jersey), Laguna Seca (California), and Lime Rock (Connecticut). Unlike our Roush Fenway Racing NASCAR teams, we only have one car, and to get it prepped for races on consecutive weekends makes the timing extremely tight. Normally, we have time to go to the shop between races, but in the days between Laguna Seca and Lime Rock, our hauler went straight from one racetrack to the next, and the maintenance on the car had to be done at the track. Luckily we had no real damage coming from Laguna Seca, but many teams were not so lucky.

The 8th Annual Nitto Tire Spring Break ShootoutIf there's one thing Florida is known for it's the abundant sunshine and average temperature in the 70s. Unfortunately, the NMRA Keystone Automotive Ford Nationals season opener, held in Bradenton, Florida, at Bradenton Motorsports Park every year in early March, often seems to get Florida's not so perfect weather patterns. From near rain outs where the NMRA staff has had to utilize pumps to drain the race pits, to heavy winds and cold temps dipping into the 50s, the last 5 years or so have not been kind to the Bradenton event. Surprisingly, it rarely hurts the racing side of the event; though these weather abnormalities do often hamper the car show part of the event, as well as the spectator count.

With the championships in Probe Pro and Performance 2 Way Street Outlaw already decided, all eyes were on the seesaw points battle that was going on in ProCharger Street Renegade. Coming into the event, the struggle for the class championship had boiled down to Travis Franklin and Angel Padilla. Franklin, the defending champ from last year, had struggled throughout much of the year with inconsistency while Houston winner Padilla was quietly accumulating points. Padilla had actually assumed the points before a crash forced him to miss a race while he was putting his car back together. In the meantime, Don Burton had assumed the role as spoiler, as a hot second half of the season made him the dominant driver in the class.