Did I just drive up the future selling price on one of the Shelby GT-H Mustangs? Maybe. I know the original Shelby race cars go for a higher price if they have a verifiable race winning history. When I rented the GT-H at Nashville, TN last Friday I had no idea what might happen if I managed to win the Ultra Stang class at the Fun Ford Weekend series event held last weekend at Bristol Dragway. Well....I won!!! The Shelby was a major-league head turner everywhere it went. And pictures...dammmmmm. If I had a dollar for every picture taken of that car last weekend I could buy three of them. This car was a dream to run down the track and around town. Handling was superb, styling is excellent, power is very nice, and it was deadly consistent. The elapsed times don't really represent what this car is capable of. You have to keep in mind that we were on that gawd awful mountain in the heat so the density altitude was around 15,000 feet. Also, you can't turn the Traction Control system off and the shift points in these rentals is pulled back to 5500 rpm. Despite all that.....she ran a 14.16 at 98 mph deep staged. In decent air and shallow staged it should be a solid 13.50/102-104 mph car. I really didn't care either. With only five cars in our class (guess the rain chances scared plenty of racers off) eliminations on Sunday went like this: First round: Figured an easy light would win: .081 r/t; 14.20 dial; 14.290 @ 88 mph (on brakes). Racing against a V6 car with an "iffy" driver and a 16.60 dial. He was sandbagging big time too. At the 1000' clock I got on the brakes since he was out there almost a car length of daylight. He went 16.28. Second round: Racing the number 2 man in the points, Jim D'Amore from JDM Engineering. Their Saleen is a monster! It was over early: .020 R/T to his .166 R/T. Got on the brakes at the first mph clock and went 14.219 at 90 mph on the brakes. Points lead just got bigger!!!! Final Round: Running the only driver I'm remotely worried about in the class...Tom Conrad. He was in a V6 car with a 16.32 dial. He also sandbags in a big way. This one was also over early: .016 R/T to his .068 R/T. Ran up on him at the 1000' clock and broke him out. I went 14.24 @ 94 mph on the brakes. So there is the first win for a Shelby Mustang in the "modern Shelby" era. Don't know about you guys but I'm looking for plenty more!!!!
That is REALLY cool I bet you had a grin from ear-to-ear when you returned the car to your local, friendly Hertz rental desk!! Great story (and pixs!)
I'm glad the rental desk was closed when I returned it! I was wondering how I was going to hide my oversized "winner's check" they gave me.
