2007 Bassani Xhaust NMRA Ford Nationals

We spotted Mitchell McDaniel piloting this sharp-looking '69 SportsRoof in the ET brackets. Mitchell's Mustang easily yanked the tires with its Hardway Speed Shop-built 514 big-block underhood. The 514 features CNC-ported Super Cobra Jet heads topped by an Edelbrock intake and a Holley Dominator carb. Of course, the Compucar fogger nitrous kit doesn't hurt, either. To date, Mitchell has run a best of 8.90 at 153 mph.

Making its second stop of its '07 event series, the NMRA hit the ground running for the 7th Annual Bassani Xhaust NMRA Ford Nationals held at the Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds, Georgia, on March 30-April 1. With the weekend weather spotty, the NMRA crew hustled to keep the event flowing, the cars going down the track, and the spectators interested. But you can't change Mother Nature. On Sunday afternoon, as the racers were heading into their final rounds, the skies opened up and washed away the remnants of a great weekend. The racers have to finish their final rounds at an upcoming event.

While the impending weather surely kept some show participants at home, there was still a sizable number of vehicles in the Laurel Mountain All-Ford Show area, although many were late-model Fords. Our roving freelancer, Paul Rosner, had a tough time catching some vintage rides on film, but he helped us pick the Fairlane 500 that won our Editor's Choice award-it was our favorite from the moment we laid eyes on it.

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We first spotted this ride, built by Mustang Central in Byron, Georgia, at the Silver Springs show in Florida earlier this year. Mustang Central's Allan Shepley is behind the wheel, heading for his spot in the show field. Allan took home a Top 20 Ford award on Sunday, as well as an award for Best Shelby & Boss.	The family that races together stays together. At least that's what the Woodards believe. Tim (in the blue '79 Pinto) and his twin brother, Jim (yellow '71 Pinto), have been racing under the Woodard Auto Center banner (owned by their father) for years. The brothers enjoy the relatively cheap racing aspect of a small-block in a Pinto body, and the whole family is comprised of Ford fans.	Both brothers have become multiple ET bracket winners, and Tim was track champion in 2005 at his home track, Douglas Motorsport Park. His Pinto rolls with a Yates-headed 377 and a Holley 850 carb, while Jim's car sports a 302 with Edelbrock Performer RPM heads and intake, topped with a 750-cfm Holley.
The NMRA's Ed Svoboda, car-show director extraordinaire, always does his best to keep things running smoothly at the Laurel Mountain All-Ford Show during the NMRA event weekend. From setting up the show area, to parking cars, to handling announcements and us media types, Ed gets it done. Here, he's under the show tent making some announcements before the awards ceremony begins.	We've seen a few pink Mustangs in our time, but this '65 convertible, owned by Flag City Mustang Club member Mike Davis, certainly had the proper shade of pink to go with the hat of the young lady who was enjoying his car.	Michael Olencheck wowed the crowd with his '82 Fairmont Futura in the Open Comp class. Qualifying 14th in a 22-car field, Michael's Fairmont sports a DSS-built 427 Windsor based off of a Dart block with Trick Flow R heads good for low 10s at over 130 mph.