The third annual Toyo Tire NMRA Ford Nationals on July 7-9 officially wrapped up the first half of the season for the series' racers. Held at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan, the event showcased great racing and great weather-notably, no snow, unlike last year's late-spring event.
While the Mustang racers were laying down some fast times on the quarter-mile, plenty of Mustangs vied for awards in the Laurel Mountain Mustang All-Ford Auto Show, sponsored by Mustang Monthly and our sister magazine, Mustang & Fords. Our thanks to Motor City Terminators for assisting with the show portion of the event, which included a number of the club's SVT Cobra street cars.
Mustang Show Winners
| Saturday |
| Best Classic Mustang |
| First: | Rob Palmer, ';65 GT,
Cedar Springs, MI |
| Second: | Peter VanderVeen, ’66 Mustang, Grand Rapids, MI |
| Best Modern Mustang |
| First: | Tim Scheerhorn, ’85 GT, Zeeland, MI |
| Second: | John Jennings, ’03 Cobra,
Grand Rapids, MI |
| Best Daily Driver |
| First: | Jason Bolen, ’93 Saleen Sport,
Hastings, MI |
| Second: | Steve Kelley, ’90 Mustang,
Cedar Springs, MI |
| Special Interest |
| First: | Susan Osmun, ’70 Shelby GT350,
Gobles, MI |
| Second: | Allen Woern, ’06 Roush, Lowell, MI |
Sunday
Best '65-'70 Mustang
Ed Frank, '68 Fastback, Waterford, MI
Best '71-'78 Mustang
Kim Bray, '71 Boss 351, Byron Center, MI
Best '79-'93 Mustang
Tie:Mike Tucker, '93 LX, Whitmore Lake, MI
Tim Scheerhorn, '85 GT, Zeeland, MI
Best '94-'98 Mustang
Steve Vander Hewe, '94 GT, Grand Rapids, MI
Best '99-'04 Mustang
Howard Barrett, '00 GT, Elkhart, IN
Best '05-'07 Mustang
Gordy Cole, '06 GT, Plainwell, MI
Best SVT Mustang
John Jennings, '03 Cobra, Grand Rapids, MI
Best Tuner Mustang
Kevin Price, '03 Roush, Dowagiac, MI
Best Shelby/Boss
Susan Osmun, '70 Shelby GT350, Gobles, MI
Best Daily Driver
George Zalucki, '93 LX, Brighton, MI
Editor's Choice: Mike Jones' '70 Boss 302
After perusing the Laurel Mountain Mustang All-Ford Auto Show at Martin, photographer Paul Rosner selected Mike's Jones '70 Boss 302 for Mustang Monthly's Editor's Choice award. It's a fitting honor, seeing how Mustang Monthly is recognized for its long-time coverage of original Mustang musclecars.
However, Mike's Boss from Wyoming, Michigan, is not entirely what it seems. Optioned with most of the famous Boss equipment, such as Magnum 500 wheels, rear spoiler, and slats, the Bright Yellow fastback is detailed to the max, right down to the smog equipment and "Paint OK"stampings, to provide a concours appearance. However, underneath the spotless exterior lies some sneaky mods, including larger sway bars, a Comp Cams hydraulic roller camshaft, exhaust port plates, PerTronix electronic ignition, and a Centerforce dual-friction clutch.
Judging by the examples you see at shows these days, you'd think that every '70 Boss 302 came with the Shaker hoodscoop, but that's not the case, as evidenced by Mike's Shaker-less Boss. Instead, it has the standard hood and air cleaner with chrome lid, which is the way many Boss 302s were equipped from the factory.