Written by Mary Lendzion
Photos by NMRA
After learning about NMRA Circle D Specialties True Street, Gavin Black decided to try his luck in the category in 2021.
His goal was to win the 10.00 index, and he came close in his 1993 Mustang Cobra with a 2007 Shelby engine, 2.6L Kenne Bell supercharger and Turbo 400.
The following year, 2022, he dove into the new SunCoast Performance 8.60 Street Race category, and was competitive while running close to 8.60 with a new 2013-2014 Shelby engine on an aluminum block built by BES Racing Engines and paired with a 2.65L supercharger by VMP Performance and a new Turbo 400 by RPM Transmission.
He earned his first win in the category in 2023, and by the end of that year, he accepted an offer from someone who wanted to buy his 1993 Mustang Cobra, and climbed into a 2011 Grabber Blue Mustang his grandfather and fellow racer, Dwayne Hickman, had. They installed the previous and proven 2013-2014 Shelby engine in the 2011 Mustang along with a 3.8L Whipple supercharger.
Black debuted his 2011 Mustang at the first stop on the 2024 Holley NMRA Ford Nationals tour, the 30th Annual NMRA Spring Break Shootout & Saturday Thrill Festival in February at Gainesville Raceway in Florida. He qualified in the third spot out of 19 cars with an 8.63 and went to the winner’s circle with an 8.65.
“We had just started the car the week before the race at Gainesville Raceway, so we were completely untested when we got there,” said Black. “We spun on our first two passes, but we made some changes, got it figured out and we have run well ever since.”
On a roll, he qualified in the thirteenth spot out of 19 cars with an 8.76 and won again, this time with an 8.75, at the NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals presented by Sipple’s Speed & Performance & Top of the Rock Thrill Festival presented by Innovation Performance Technologies in April at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina.
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Hoping to hold onto that momentum, Black qualified in the twelfth spot out of 23 cars with an 8.67 and exited in the second round of eliminations after a red light start at the NMRA/NMCA Race for the Rings & Saturday Thrill Festival in May at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois.
“We were short a few team members at the race in Illinois, and I didn’t do as well as I should have behind the wheel,” said Black. “Usually, I try to do the same thing over and over, which helps our consistency.”
Focused on keeping the points lead in SunCoast Performance 8.60 Street Race, he qualified in the fourteenth spot out of 24 cars with an 8.66 and raced to a runner-up finish with an 8.64 at the Mickey Thompson NMRA Ford Homecoming presented by Anderson Composites & Saturday TransTec Thrill Festival in early June at Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio.
“We had everyone back on our team for the race in Ohio, which was great,” said Black, whose Mustang rolls on Mickey Thompson tires wrapped around Weld wheels. “There was a big field of cars, and the competition was really tight. I would say it was the tightest it has been all season. Racers are getting more and more dialed in, and everyone is capable of winning.”
Black is now ready to belt in for the next stop on the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals tour, the TorqStorm Superchargers NMRA/NMCA Power Festival presented by Nitto Tire & Saturday Thrill Festival, July 19-21, 2024 at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Michigan.
“We have been very fortunate, and we have not had to struggle a lot, but we need to keep doing the same thing to earn points, because there are so many things that can rearrange the points chase,” said Black. “I am thankful to have support from my girlfriend, Abigail Evans, my grandparents, Theresa and Dwayne Hickman, my chassis builder and Holley EFI tuner, Chad Epperson, and his wife, Carolee, of London Chassis Dyno in London, Kentucky, as well as Willie Taylor and Jason Yates, among others. I couldn’t do this without them.”
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Photos by NMRA
After learning about NMRA Circle D Specialties True Street, Gavin Black decided to try his luck in the category in 2021.
His goal was to win the 10.00 index, and he came close in his 1993 Mustang Cobra with a 2007 Shelby engine, 2.6L Kenne Bell supercharger and Turbo 400.
The following year, 2022, he dove into the new SunCoast Performance 8.60 Street Race category, and was competitive while running close to 8.60 with a new 2013-2014 Shelby engine on an aluminum block built by BES Racing Engines and paired with a 2.65L supercharger by VMP Performance and a new Turbo 400 by RPM Transmission.
He earned his first win in the category in 2023, and by the end of that year, he accepted an offer from someone who wanted to buy his 1993 Mustang Cobra, and climbed into a 2011 Grabber Blue Mustang his grandfather and fellow racer, Dwayne Hickman, had. They installed the previous and proven 2013-2014 Shelby engine in the 2011 Mustang along with a 3.8L Whipple supercharger.
Black debuted his 2011 Mustang at the first stop on the 2024 Holley NMRA Ford Nationals tour, the 30th Annual NMRA Spring Break Shootout & Saturday Thrill Festival in February at Gainesville Raceway in Florida. He qualified in the third spot out of 19 cars with an 8.63 and went to the winner’s circle with an 8.65.
“We had just started the car the week before the race at Gainesville Raceway, so we were completely untested when we got there,” said Black. “We spun on our first two passes, but we made some changes, got it figured out and we have run well ever since.”
On a roll, he qualified in the thirteenth spot out of 19 cars with an 8.76 and won again, this time with an 8.75, at the NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals presented by Sipple’s Speed & Performance & Top of the Rock Thrill Festival presented by Innovation Performance Technologies in April at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina.
Hoping to hold onto that momentum, Black qualified in the twelfth spot out of 23 cars with an 8.67 and exited in the second round of eliminations after a red light start at the NMRA/NMCA Race for the Rings & Saturday Thrill Festival in May at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois.
“We were short a few team members at the race in Illinois, and I didn’t do as well as I should have behind the wheel,” said Black. “Usually, I try to do the same thing over and over, which helps our consistency.”
Focused on keeping the points lead in SunCoast Performance 8.60 Street Race, he qualified in the fourteenth spot out of 24 cars with an 8.66 and raced to a runner-up finish with an 8.64 at the Mickey Thompson NMRA Ford Homecoming presented by Anderson Composites & Saturday TransTec Thrill Festival in early June at Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio.
“We had everyone back on our team for the race in Ohio, which was great,” said Black, whose Mustang rolls on Mickey Thompson tires wrapped around Weld wheels. “There was a big field of cars, and the competition was really tight. I would say it was the tightest it has been all season. Racers are getting more and more dialed in, and everyone is capable of winning.”
Black is now ready to belt in for the next stop on the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals tour, the TorqStorm Superchargers NMRA/NMCA Power Festival presented by Nitto Tire & Saturday Thrill Festival, July 19-21, 2024 at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Michigan.
“We have been very fortunate, and we have not had to struggle a lot, but we need to keep doing the same thing to earn points, because there are so many things that can rearrange the points chase,” said Black. “I am thankful to have support from my girlfriend, Abigail Evans, my grandparents, Theresa and Dwayne Hickman, my chassis builder and Holley EFI tuner, Chad Epperson, and his wife, Carolee, of London Chassis Dyno in London, Kentucky, as well as Willie Taylor and Jason Yates, among others. I couldn’t do this without them.”