2010 mustang goes 8.97@153..

Just a few tidbits:

Unless I missed it somewhere in the thread, a couple sources say that it's very likely that the 8 second 2010 Mustang runs are Super Stock legal cars, not Stock. Comparing it to the Drag Pack Challengers is is apples-to-oranges. There are no new Challengers that have been run in SS configuration, but some may be under construction. Ford did have a new Mustang at the Orlando, FL PRI show last December with SS/BA on the windows. A prototype, I suppose. But they are coming out with a variety of combos for several more Stock and SS classes. Being a "factory race car", the factory will do it's homework, especially with a turn-key combo. We are actually pretty lucky that the Challenger Drag Pack program wasn't cancelled, consideing the financial turmoil. It's just that a "kit" was the best they could invest in and the racers would have to do the rest.

Another issue is the horsepower NHRA assigned to the cars and their respective shipping weights. There is a lot of controversey about all of the numbers being soft, especially the Fords. What that means is that whatever class they factor into, they end up being faster than most, if not all, of the old combinations that have run for years. Heads-up races will favor the new cars. NHRA has a system to re-factor particularly fast combos, but that will take a lot of time. I'm sure the factories lobbied NHRA for favorable (low) assigned HP numbers to help get the factories involved again. That's a good thing. But a lot of old combo racers are upset. I can see both sides, but I won't get into it more here.

Technology is an amazing thing. So when talking about ET's now and years ago, one has to remember that Pro Stock cars ALL BRANDS got into the 8's in the mid-late '70's. The 500 cubic inch versions started in 1982 got into the 7's. They were cutting edge technology then. Technology has "accellerated" cars quite a bit since.