Return of the Mustang
Biscay Racin’ Team Line Up Woodburn Dragstrip 2026 Season
We wrapped up the final details on the Mustang just twenty-four hours before rolling out to Woodburn Dragstrip. The plan was solid: hit the gates Friday morning as they opened, use the Test ’n’ Tune session to dial in the timing, get the carburetor adjusted, tweak tire pressures, and establish a baseline.
Then the rain came. No Friday test sessions. Total washout.
Saturday morning arrived, and the race officials gave us the news: one single practice round, then straight into eliminations. For a car with a freshly built engine and transmission that had never turned a wheel down the track, that is a brutal hand to be dealt. There was no choice but to make that one practice run count.
My wife pulled into the burnout box and started to heat the tires. Immediately, the car backfired through the intake, shot flames out of the hood scoop, and died. We managed to get it refired, completed a quick burnout, and staged. The tree came down, she hit the throttle, and it died again. The starter gave her another shot. She staged up a second time, the green light dropped, the throttle opened, and the car died a second time.
We got it back to the pits, and I started digging. The timing was way retarded. I advanced the timing, adjusted the carb, and took it for a quick test drive down the warmup return lane. The second I touched the throttle, the new Mickey Thompson ET Street tires shredded the pavement. The power was there; we just needed to get it down the track.
With zero clean passes on the new setup and no real baseline, we had to guess for the first round of eliminations. I told her to throw a safe 12.99 on the window and be prepared to lift if necessary.
She paired up against a Mercedes dialed in at a 15.89. Being the quicker car, the strategy was simple: track him down, hold him at the stripe, and lift at the end. It didn't matter anyway—the other driver red-lit at the tree, giving her a free pass. She drove it out the back door to a 12.92, even with a heavy stumble right off the starting line.
In the second round, she paired up against our sister-in-law and red-lit, but the car still delivered another solid pass. By Sunday's race, the Mustang was laying down consistent 12.90s at 105 to 107 mph.
The Next Steps
Given that top-end trap speed, there is definitely more left on the table. A carburetor upgrade is high on the wishlist, but the budget says that will likely wait until next season—which is fine, as long as the car stays consistent.
I have a couple of small upgrades arriving that will go on before the next race. I’m keeping those details under wraps for now. After the upcoming race weekend, the focus shifts to the cooling system. I have a new aluminum radiator ready to go, but it requires some custom fabrication to mount properly, so I’m holding off until I have the time to do the fab work right.
The big takeaway? The car is back in the 12s, and my wife is happy.
With the small adjustments coming up, I want to see a 12.60 out of this setup. If everything goes according to plan, the goal is to have this car deep into the 11s next season. We wanted 12s this year, and even though we took a chaotic path to get there, we hit the mark.
I think the engine has the power to hit an 11.99 with minor tweaks, but the chassis is what's holding us back right now. The off-season blueprint is already set:
Subframe connectors
A complete revamp of the front coil springs
CalTracs bars and split-monoleaf springs in the rear
High-quality adjustable shocks
Once the suspension can plant the power, we’ll ditch the Edelbrock for a high-performance carburetor and drop in an MSD distributor. That combination should easily push the car into the 11-second zone. Plus the engine should be broke in/ loosened up. Or “broken”, in which case, a stroker may be in order…..can we say 10’s?
It's good to have goals/ dreams, sometimes delusions.
A True Family Affair
It wasn’t just the Mustang making a comeback this season, either.
My brother-in-law also brought out his 1965 Falcon Sedan Delivery — the first car he ever owned at 14 years old. The car came into the season dialed for the 10.50s, but last weekend it laid down four consistent 10.44 passes back-to-back, with a best of 10.40. Not bad for a car that’s been off the track for roughly five years. It’s great seeing that Falcon back where it belongs.
My nephew also rolled out the family’s legendary “’54 Glasstop” — a 1954 Ford Skyliner that’s been in the family since 1969. The car spent years making passes at Bremerton Raceway and Pacific Raceways, and now we’re hoping it starts making some noise down at Woodburn Dragstrip too.
Seeing multiple family cars return to the track this season has made this year feel pretty special already. Stay tuned for updates after the next race weekend.
Stay tuned.
