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There is no doubt the Fox-body Mustang has played a tremendous role in today's dragstrip wars, from the booming no-prep scene to even having its own dedicated drag-racing series in the NMRA sanctioning body. It has become the modern generation's Tri-Five or first-gen Camaro—however you want to look at it. The aftermarket is still churning out parts, and the restoration side of the market is equally as impressive. But if there was a car that helped define Mustang drag racing back in the 1990s, it was the 1987 Mustang GT convertible owned by "Racin' Jason" Betwarda.

The New York car owner was hell bent on crushing records and being the king of the Mustang drag-racing world. He was one of many determined racers of the time, which helped spawn a Mustang-spec drag-racing circuit that is still going strong today. The legendary Racin' Jason Mustang became the first 7-second car of its kind and held the title of quickest and fastest Mustang for quite a number of years. Sadly, Betwarda was killed during a racing accident in one of his other race cars. Shortly after his passing, the legendary convertible bounced around between a few owners before it was lost in the abyss of a storage unit. The Mustang turned up a decade later in an abandoned unit in Illinois when Betwarda's longtime friend, Joe Caldwell, saved it in 2014.



Frank Soldridge of PSI Solutions is credited with tuning the BigStuff3 EFI system as the car produced 1,850 rwhp, which works out to roughly 2,200 hp at the crankshaft.

Short-Block

A Dart block with a Windsor 9.5-inch deck height is the foundation for the 2,200 hp and it displaces 405 cid. Engine builder Ken Duttweiler arrived at that displacement thanks to a 4.147-inch bore and a 3.750-inch throw on the Crower billet steel crankshaft. A set of eight Crower steel connecting rods and Diamond custom pistons (9.8:1 compression) round out the rotating assembly. Keeping the bottom-end lubricated is the job of a Billet Fabrication oil pan and Aviaid dry-sump oiling system.

Cylinder Heads/Camshaft



Induction

A pair of Turbonetics Y2K 88mm turbochargers pumps up the stroker Windsor engine, and initial testing was at 29 psi of boost. The turbos are capable of going up to 36 psi, by the way. A Chiseled Performance 4000-series liquid-to-air intercooler is mounted on the passenger side and feeds into an Accufab 105mm throttle-body. The intake manifold is a sheetmetal one from Wilson Manifolds.

Fuel System/Fuel Management

The engine is fed high-octane racing fuel by an Aeromotive beltdriven fuel pump and fuel pressure regulator, which feeds a set of eight Bosch 165-lb/hr fuel injectors. On the digital side, Frank Soldridge of PSI Solutions is responsible for tuning the BigStuff3 engine-management system along with a MSD Digital 7 ignition system. RACE Wires also added a Bump Box to aid the driver in staging the car and a RacePak V300 data logger.

Drivetrain

