HorsePower!

HorsePower!

- Michael Galimi

2,200HP, 405-CID SMALL-BLOCK FORD

Joe Caldwell’s goal is to go in the 6s at more than 200 mph and accomplish a goal that “Racin’ Jason” Betwarda planned on running, but tragically passed away before doing so. His longtime friend has brought together the car’s original builder, C&F Race Cars, and engine supplier Duttweiler Performance and brought in new players such as PSI Solutions/Frank Soldridge and RACE Wires to take aim at the mark. The car’s original pilot, Mike Ragusa, will once again be behind the wheel. But if there was a car that helped define Mustang drag racing back in the 1990's, 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 Caldwell saved it in 2014.