Click "Next" to take a trip down Mustang Memory Lane and make sure to drop your favorite racing Mustang in the comments.

Car: 1965 Ford Mustang A/FX
Racing Series: NHRA A/Experimental, Factory Stock
Years:1965 - 1966
Cool Stuff: Commissioned by Ford and built with express intent of drag racing. 11 were built, half with 427 cammers, and sold to drag racers for a princely sum of $1.
Drivers: Dick Brannan, Bill Lawton, Les Ritchey, Clester Andrews, Al Joniec, Paul Norris, Len Richter, Phil Bonner, Gas Ronda
Major Wins: Numerous local track wins.

Car: 1965 Ford Mustang GT350R
Racing Series: SCCA
Years:1965-1967
Drivers: Jerry Titus, Bob Johnson, Mark Donohue
Major Wins: SCCA B-class production in 1965, '66, and '67, manufacturers championship

Car: 1970 Mustang Boss 302
Racing Series: Trans Am
Years: 1970-1973
Drivers: Parnelli Jones, George Follmer
Major Wins: Manufacturers' championship

Car: 1984 Mustang GTO
Racing Series: IMSA GTO
Years: 1984-1986
Drivers: Wally Dallenbach Jr., John Jones, Scott Pruett, Lynn St. James, Doc Bundy
Major Wins: 1985 GTO Drivers' championship, Daytona 24 Hours, Manufacturers' championships in 1985 and '86

Photo credit: Mark Windecker

Car: Trans Am Mustang
Racing Series: Trans Am
Years: 1999
Drivers: Paul Gentilozzi
Major Wins: Trans Am Championship

Car: John Force Mustang
Racing Series: NHRA Top Fuel
Years: 2000-
Drivers: John Force, Ashley Force
Major Wins: Pretty much everything in NHRA

Car: Mustang drift racer
Racing Series: Formula Drift
Years: 2005-
Drivers: Vaugh Gittin Jr.
Major Wins: Manufacturer's title in 2005 & 2008

Car: NASCAR Ford Mustang Car of Tomorrow
Racing Series: NASCAR Nationwide
Years: 2009 -
Drivers: Colin Braun
Major Wins: none yet

Refered to as the "Pink Lady" in a non-Nixonian way, Mims was an employee of Yenko Chevrolet and started racing in the late 1950s. By 1963 she was the SCCA National Champion, 45 years before Danica Patrick was the first woman to win an Indy Race, and in 1968 she raced in the inaugaral Cannonball Run in a giant pink Cadillac limo.

She lived to be 82 and, as part of her funeral, more than 60 Corvettes are expected to be in the procession.

Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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Yeah, there's nothing like hearing a dude with his blood type embroidered on his racing suit telling the LeMons Supreme Court why he deserves a medal for spinning out and totally averting a deadly 50-car pile-up! Granted, the Spec Miata guys aren't as difficult as the Spec E30 guys, but it's still satisfying to see that they're hooning it up just as badly at SCCA events as they are with us. Thanks to TheEastBayKid for the tip!

According to Matthew, our photographer for this flare up, the driver was going about his business at the SCCA June Sprints as corner operators were trying to get his attention about the whole, you know, fire business.

Everything is going along swimmingly until...

That darn corner comes up. The melted tires just can hold on any more and the car oversteers, backing through the corner and on fire. Pretty dramatic.

At this point everybody's really just along for the ride here.

Reverse lock, on fire, in traffic. That's a pretty exciting day at the track.

Driver makes note to self: When corner operators are flailing their arms when you pass, there may be a problem.

Yeah, there's no saving it now.

Backwards, on fire, reverse lock, in a corner, in traffic, that's even better.

Somewhere around this point, our driver realizes he's, you know, on fire and sets off the in-car fire suppression system.

Thankfully, nobody is injured and the race was able to go on. (Thanks for the tip and pics Matthew)

SCCA, NASA, VARA, SCTA and ECTA- amateur racing can keep your blood pressure high, and your bank account low. There's nothing better than dicing it up through the turns, going tire to tire, as you watch your money scrub off into the weeds. It's an unforgiving hobby; if an inattentive driver runs into you on the highway, you call your insurance agent, but if a particularly aggressive driver knocks you into the tires on Oak Tree at NLRC, you call your lender, and ask how much is left in the HELOC. It's not a sport for the timid, nor those with shared bank accounts.

Today we have a 1971 2002 that has been set up for either SCCA or vintage events. There's not much detail to the car, but the seller claims to need to be rid of it due to arthritis- hopefully not the car's. He also manages to offer up some creative math in justifying his claim that the car is, for all intents and purposes free. He says that for your $15,500 you'll not just get the car, but also the trailer- worth $3,000- as well as $10,000 in spare parts. Well, that actually makes the car $2,500, but why split hairs?

That's still outside of LeMons pricing, but not so many Deutsches that you couldn't leave your mark on some SCCA action. And a 2002 makes for an excellent racer- it's competent enough to be competitive, and yet big enough to be a rolling chicane, if you aren't.

Now here's your chance to see if you do have what it takes out on the track, to determine if you've got the mastery of the inside pass, and the possession of some deep pockets. If, on the parade lap, what you're thinking about is the waste of $5.00 a gallon 100 octane, then maybe you're more of a spectator, rather than a participant. But if you look at this ad and don't even bat an eye, then slip on your balaclava!

There's no better place to test the mettle of both man and machine than in the heat of wheel to wheel racing action. Do you think that, for $15,500, this wheeling dealer is sitting on the pole, or is he DNF'd in the pits?

You decide!

Colorado Springs Craigslist or go here if the ad returns to AZ/CA venues. Thanks to Highmile for the tip.

Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip.

With UDMan's '63 Corvair raising the Index Of Effluency stakes for next year's New England 24 Hours Of LeMons, anyone who shows up with the same ol' snoozeworthy RX-7 or Camaro will be the object of well-deserved ridicule by his or her peers. You need to limp roar onto the track in a car manufactured by one of the Big Three PCH Superpowers, and we've managed to find one that already has a roll cage! In fact, this '68 Austin Healey Sprite is a proven racing champion, having taken the SCCA Grand National Solo II Class DP trophy in 1978! Since that time, well, there's been near-total a certain amount of deterioration, but who the heck cares about non-structural rust damage in a race car? Of course, there is certainly might be some structural damage as well, but you'll get to fixing that… right after you figure out how to get a new engine installed with the $1 in budget flexibility you'll have after spending $499 on this car. There must be something you can sell off this hulk racer; if nothing else, you can sell off the transmission and use the $75 to buy a basket-case donor car with some sort of functioning engine/trans combo. Thanks to Evil Genius for the tip!

Since the rollcage doesn't count against the $500 LeMons price ceiling, why pay for a car that already has one? Instead, go for a mid-engined Italian machine, and we don't mean some cheapo Fiat X1/9 here. You can kick it up a notch and send your opponents staggering back with a mixture of pity fear and confusion dread when you drag drive this 1976 Lancia Scorpion off the trailer before the race. It's got some accident damage, but so what? You're not racing to look pretty, you're racing to spend an entire weekend turning wrenches and cursing in Italian win! Does it run? Is the Pope Italian? Hey, that Fiat Twin Cam engine is just months minutes away from firing up, you'll see!

Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)
What: 2007 National Championship Runoffs
Where: Heartland Park, Topeka, KS
When: Qualifying Oct. 8-11; race Oct. 12-14
http://www.scca.org

Nearly 700 drivers compete every year for National Championship medals in 25 different classes at the Pinnacle of American Motorsports. Pole positions were finalized on Thursday after three days of qualifying, with new pole sitters in nearly half of the categories. Some of the drivers who scored their maiden pole position include Jason Von Kluge in a Ford Mustang in the A sedan class, Andrew Aquilante in a Chevrolet Corvette in the Touring 1 class, Wayland Joe in a Porsche GT-3 in the GT-2 class, and John Black in a Nissan 350Z in the GT-3 class.

World Rally Championship (WRC)
What: Rallye de France - Tour de Corse
Where: Ajaccio, Corsica
October 12-14, 2007
http://www.rallyedefrance.com

Nicknamed "the rally of 10,000 corners," this course through the mountains on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica has been widened this year for improved safety and speed. But the road is still plenty rocky and dirty, which makes for very little grip. Only four non-French drivers have won this race over a span of 20 years. Tough price to pay for hanging out on a beautiful island in the middle of azure blue waters. We're so jealous.

NASCAR Nextel Cup
What: Bank of America 500
Where: Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, NC
When: Oct. 13
http://www.nascar.com/series/cup

A rare Saturday night race awaits NASCAR fans at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. And thankfully, LMS has a specially designated "non-alcohol family section" so fans can bring the kids without worrying about being hit in the head by flying beer cans. Ryan Newman took pole position during qualifying on Thursday with a top speed of 189.394 miles per hour. Jimmie Johnson, who was previously leading the series but dropped to second after Jeff Gordon's win last week, will fill out the front row.

NASCAR Busch Series
What: Dollar General 300
Where: Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, NC
When: Oct. 12
http://www.nascar.com/series/bg

More than 20 NEXTEL Cup drivers will drive in this series, although some of us still can't quite grasp the rationale behind the same drivers participating in two series.

NHRA
What: NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion
Where: Auto Club Famoso Raceway, Bakersfield, CA
When: Oct. 12-14
http://museum.nhra.com/chrr.asp?Year=2007

This massive gathering of NHRA members and fans will feature exhibition runs and elimination rounds in eleven categories including Nostalgia Top Fuel, Nostalgia Funny Car, and NE1. Exhibition cars must be in a style that is at least 30 years old; newer cars such as Super Gas with old-style bodies ("T", Bantam, Willys, etc.) are, according to the NHRA, "not considered to be in the spirit of the reunion." We'll be at the event to bring you the latest updates.

Sometimes at track days bad things just happen. You expect every once in a while you'll lose your engine, pop a tire, spin out and take out some cones and even, god forbid, accidentally take out some parked cars. But not many people hit the first turn and immediately lose all four of their tires like what we're told happened this past weekend at Timmi Attebury's Race to the Gold in the Dixie Region of the SCCA. Thanks to Harvey_Mushman, we've got video of the incident, but that doesn't help us answer how this could have happened. Two of us tossed out a number of reasons for how this could have happened, and after a few minutes we realized we'd rather let you help us come up with the answer to that question: What the hell happened to this Mazda RX-7? – Ray Wert

[via Team JaMoto]

Related:
Porsche 911 GT3 Makes A Mess At Oregon Autocross; What's The Geekiest Car Thing You've Done Lately? [internal]

STEVE SALEEN RETIRES FROM SALEEN INC.

Saleen Continues Legacy as the "Go-To" Brand for OEM Performance Projects

IRVINE, CALIF., MAY 14, 2007 - Steve Saleen, founder and vice chairman of the board at Saleen Inc., today announced his official retirement from the company's executive team. After years of planning, Mr. Saleen will take a greater step back from the company's day-to-day operations to act as corporate spokesperson and ambassador for the brand.

"I have a vested interest in the company's future and intend to remain involved," said Steve Saleen. "I take great pride in knowing I have assembled a team of the most talented and innovative professionals in the industry. Each person at Saleen has helped me achieve my dream and will help to continue my legacy into the next generation of Saleen products and services."

As founder and a major shareholder in the company, Mr. Saleen will continue to influence product design and development activities, as well as its branding strategies and promotional efforts.

Related:
Saleen Slashing Jobs: Performance Vehicle Company Cutting 40 Jobs In Irvine, CA And Troy, MI? [Internal]

First AutoX [VW Vortex]

Related:
Save The Dikes! Ferrari 599 Burns In Holland; Mazda RX-7 Chases Cat Up Tree, Ends Up On Ass; Question Of The Day: Was The Eddie Griffin Enzo Crash A Publicity Stunt? [internal]

Car and Driver teases us in its December issue by connecting several dots that lead all the way to a new version of the SCCA's Trans-Am series (which, surprisingly, is still limping along under license). Imagine the new Mustang FR500GT racer (pictured) alongside similar purpose-built offerings based on the coming Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger. All you'd need would be names like Titus, Penske, Gurney and Donohue — and a Sunoco sponsorship — to rehash the glory days of muscle-car road racing. The point man for such a revival, C&D says, would be Dan Davis of Ford Racing Technology, who's said he wants to launch a spec series for the new 550-hp Mustang racers. That series could give way to a broader one that includes Ford's competitors. Who says you can't go home again? – Mike Spinelli

Related:
We're Not In Love With Saturday's Children; We're In Love With the Misfit Children: The Cars That Didn't Run in Saturday's Trans-Am Race at Laguna Seca [internal]