Mod Nationals : A Race Weekend that Demands Attention

Mod Nationals : A Race Weekend that Demands Attention

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Photos by Wayne Stewart

In 2016 Justin Young and Ozzy Moya set out to create a new Modular V8 based drag racing event to do one thing, take care of the racers. It’s been nearly 30 Years since Ford’s Modular Engine family made its inauspicious debut in the form of a 190HP Non-PI 2V 4.6L in a 1991 Lincoln Town Car. In that time it’s gone from being seen as poor follow-up to its pushrod predecessor to the preeminent bolt-on power production platform in modern Pony Cars. Still, modular powered cars are often underrepresented in other drag racing series. That’s what makes Modular Nationals different.

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Justin and friends are Modular performance enthusiasts to the core. Like many of us older Millennials (Were you born in the early 80’s?) we grew up in a world of multi-port EFI and over-head-cams. These things were viewed by us as benefits, not hindrances. And let’s face it, there’s no domestic V8 engine platform out there that is more synonymous boosted performance than the Ford Modular. Just think about it, how many 800+ RWHP Coyotes are do you know about running around out there? Just how fast are those cars? How fast is yours? There’s one way to know, get out on to the track.

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ModNats is the perfect opportunity to get some passes in with a group of like minded people. Since its inception in 2016, the event has grown by 20% each year. Clearly, Justin and his crew are doing something right. They are expecting to see around 3,000 spectators in attendance, with over 200 registered racers so far. Now is the time to get in on a Ford-centric event that is on the upswing.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS | Modular Nationals - Nov 15-17, 2019

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So what can you expect when you get to South Georgia Motorsports Park in Adel, GA? First, you’re going to see a track surface that is prepped to the extreme. According to Justin, his goal is to “provide the best racing surface imaginable.” With the cooler evenings we expect in mid-November in South Georgia and the hyper-prepped track surface, you’re sure to see some blisteringly fast times. For a couple hundred bucks you could be out there setting records too.

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But let’s say your street setup is quick, but not fast enough to take home a heads up class win against a dedicated race car. Fear not, ModNats has split four of their classes so more racers can be competitive. The King of the 4v, Driver Mod (a stick shift class), 6R80/10R80, and All-Blower classes have been split into two subclasses. Based on their qualifying passes racer will be placed into Pro and Street divisions. This will place the 7/8 second cars together in the Pro group and the 9/10 second cars will be free to beat each other up in Street. There’s over $52,000 in payouts up for grabs for 2019, so things should be very competitive. Below is a full class rundown:

  • AEM Performance Electronics Modular Outlaw
  • MFP Australia King of the 4v
  • Aerospace Components Inc. Outlaw All Motor
  • Lund Racing 6R80/10R80 Class
  • VMP Performance/Magnuson Superchargers All Blower Class
  • Shrader Performance Inc. Battle of the Underdogs (2v vs 3v)
  • Fathouse Fabrication Driver Mod (Manual Only)
  • Attitude Street Cars Heavy Street
  • The Lightning Shop Modular Truck
  • Lucas Oil True Street (SAT ONLY)
  • Li Tuning / BL Fabrication Grudge – (Invite Only)
  • COMP Cams Open Comp

Spectator’s tickets are reasonably priced, and in addition to some great racing there’s a lot of other action to take in. There’ll be a sizeable vendor midway, with some awesome deals on go fast parts, and SVTPerformance will be there. We’ll have some SVTP Swag there if you need a new look, and a cooler full of beer if you want to hang out and talk about Fast Fords. Be sure to stop by and check us out. And finally, make sure to keep an eye on all things SVTP to see our coverage of ModNats 2019. It’s sure to be a race to remember.

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Super bummed I won’t be racing this year. First outing had a best of 9.55 and I was driving to the track to test for Mod Nats when I had the input shaft bearing fail and lock up the trans. 3 weeks before the race the only option was to buy a new trans, rebuild not possible on the timeframe.
Was hoping to run 9.20s, but another year I’ll say ‘next year’.
The race is awesome and I’ll put it on the calendar every year.
I’ll still be there helping my friend Scott Hasty run his fast 6R ‘11 GT.
Who else is going?
-J
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Super bummed I won’t be racing this year. First outing had a best of 9.55 and I was driving to the track to test for Mod Nats when I had the input shaft bearing fail and lock up the trans. 3 weeks before the race the only option was to buy a new trans, rebuild not possible on the timeframe.
Was hoping to run 9.20s, but another year I’ll say ‘next year’.
The race is awesome and I’ll put it on the calendar every year.
I’ll still be there helping my friend Scott Hasty run his fast 6R ‘11 GT.
Who else is going?
-J
View attachment 1608361 View attachment 1608360

What type of trans do you need?


Sent from my iPhone using the svtperformance.com mobile app
 
What type of trans do you need?


Sent from my iPhone using the svtperformance.com mobile app
It’s a Tremec Magnum XL. Local shop D&D has a new one in stock, but for the cost to do that, I can rebuild this one with a pump and a few upgrades to prevent a repeat and put the savings into a blower upgrade.
Everything was going well and ready to rock for Mod Nats, but just bad luck/timing. :(
-J
 
Those are awesome pics!!!
Badass track and prep, great weather and DA, combined with some of the fastest and coolest modern Mustangs just looking to go fast.
It’s a race that reminds me of the early World Ford Challenge. All Ford and run by a guy who wants other guys passionate about going fast to do just that.
I plan to keep it on my calendar yearly.
-J
 
I’ll be there racing in true street! I had a great time last year and can’t wait for this year. I’ll keep an eye out for you guys I always wanted some SVTP gear.
 
I follow Andrew Lavendar on youtube and his 2v will be there for the underdog class. He was running 5.2's in the 1/8 and should be a low 8 second car. It's nice to see people still working these older platforms. His youtube vids go into great detail of builds and teardowns. I highly recommend this over the crap on tv these days. I will have to make a plan to go to ModNationals one of these years.
 

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