Buckeye Beauties—For three days, a bevy of Blue Oval machines dazzled at Summit Motorsports Park (2024)

Buckeye Beauties‑For three days, a bevy of Blue Oval machines dazzled at Summit Motorsports Park

Written by Steve Turner

Photography by the author and Evan J. Smith

A cool breeze passed over Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, as row after row of beautiful Blue Oval rides pulled into the UPR Products Car Show at theMickey Thompson NMRA Ford Homecoming Presented by Anderson Composites. Carrying the momentum started by last year’s epic event, the 2024 installment drew a broad range of Ford rides to the show, which ran for three days from Friday through Sunday.

In addition to the traditional show categories, the Homecoming show also featured a range of special reunion classes dedicated to Cobra Jets, Fox Mustangs, Saleens, Shelbys, and SVT vehicles, which celebrated significant anniversaries this year. There was also the bonus of the GeoCorp Mustang Anniversary Museum, which offered a robust selection of rare and immaculate Fords for showgoers to enjoy between rounds of racing on the drag strip.

With so many fabulous Fords on display, it was a challenge for the North Coast Mustang Club of Ohio, which served as the host club for the show, to decide which cars rose above the rest to earn awards each day. The club was up to the task, and your author also chipped in with a couple of selections. There were also a few unique awards for the Godzilla Invasion show cars, but we’ll cover those elsewhere in this issue. For now, let’s look back on some highlights from the 2024 UPR Products Car Show at America’s Racetrack.

Best of Show

One car stood out head and shoulders above the rest, as Paul Stegall Sr.’s 1965 Mustang racked up the Director’s Choice Best of Show award on Friday and the Director’s Choice Best of Show, Conservative award on Saturday. When all was said and done on Sunday, it also scored the overall Best of Show honors. The immaculate, blue and white classic looks great inside and out. Powered by a nicely detailed small-block underhood, it needed that horsepower to gallop away with all the hardware from the weekend.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jeff and Debbie Nimon’s 2014 Mustang is anything but conservative. His 2014 Mustang Hellhorse is modded to the hilt including plenty of custom airbrushing by AeroGrafix in Elyria, Ohio. This wild horse stampeded home with the Directors Choice Modified award at the Mickey Thompson NMRA Ford Homecoming Presented by Anderson Composites.

While there were special awards just for vehicles built by Ford’s long-defunct Special Vehicle Team, that didn’t prevent some of these rides from rising to take home overall honors as well. A case in point was Aaron & Teresa Gardner-1994 SVT Mustang Cobra, which earned the Best Engine in the UPR Products Car Show. The couple’s 5.0-liter powerplant benefits from a nice balance of red paint and shiny chrome, which no doubt helped seal the deal.

Proving the SVT machines meant business at the Mickey Thompson NMRA Ford Homecoming Presented by Anderson Composites, Mike Guerassimoff’s 1993 SVT Mustang Cobra didn’t just strike gold with the Best SVT honors. His ride also earned the overall Best Interior accolades at Summit Motorsports Park. With chrome wheels and a chrome cold-air intake, the Fox Cobra wasn’t too far from stock.

Likewise, classic Mustangs had a strong showing at America’s Racetrack, and among the standouts is owned by Dennis and Teresa Mitchell. Not a pure stocker but most certainly a stunning example,his1964 ½ Mustang, which nabbed the Best Early Mustang award, is an understated restomod that sports a Holley Sniper EFI conversion, and an AOD automatic transmission.

From the first generation to the seventh generation, all the eras of Mustang were represented on the UPR Products Car Show field as the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals series celebrated the 60^thanniversary of the Mustang. On the modern end of the spectrum, Mike Magri’s Whipple-boosted 2015 MustangEditor’s Choice Best Modern award at Summit Motorsports Park.

Among the special categories was on grouping dedicated to Cobra Jet-powered machines. It was Terry and Brandon Wilburn’s Le Mans Blue 1968 Mustang Fastback that muscled to the Best Cobra Jet honors at the Mickey Thompson NMRA Ford Homecoming Presented by Anderson Composites. Its 428 Cobra Jet is augmented by a Holley carburetor and Hooker long-tube headers. It channels power the 3.50-geared 9-inch rearend via a Toploader four-speed manual transmission.

There were some nice pickups on the property as well, but it was Mike Gosnell’s 1967 F-100that hauled away theBest Ford Truck hardware from Summit Motorsports Park. His truck is motivated by a .030-over 390 FE backed by a C8 automatic

In keeping with the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals’ season-long celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Ford Mustang, there was a Fox-Body Reunion class at the Mickey Thompson NMRA Ford Homecoming Presented by Anderson Composites. Taking top honors in that class with the Best Fox Mustang award was Joe Kidder’s lightly modified 1990 Mustang.

Plenty of classics took home awards from the Mickey Thompson NMRA Ford Homecoming Presented by Anderson Composites, but Ralph Ferry's 2022 Shelby GT500 doubled up by collecting the Best Modern Mustang and Best Shelby hardware at Summit Motorsports Park.

Further representing the beloved ’79-’93 Mustang crowd, Frederick Schultz’s 1988 Mustangscored theBest Race Car Pro Street award in Norwalk.

In the specialty category dedicated to Saleen machines, it wasn’t a pony car that ran away with the top honors. Instead, it was Gary Wilner's 2007 Saleen Truck that earned theBest Saleen award.
2024 NMRA OH Car Show Awards

FRIDAY CAR SHOW AWARDS

1. Jack BakewellMilan, OH1962 Galaxie

2. David RobinsonBellevue, OH1955 Fairlane

3. Brenda MillsCollins, OH1979 F-100

4. Dennis SayreWillard, OH1964 Fairlane

5. Dennis SayreWillard, OH1969 Mustang

6. Mike & Kim GuerassimoffErie, PA1993 Mustang

7. Cole WendelPortland, IN1984 Mustang

8. Dennis BregitzerMaple Heights, OH1968 Torino

9. Lou FalzaranoParma, OH1966 Mustang

10. Frederick SchultzBradner, OH1988 Mustang

Directors Choice Winner
Paul Stegall Sr.Para, OH1965 Mustang





SATURDAY CAR SHOW AWARDS:


Special Recognition Awards:

1. Jerry ZarlengaValley City, OH1997 Mustang
2. Tony RottingerParma, OH1980 Mustang
3. Gary WilnerTwinsburg, OH2007 Saleen S331
4. Jenifer ZaleckiWaterville, OH2019 Mustang
5. Brenda MillsCollins, OH1979 F-100
6. Zack CozierNova, OH2019 Mustang
7. Bill CoscoMedina, OH2003 Mustang
8. James DeBoldNew Albany, OH2007 Mustang
9. J. RingnetterDearborn, MI1985 Mercury Capri
10. Dennis SayreWillard, OH1969 Mach I
11. Steve MatkoCherry Tree, PA1979 Bronco
12. Dennis SayreWillard, OH1964 Fairlane
13. Joe KidderBelleville, MI1990 Mustang
14. Stephen SunyakNorth Ridgeville, OH1988 Mustang
15. Dennis BregitzerMaple Heights, OH1968 Torino
16. Peter PavlikPegram, TN1978 Bronco
17. Dave KrallHinkley, OH1971 Bronco
18. David RobinsonBelleview, OH1955 Fairlane
19. Lou FalzaranoParma, OH1992 Mustang
20. Jerry SlowinskiWalbridge, OH2007 Mustang
21. Ed CurtisBrook Park, OH1972 Pinto
22.Tom PerevosnikParma, OHMustang GT
23. Mike FilousSouth Euclid, OH2001 Mustang
24. Zach Lozier2019 Mustang
25. Aaron & Teresa GardnerOhio City, OH1994 Mustang

Director’s Choice Awards:

·Best Early Mustang
·Winner : Dennis MitchellMarion, OH1964 ½ Mustang
·Best Modern Mustang
·Winner: Ralph FerryColumbia Station, OH2022 Mustang
·Best Late Ford ’49-Up
·Winner: Rick WinklerNorth Ridgeville, OH1957 Thunderbird
·Best Ford Truck
·Winner: Mike GosnellOH1967 F-100
·Best Race Car/Pro Street
·Winner: Frederick SchultzBradner, OH1988 Mustang
·NMRA Editors Choice Best Classic
·Winner: Terry WilburnNorth Ridgeville, OH1968 Mustang
·NMRA Editors Choice Best Modern
·Winner: Mike MagriWest Bloomfield, MI2015 Mustang
·Directors Choice Best Paint
·Winner: Jerry ZarlengaValley City, OH1997 Mustang
·Directors Choice Best Interior
·Winner: Mike & Kim GuerassimoffErie, PA1993 Mustang
·Directors Choice Best Engine
·Winner: Aaron & Teresa GardnerOhio City, OH1994 Mustang
·Directors Choice Conservative
·Winner: Paul Stegall Sr.Parma, OH1965 Mustang
·Directors Choice Modified
·Winner:Jeff NimonNorth Ridgeville, OH2014 Mustang
SUNDAY CAR SHOW CLASSES & AWARDS:

• Mustang 64-70
• Winner: Paul Stegall Sr.Parma, OH1965 Mustang
• Mustang 71-78
• Winner: Jeff CarrollPlum, PA1973 Mustang
• Mustang 79-93
• Winner: Tony RottingerParma, OH1990 Mustang
• Mustang 94-98
• Winner: Rob TackettGreenwich, OH1996 Mustang
• Mustang 99-04
• Winner: Tom SettleBrunswick, OH2004 Mustang
• Mustang 05-14
• Winner: Kevin KlineNorton, OH2011 Mustang
• Mustang 15-23
• Winner: Guy ScothernNorthwood, OH2019 Mustang
• Street Rod Pre 49’
• Winner: Larry VidraElyria, OH1937 Ford
• Fifties Ford
• Winner: Joe Ballard1959 Anglia
• Ford Full Size Cars All Years
• Winner: John SnyderGrafton, OH1967 Galaxie 500
• Ford Full Size Truck All Years
• Winner: Dave RobinsonBellevue, OH1969 F-100
• Bronco All Years
• Winner: Pamela RootGrafton, OH2022 Bronco
• Race Car & Pro StreetModified Only
• Winner: Frederick SchultzBradner, OH1988 Mustang
• Open Ford (For vehicles that do not fit into above classes)
• Winner: Kevin SuszynskiBurton, OH1966 Cobra
• Best Paint & Body
• Winner: Joe Ballard1959 Anglia
• Best Engine:
• Winner: Dave RobinsonBellevue, OH1969 F-100
• Best Interior:
• Winner: Larry VidraElyria, OH1937 Ford

NMRA Best of Show Award:

• Best of Show
• Winner: Paul Stegall Sr.Parma, OH1965 Mustang

FOX BODY Saturday Award Winners
1. Steve SupeckWakeman, OH1993 Mustang
2.Larry ShepardPataskala, OH1991 Mustang
3. Heidi EadyLoudonville, OH1987 Mustang
4.Jason BrobstToledo, OH1986 Mustang
5.Cole WendelPortland, IN1984 Mustang
6. Jeff KohnSheffield Village, OH1989 Mustang
7.Lou FalzaranoParma, OH1992 Mustang
8. J. RinguetteDearborn, MI1985 Mercury Capri
9. Tony RottingerParma, OH1980 Mustang
10. Frederick SchultzBradner, OH1988 Mustang
Best of Show
Joe KidderBelleville, MI1990 Mustang

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