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Bowling Green, Kentucky, is buzzing with excitement as Ford Fest 2023 gets into high gear. The first day of the event brought with it the heart-pounding action of the Grand Champion competition. This is where Blue Oval enthusiasts witness some of the most thrilling automotive athleticism as drivers and their Ford-powered machines battle it out for top honors.
The Grand Champion competition at Ford Fest is all about pushing these incredible vehicles to their limits. From the moment the green flag drops, it's a showcase of speed, agility, and pure adrenaline.
Scoggin Dickey Parts Center and Mustang Hub Magazine Grand Champion: Three classes, Late Model, Vintage, and Trucks, of competitors, vie for the coveted Grand Champion title. The competition is fierce. Each class has its winner, but the true glory awaits the Grand Champion of Ford Fest.
Grand Champion winners collect cumulative points in autocross, 3S Challenge, and drag racing. However, participants can opt to only compete in those individual activities without necessarily being in the Grand Champion competition.
Autocross is Hurst and Grassroots Motorsports Autocross Domination: The autocross course proves to be a true test of skill and precision. Drivers navigate a challenging course, weaving through cones with lightning speed.
Drag Racing Thrills: The drag strip witnessed neck-snapping launches and thunderous quarter-mile sprints. These Blue Oval machines unleashed their full potential, leaving nothing but burning rubber in their wake. Drag Racing takes the best of three passes on Friday and Saturday nights.
MSD and ProTouring.com 3S Challenge: The 3S Challenge added an extra layer of complexity. Speed, stopping power, and steering finesse are on full display. Drivers must conquer a low-speed drag race, execute a 180-degree turn, maneuver through a slalom, and bring their beasts to a precise stop within the box—every second counts in this intense battle.
Grand Champion competition requires more than just speed. The weekend can change quickly, so drivers must be consistent and flexible. It can also be a war of attrition.
Sam Strano, with the Duratech-swapped Mazda, was way ahead leading into Friday's competition and appeared to be the Grand Champion winner for the late-model class. However, he snapped an axle during Friday night's drag racing, ending his weekend early.
Sam still wins Late Model autocross with a 37.464 lap time, but with a DNF in the 3S Challenge, he won't have enough points to win Grand Champion. For those unfamiliar, Grand Champion is determined by the total number of points collected in autocross, drag racing, and 3S Challenge.
Red Line Motorsports Dyno Award N/A
1st - Mark Schiffner - 541 whp
2nd - Tony Ozman - 432 whp
3rd - Alex Sizemore - 421 whp
Spirit of the Event Award goes to long-time staffer and first-time participant, Micheal Hankus. He campaigned his 2018 Ford Fusion.
Indy Power Products and Ford Muscle - Power Adder
1st - Courtney Looney - 869 whp
2nd - Brandon Smith - 758 whp
3rd - Paul Rozner - 721 whp
Hurst and Grassroots Motorsports - Autocross
1st - Sam Strano (See more here)
2nd - Jeff Cox
3rd - Chris Brown
MSD and Motor Life - 3S Challenge
1st - Mike Gallagher
3rd - Jonathan Blevins
Drag Race
1st - Jonathan Belvin
2nd - Dan Hall
3rd - Mike Gallagher
Josh Dillion, aka the Sleeper Dude, brought the entire crew to Ford Fest, including a burnout-machine Pinto and this 1963 Ford Futura. Two years ago, he autocrossed this car, clicking off one of the slowest times of the weekend. This year, it may win the award for the least amount of power on the Dyno Challenge. But, he couldn't have been happier. The car made 43 hp and 78 lb/ft of torque.
"It made 38 two years ago, so that's a 15-percent increase in power," said Josh with a big grin. "We advanced the timing 10-degrees, that's it." He's returning to the autocross and burnout challenge this weekend.
After completing his first Panther chassis and interior swap, Todd Welch from Trinity, North Carolina, took the lessons he learned and applied them to this 1964 Ford F100. It’s fairly common to swap Ford Panther front subframes into Ford trucks to get modern IFS and better brakes, but with a similar wheelbase, it made sense to swap in the entire chassis from a 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis and get the rear four-link as well. Welch went even further, cutting out the firewall and floorboards of the classic Ford to swap in the Mercury’s interior as well. It was a lot of sawing, cutting and finally welding once things were lined up. “This is my second one, so it was a lot quicker,” Welch said, noting that the cab was lifted off and on the Mercury chassis and firewall four or five times before everything was perfect. When we spoke to him, Welch was in third place in the truck autocross competition, putting him ahead of some Lightnings, proving that the car in truck clothing can keep on the track.
