Joel Steele’s 2012 Boss Mustang secured multiple records at the 2021 FL2K event, with two, 6-second passes, the fastest being a 6.95 E/T at 202 mph. He now holds the title of fastest stock-block Coyote and the quickest, domestic, stick-shift car in the world. That ¼-mile time also designates Joel’s Mustang as the first domestic, stick-shift car to break into the 6s.

Stick-shift racing has been heating up the last few years, but within these internet records is a long history that dates back to the beginning of the sport itself. Before the Lenco transmission and other purpose-built race boxes, h-pattern, clutch-shifted Pro Stock vehicles were jamming gears. Heroes like Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins tore up the track long before cell phones captured it all.

The front end is a one-piece unit from VFN Fiberglass. The quarter-panels and roof are the only thing left of the factory sheet metal. Final Finish of Bowling Green, KY shot the new body in Ford Race Red, the original color of the car. Santhuff front spindles/struts keep wheelies under control with help of Holley laser ride-height sensors mounted under the chassis. TBM Brakes allow for a 5-lug bolt pattern. The wheels are RC Components, with double bead-lock rears.

It’s debatable when the latest craze began. Starting in 2001, guys like Taner Bosnali were dipping into the 9s with T56 F-bodies. Boostin Performance’s Red Demon Talon has been a long-time fast stick-shift car running 8s back in 2013 (now, runs low 7s). In 2018, Cleetus McFarland became the first GM stick-shift vehicle to break into the 7s. A year later, Tick Performance’s Jonathan Atkins, who’s Joel’s new tuner, reset that record. Other names to mention are Nick Coleman, Yandro Ulloa in the Minion Mustang, Chris Moore, and Jon Miller. Quickly, 8s became 7s, then 6s as stick-shift racing competition stayed tight and the records kept falling. Joel Grannas, in his Supra, is the current overall stick-shift record holder with a 6.84 E/T at 213 mph.

We photographed Joel’s Mustang only a couple of weeks before FL2k and the record passes, however, a bunch has changed since then. They went out for testing with new tuner, Atkins, and broke a tie-rod end. “It opened my eyes to a lot of problems,” said Joel. “We redid a bunch of suspension.” His next time on track, “we spun once right off the trailer, then made a small adjustment to the front end and it just kept getting faster after that.”

TKM Performance in Denver, NC built this Gen-I Coyote based on a factory block. The coolant passages are empty, but the Renegade Methanol allows the car to run cool enough. The valve covers are JC Customs CNC and the intake a billet unit from Plazmaman. TKM Performance has a billet engine currently being assembled to replace this one. Parts shortages delayed that engine which was supposed to run this season.

Joel has hinted there’s more left on the table. During FL2K he experienced a few issues, despite setting the record. During Joel’s first 6-second pass the tires spun in 4th gear and the ECU killed the ignition, coasting through the finish line. “I one-hundred percent thought I hurt the car or blew the motor," said Joel. "It didn’t make any sense. I didn’t think it would spin there in 4th gear and I didn’t think I went fast.”

Joel also discovered a loose C02 fitting, as the Mustang only made 37 pounds of boost, instead of the 40-plus pounds it is set to make. There’s certainly more left for the Mustang, but it came from such humble, streetcar beginnings as a 2012 Boss 302, a former VMP Performance R&D car. A fast car with a supercharger and accompanying mods, he dropped in a T56 Magnum XL in 2014. Around 2017, he went to Texas 2K, “and everything went wrong,” quips Joel. “The clutch had issues, and that was the turning point. I took it home, stripped the car completely, and sold everything off of it.”

The cage is certified to a 6.50 ET. The lightweight fiberglass seats were made in house, as the car was originally built for the Tremec True Street class. A Holley Digital Dash provides driver data in realtime.

With only 8,000 miles on the odometer, he cut it up and made a race car. "I should have bought a V6 car or a wrecked one,” said Joel. “We took the next year and a half building it, learning a lot about the car and a lot about who you can trust. At the end of the day, it was a good build.”

The car was originally built for Tremec True Street. “It weighed 3,000 pounds with an intercooler, radiator,” said Joel. “That was the goal.”

Class rules changed and the car was misplaced in the lineup. They raced at the NMRA Turbo Battle in the 7.80-index. “We did pretty good, but finished FL2K last year and the motor didn’t hold up,” said Joel. “That’s when I went to TKM [Performance in Denver, NC].”

Ahead of the firewall, the frame rails are mostly original with an aftermarket k-member, and a rack and pinion heavily reworked by Joel’s team. Between the rockers is a dual-rail chassis and new floors. The chassis, roll cage, and major fabrication was performed by Xiled Drag Cars in Scottsville, Kentucky.

This engine is a Gen-1 Coyote that retains the original, unfilled water jackets in the block and head. Frankenstein ported and polished the stock heads and added 1mm-oversized steel valves. It has a forged rotating assembly and the team believes it’s good for 50 lbs of boost. “That’s the guess at least. I really want to stop the motor at 2,400 hp,” said Joel. “We used 1,700hp average on the record run.” There’s plenty more timing left too, as the record run only saw 11 degrees.

Renegade methanol flows through 16 Holley injectors in the Plasma-Man billet intake. Forced Inductions twin 76/83mm turbos handle the boost, with TurboSmart wastegates and blow-off valves. “We’re not even close to maxing these out, and people on Facebook are claiming we can’t make this much power with them,” laughed Joel. On his way to Florida, he stopped at Forced Inductions to pick up a spare set of turbos to have on hand, but they surprised him with new FIS housings that are set to flow better (not pictured).

A Holley Dominator ECU handles tuning duties along with a compliment of Holley sensors. “If there’s a sensor they make, It’s on the car,” said Joel. That includes ride height sensors, EGT sensors, and an external crank sensor.

The Tick Performance Ultimate Race Trans features a billet front plate with externally mounted fluid pump, which coats the forward gears. Inside is a PPG billet face-plated gearset. Joel only uses the clutch for launch. The Holley Dominator is set up for quick ignition cuts to allow clutchless shifting

The major feature in his setup is the Tick Performance Ultimate Race Trans 4-speed based on a T56 Magnum XL. It features a billet front plate with an integrated spray bar, which coats the front gears with oil during full-throttle use, as launch forces shifts the oil to the back of the case. A PPG dog-ringed, face-plated gearset is also used. The transmission still shifts in an H-pattern, but 5th and 6th gears are missing, as they aren’t used in the quarter-mile.

Steele controls the car with a Motion Raceworks steering wheel, MGW shifter, and an FFP Customs billet Mustang pedal assembly. The one-piece fiberglass dash features a Holley Digital Dash, which helps Joel monitor the car and provides a shift light.

Joel still uses the original QuickTime Bellhousing from the original T56 swap, though now with a twin-billet, 8in Advanced Clutches slipper clutch and a Tilton slave cylinder. The adjustability of a slipper clutch is a major secret for fast H-pattern racing. Joel leaves the line with the clutch, but not doesn't use it for shifting. The Holley Dominator allows for ignition cuts between gears also making the clutch-less shifting proces possible.

Back home in Kentucky, Joel discovered suspension issues as the front wheel is locking up coming out of the trailer. “It was a fun week [at FL2K], we didn’t have to work on the car any and we learned a lot,” said Joel. “We found some things we need to change.” He was surprised as to the reaction from fans after breaking into the 6s, viewing it as only one milestone for him and the Mustang with more to come. “When we go to the World Cup, we’ll probably go a lot faster.”