At just 20 years old, Lainey Abney rolled into LS Fest Texas and left with the Drag & Drive Power Adder win on Friday. Not bad for her first time at the event—and even better considering the 427-powered Mustang she piloted was built from the ground up by her and her dad. “It was awesome,” Lainey said. “Driving across the track after the win was the coolest part. First time here—and I got to take something home.”
The car started as a 2006 Mustang V6, but today it’s running a 427-inch LS with Frankenstein M311 heads, BTR cam, and a pair of Summit Racing G42 79mm turbos. The combo is backed by a Powerglide two-speed. Under the hood is a Holley Mid-Mount Accessory Drive Kit, Holley EFI High-Ram intake, and a Holley EFI 105mm throttle body. A Holley EFI HP ECU handles the engine management and a Holley CAN-bus expansion module for more inputs/outputs.
“The motor was built at home,” said her dad, Mike Abney. “We pieced everything together. Nothing crazy—just good off-the-shelf parts. She helped build it too.”
At the heart of it all is a C5-R block, forged internals, and an emphasis on simplicity and safety. “We built this to be fast, but also safe. Holley’s traction control kept the car from going sideways on Friday. There’s no way we could’ve won without it.”
The block in Lainey’s car is from a racing variant of the Vette produced from 1999 to 2004. Based on the LS1 it displaced 7.0 liters and generated 600-plus horsepower in natural aspirated trim. The Corvette C5-R was a stout performer, winning the GTS class at Le Mans three times between 2001 and 2004 and squaring off against the likes of Dodge Vipers and Ferrari 550s in the American Le Mans Series.
Shop Chevy LS swap Ford Fox Body Mustang parts here.
LS Fest Texas runs drag racing backwards down Texas Motor Speedway pit road, with no prep and no times. Just cones and concrete. The tuning duties were shared with Justin Humphrey—Lainey and her dad adjusting launch settings between every pass to ride the edge of traction without crossing it. And they nailed it.
“The track was tricky—radials on a surface like that is a challenge,” her dad explained. “We just worked the Holley system until it felt right. She gave us feedback. We logged everything. It worked.”
Lainey’s no stranger to competition. She started racing at 13 years old, on a dirt bike. She won her first race and from there, she moved into a junior dragster, then a C5 Corvette. The Mustang is her latest chapter—and the most personal.
At LS Fest Texas, Lainey didn’t just win a class—she made a statement. That a young woman can show up with a car she helped build, tuned with her dad, and go toe-to-toe with serious drag and drive competitors. That grassroots racing is alive and well. And that LS Fest continues to be a home for the do-it-yourself crowd.
Now she’s got her eyes on more competition—and turns 21 in November. “I’m not old enough to drink,” she laughed, “but I’m old enough to win.”
And at LS Fest, that’s what really matters.
Explore our LS Fest Texas coverage here.
