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Who knew that a fleet of used-up Ford Crown Victorias could make for a night of entertaining, well-rounded racing? Who knew that a misfit mix of professional drivers, YouTubers and the track owner could put on a racing spectacle that would draw a sell-out crowd to a racetrack AND fill up a Pay-Per-View? When Cleetus McFarland's first Freedom 500 race went down, it made sense to hold a one-model race on his own racetrack. It was a great way to get eyes on the newly christened Freedom Factory and to put on a show during the pandemic lockdown. Well...that show hasn't stopped yet. Turns out, seeing a whole hoard of painted-up Panther bodies getting kicked around a circle track at the fullest volume their worn-out 4.6L V8s can manage makes for excellent racing.
With an LS-swapped Lamborghini Murciélago up for grabs to the winner (yeah, you read that right) the drivers truly had something to fight for. And the drivers' list was packed with talent: Tanner Foust, Brad DeBerti, and Brian Deegan joined a fleet of the usual suspects that include Derek from Vice Grip Garage, Heavy D from Diesel Brothers, Brent and Jaime from PFI Speed, Kyle from BoostedBoiz, and more. With NOS nitrous on board and the prize parked in the center of the Freedom Factory for everyone including the fully sold-out Freedom Factory audience to see, the green flag dropped and 100 laps of racing got started!
Last minute modifications were made to all of the Crown Victorias. Spoilers were installed on all of the cars for added downforce around the banks of the Freedom Factory.
Each Crown Victoria that raced was equipped with an NOS nitrous system. Each driver had a dry 50-horsepower shot at the push of a button whenever they wanted it during the 100 laps.
One of the more entertaining parts of the event is seeing all the ways the drivers decorate their cars. This allows the crowd to be able to differentiate each car and driver. Some drivers go over the top modifying their cars appearance. Heavy D from Diesel Brothers went for a helicopter look, which didn’t last long during the race…but at least it looked cool before.
The number of people that attended the event was insane. Cleetus SOLD OUT the Freedom Factory!
Brian Deegan was able to pick up the win, after battling Tanner Foust for most of the race. Deegan proceeded to then do donuts in the grand prize Lamborghini.
