2009 Keystone Automotive Ford Nationals

The auto industry in this country and abroad faces serious financial hardship-that is no secret-but thankfully Mustang and Ford events are as popular as ever. To gather an in-depth look at the situation, MM&FF went to the heart of the matter, Detroit, Michigan (well, actually Milan, Michigan), for the sixth annual Aeromotive NMRA Ford Nationals, which includes the popular Tremec/MM&FF True Street challenge.

Anyone who has ever attended an NMRA race can attest to the massive amount of excitement surrounding each event, whether it's on the racetrack, in the show area, or on the manufacturers midway, and the 2009 Milan race was no exception. This, the third stop on the NMRA tour, brought out all of the usual suspects in the heads-up race classes, and the festivities started Friday with time shots for racers to get a handle on the strip.

Serving as the "home race" for the fine folks at Ford Racing Performance Parts, the FRPP crew rolled into Milan with a slew of new Mustangs for the fans to check out and for the third annual Editor's Invitational Challenge. Over the course of the two-day event, staff members from major automotive publications squared off in the Ford Racing Invitational. Car assignments were chosen at random, and once the drivers became familiar with their rides, it was time to hit the track.

When the event came to a close, MM&FF's own Senior Tech Editor, Steve Baur, piloted a modded 2010 Mustang GT, to the Top Eliminator spot, defeating Doug Glad from Car Craft in the finals.