Small Block Ford Mustang To Try Tiny Tires for Rowdy Radial For Sick Week
As a firefighter, Alex Corella knows the risks of his daily routine. Every call could be a different scenario, or require a different plan of attack.
So, despite consistencies in the formula of the 1993 Ford Mustang he employs for drag-and-drive competition, the car known as Ginger Red might be seeing some changes for the 2023 season.
After winning the Street Race category in 2022 with an 8.52 average on the same 17-inch diameter wheel and tire combo he drove every day on the street portion of the event, Alex has swapped to the small 26-inch-tall x 8.5-inch-wide drive tires required for the Rowdy Radial class at Sick Week for off-season testing.
“Apparently I can’t make up my mind on a wheel and tire combination,” Alex admitted. “I bought the tires a year ago, after looking at some rules for a couple of heads-up 235 radial classes.”
Then Alex noticed the Rowdy Radial class had been added to the Sick Week roster for 2023, a class that doesn’t have many rules other than a 235 or smaller drag radial or max of 26 x 8.5 slick tire and an eighth-mile format. “It’s something new to try,” said Alex. “After running the eighth-mile format at the Street-N-Yeet event, I gave some thought to trying something new.”
Alex’s Mustang has made appearances at multiple drag-and-drive events, and even though some competitors will make several runs a day to stay competitive, Alex takes a different approach.
“There’s only been one year I’ve tried to win a class, making multiple passes a day,” he said. “I wasn’t a fan of that approach.”
So since then, he’s adopted a more laid-back approach, and it has let him enjoy the events more. “To take the time off for an entire week as a firefighter can be difficult. In 2022, I only did three events.”
To make the most of his limited time with Ginger Red, Alex turned to Lujan Motorsports to get the car ironed out with a combination that hasn’t changed much in the last decade. Forgoing the more common stroker small block route, Corella opted for just 308 inches of pushrod Ford power. It starts with a Ford Racing Boss block, filled with Eagle’s crankshaft and connecting rods, JE pistons, and a solid roller camshaft from Bullet. TFS Twisted Wedge 205 cc cylinder heads and a TFS Box intake handle breathing duties, and engine gets forced air from a Bullseye turbocharger that measures out at 88 millimeters. A FTI Performance Powerglide transmission and a Dusty Bradford-spec’d PTC converter pass the power to the 8.8-inch rear end.
Corella enjoys driving the car between events, so most times it will sport a set of 17-inch chrome Pony wheels wearing a 305/45/17 rear tire. Combined with a full exhaust and tailpipes and a mild two-inch cowl hood, it can be easy to overlook this eight-second ride.
“The original intent of the car wasn’t to go as fast as I’m going now,” said Alex. “It was just to have better parts that would last. I have no intention of making the car faster,” he said, citing not wanting to upgrade the roll cage in the car as it could take away he enjoyment of driving it. “It might not be as fast as some of the other cars, but I like it and enjoy it.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of KWS Images and Alex Corella