Rick Doern Hits a Bulls-Eye By Rolling to NMRA Spring Break Shootout Victory At Orlando Speed World Dragway
Just a few weeks after participating in the 2023 edition of Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, Rick Doern returned to Orlando Speed World Dragway for the National Mustang Racers Association (NMRA) opening event of their 25th season.
A former bracket racer and multi-time top ten finisher in the NMRA’s Modular Muscle class, Rick now takes a laid-back approach to racing and enjoys wheeling a 2020 Ford Mustang GT in street-style events, including Hot Rod Drag Week.
At the NMRA Spring Break Shootout event, Rick decided to enter the True Street class. Based around basic street car rules, the True Street class takes the participants on a 30-mile cruise, before returning to the track for cool down time.
Sick The Mag keeps its web articles ad-free thanks to merch sales and magazine subscriptions. Thank you to all of you who wear our stuff and read our books!
Between the cruise and the start of racing, participants are only allowed to adjust tire pressures, add a nitrous bottle, or ice to an intercooler. Hoods must remain shut, and the vehicles make a trio of laps back-to-back.
The three runs are averaged, and the lowest average gets the class win. But the second-quickest average also picks up a plaque and a check, as well as the closest to 9.00, 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.00, 14.00 and 15.00-second indexes also get a plaque and some money for their efforts.
Rick’s Mustang sports a few upgrades, including a Whipple stage 1 supercharger, and upgraded VMS wheels with sticky Nitto R2 drag radials, getting it to an 11.08 at 124 mph best pass during Sick Week.
At the NMRA event, it was a bit warmer, and combined with the back-to-back-to-back passes, Rick averaged out at 11.38, finishing fourth in the 11-second class.
The True Street class also gives participants a free chance in Sunday’s bracket racing action. And although Rick has “retired from bracket racing” in his words, he decided to give it a shot anyways. Four rounds later, Rick was in the final round, and picked up the victory to conclude his weekend.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick The Magazine and BME Photography.