Watson Racing builds new NHRA Super Stock 2014 Mustang for Chris Holbrook, Debut Set for NMRA Spring Break Shootout
STORY BY BRET KEPNER
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One year ago, Watson Racing teamed with veteran Chris Holbrook to produce the quickest and fastest production car in drag racing history. In the team’s first event, Holbrook’s supercharged 2013 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet clocked a record 8.504 seconds at 160.68 miles per hour and, later in the season, emerged victorious at the National Hot Rod Association’s oldest and most prestigious event, the 59th annual U.S. Nationals, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
For 2014, however, Watson and Holbrook will embark on a mission to win even more races while making a bold statement about the team’s capabilities. Using a new 2014 Ford Mustang to compete in the NHRA’s Super Stock Eliminator, the Detroit-area duo will debut an entirely new powertrain combination never before seen on a drag strip. The Watson-built Ford will utilize a Holbrook-built supercharged five-liter Ford Coyote engine coupled to a five-speed manual transmission!
“This is uncharted territory for the Coyote engine,” said John Phillips, the Business Development Manager for Watson Racing, “and it’s a whole new arena for Chris Holbrook. We proved the potential of Watson Racing’s chassis components and construction technique with the incredible results provided by Chris last season. However, this was a challenge we just couldn’t refuse”.
As a division of the massive Watson Engineering, a global producer of products for a myriad of mechanical applications, Watson Racing manufactures a variety of competition components and offers construction and chassis services for all types of automobiles. Watson Racing enjoys a close relationship with the Ford Motor Company which allows it to specialize in late-model Ford Mustangs for many forms of racing.
“We’ve already completed the car,” explained Phillips, “and it incorporates a lot of new ideas which, quite frankly, are going to surprise a lot of people. We have some of the most inventive talents in the business working at Watson and everybody here was a part of this project. Chris will drive the car, and his Chris Holbrook Racing Engines shop will supply the horsepower but, with the supercharged Coyote and the manual transmission, it’s a whole new ball game for him, too”.