Shelby Automobiles' Gary Patterson ripped off three passes in the 11.40s at over 130 mph in a Super Snake GT500 during Saturday's drag racing session at Tulsa Raceway Park during the Mid-America Ford and Team Shelby Nationals.
On street tires, Gary said he rolled off the line each time before nailing the throttle on the 725-horsepower Super Snake, as built by the Mod Shop at Shelby Automobiles' facility in Las Vegas.
While a record number of racers hit the track, participants were able to shop in the swap meet and manufacturers' areas, which included displays by Ford Racing, Ford Licensed Products, Shelby Performance Parts, Dallas Mustang, Quantum Performance (Shelby Automobiles' newest Mod Shop), Cars FX, and Kicker.
Saturday night's banquet at the Southern Hills Marriott was a sell-out. Speakers included Ford's Mustang Brand Manager Fritz Wilke, Shelby Automobiles' president Amy Boylin, former Shelby team drivers Allen Grant and Tom Yeager, Auston Craig, and Tulsa mayor Kathy Taylor, who proclaimed June 14, 2008, as "Carroll Shelby Day" in the city of Tulsa.
Carroll Shelby also spoke, telling the group, "We have plans to build cars for the next six years with Ford. I just signed a contract which will take me up to 91 years old. I hope I don't go horizonal in the meantime."
A highlight for me was the auctioning of a blow-up of the July 2008 Mustang Monthly cover, which features an interview with Carroll Shelby. Signed by Carroll, the cover was auctioned for $4,000, which was donated to the Carroll Shelby Children's Foundation.