NHRA Pro Stock, Ford Racing

Rumors swirl the Internet after NHRA US Nationals.

The Mopar and GM  contingent continue to pour money into NHRA Pro Stock while Ford has remained dormant in the factory hot rod professional drag racing class for nearly a decade. After the NHRA tour left Indy, the rumors started flying about a possible Ford return to the Pro Stock division.

We busted out our payoff money and started dialing cell phone numbers to get the scoop. Thankfully, a few people returned calls and we got the real deal from a guy who definitely knows what is going on. We never did actually pay anyone for some inside information, a few single dollar bills only gets something in gentleman's clubs, not in the real world. But thanks to our guy at the mother ship (Ford), he confirmed some rumblings and shot down others.

On the top of the list, Ford is exploring the possibility of helping out some current Ford Pro Stock entries. As of our count, that would be one team and it belongs to Jim Cunningham. The guy is an obvious huge Ford fan for even pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars a year into his NHRA program. For the amount of money Cunningham has spent, he probably could have had a competitive Dodge or GM entry but he chose to stick with Ford.

Due to a family emergency, Cunningham had to leave the US Nationals at Indy. Thankfully, Erica Enders was on the property with her racing gear and took some laps in the Shelby Mustang. The team didn't qualify but she showed her skills behind the wheel and ran quicker than Cunningham by a half a tenth. Rumors are that she will continue driving for Cunningham.

With the recent performances, Ford Racing is looking into a few things to help out the struggling Cunningham Motorsports program. First, they are exploring the possibilities of building better heads and engine blocks for use in NHRA competition. Cunningham relies on ancient equipment. GM and Mopar continually upgrade and redesign blocks and heads so the Pro Stock teams can continue moving forward. Cunningham's engine program is behind the curve because of the inferior Ford equipment he is stuck working with. Ford might be changing that if it makes financial sense to them.

Our source continued, he stated that while the engine program is being looked at, they are seriously considering working with the Mustang body to make it better aerodynamically. Our guy told us that Cunningham's car is leaving a lot of on the table with the width, height, and overall shape. He said that the car is 6-inches wider than the Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G6! Granted, those cars are much smaller in production trim but the NHRA has standardized body measurements and this current Mustang body isn't even  at the limit of the rules. Wind tunnel testing and aero work by Ford on the lone NHRA Pro Stock is probably going to happen this winter. With a sleeker body, it could mean the IHRA Pro Stock racers will benefit as well since they run similar bodies to Cunningham.

We prodded our buddy to reveal if Ford was jumping back into Pro Stock with sponsored teams and such. His response, in so many words was "no." He said even if they move forward with these steps, a full sponsored program is a long way out. They would have to get through these first few steps before even thinking about a major return. He said there have been no talks regarding a Pro Stock sponsorship, even a little help to the only existing Ford Pro Stocker is not  100% go. 

I guess for NHRA fans that are Ford-lovers, the possibility existing is enough to get excited over. The door isn't totally shut yet!