Tim Flanders’ Fast Four-Eye Fox Turns Heads On The Street And Strip

When Tim Flanders began searching for a car to race, he considered several before setting his sights on a 1986 Mustang back in 2000. He was attracted to everything about it, from the four rectangular headlights to the electronic fuel injection. Soon after purchasing the 1986 Mustang that year, he started racing it at tracks near his home in Michigan and in other states. As the years went on, he competed in NMRA 8.60 Street Race and NMRA and NMCA True Street.

Flanders and his four-eye Fox were a fine fit for each other, and he earned multiple wins in NMRA 8.60 Street Race, NMRA, and NMCA True Street, while relying on his Fonzie Novelo-built Coyote engine featuring Power Adder Plus rods from Molnar Technologies, CP Pistons, and Modular Headshop custom cams, all enhanced with a 91mm Forced Inductions turbo. A John Capizzi-built Turbo 400 and Circle D Specialties converter help plant the power in the car, rolling right along on Mickey Thompson ET Street Radial Pro 275 tires.

“I raced with a good group of guys in the NMRA and NMCA for years and years, and it always felt like home when I pulled into one of those races,” Flanders reflected. “The competition was among the best in the world, especially in NMRA 8.60 Street Race. One year, I lost four races by .00 on the other end, so I was sad when both series went away at the end of 2024.”

With a focus on the future, Flanders, who can set his ride up to run both eighth-mile and quarter-mile, began competing in Lil Gangstas, a 5.30 index class that foregoes scoreboards and time slips and is contested at tracks across the country. He won in Gangster X, a comparable class, at Shakedown XXIII at M’Town in May of 2026 at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan, and won in the 5.30 index at the Battle for the Bag Index Race in July of 2026 at Darana Dragway in Milan, Michigan.

Winning Streak

He also made it to the winner’s circle in Fastest Ford at Drop the Hammer Judgement Day in July of 2026 at Mid-Michigan Motorplex in Michigan.

“Drop the Hammer Judgement Day was a drag-and-drive event, and we started in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, and drove to the track in Stanton, Michigan, to race, and then drove back to Mt. Pleasant,” Flanders said. “It was about 112 miles for the whole trip. I had a little trouble getting down track because my tires were dead by that point, but other than that, everything went well.”

Flanders is also competitive in 8.50 and 8.60 index classes at various events and tracks, including the Street Tire Shootout at Mid-Michigan Motorplex and Dust Off Drag Race at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park. Most recently, he revved up to race in 8.60 Outlaw at the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series SummerNationals, Aug. 7-9, 2026, at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. It was an NHRA Division 3 event.

“We were happy when Rollie Miller wanted to add 8.60 Outlaw to the SummerNationals, especially since I had never raced at an NHRA event before and I really wanted to win a Wally,” Flanders, who pulls his car to the track on an open trailer, said. “In addition to that, it was important to go and support the class at that event, because if we don’t go and support it, we will have nowhere to race. Our drive was not too bad. It was just three hours, and my wife and I slept in my truck the night before because we wanted to be at the gate when it opened in the morning. She really stuck it out with that.”

Street Cred

He qualified in the second spot with an 8.66 and won the second round of eliminations against Casey Fyfe with an 8.68. He clocked an 8.63 on solo pass in the second round of eliminations before lining up alongside Scott Oshinski for the final round of eliminations.

“I did not get my transbrake button pushed in all the way on the steering wheel, so I rolled through the beams and lost to Scott Oshinski,” Flanders recalled. “I checked it three times in the staging lanes and up to the burnout box, and found out there are a million ways to lose and only one way to win. “

He appreciated the opportunity to go all-out for an NHRA Speed For All Wally and plans to make another trip from Michigan to Indiana for the Division 3 Fall Classic National Open, held from October 23-25, 2026, where he will give Outlaw 8.60 another go.

“I like the kind of racing I am doing,” Flanders added. “I like the group of guys I race with, and I like that my car is still a pump-gas street car that gets driven and has tailpipes and air conditioning. My wife and kids even drive it.”