Following a promising first day at Moody Gardens, the week closed out with a bang and then a storm to wash away piles of rubber, memories of an incredible time in Galveston, Texas for the 2026 Mustang Week Texas, presented by LMR. The folks at Monster Energy also pitched in to make sure the week ended on a high note, responsible for the incredible burnout pad – dubbed the Monster Energy Zone – where not only the burnout competitions took place, but drifting, awards, special announcements and presentations, and the Monster freestyle motocross team exhibitions. While Saturday did hold the Pro Burnout competition, there was plenty of action outside the Monster Energy Zone because it was Car Show day! Mustangs had their day in the sun, to be looked at carefully and ranked based on overall appearance for their year or submodel.
Car Show Highlights
My favorite part about walking the Car Show is not only seeing the cars, but hearing the stories behind them anytime the owner is around. It’s not every day you see a 1966 Mustang fastback, but John Vercellinno knew when he saw this one, he had to have it. The former pilot spent his free time on various layovers looking at cars until he found the right one, and after rebuilding the engine, he’s been driving it ever since. Todd Treadway’s 1968 Shelby GT500 has a much different acquisition story, having inherited it from his uncle, whom he acted as caretaker. The paint is not original; his uncle painted it brown and made him swear that he’d never paint it and restore it to Sunlit Gold. It’s a true survivor car, though, with bumps and bruises to show for it. Speaking of colors, Barry Ray’s Ford Performance Blue with Bright White stripes over-the-top – only 212 cars were produced with that combo – was a standout in the show as well, and the matte Paint Protective Film certainly helped.
If you are into more wild and custom Mustangs, there was no shortage of those as well. Detrick and Becky Thomas put together an impressive 2015 Mustang build, that is definitely one of one. A mix of Anderson Composites and TruFiber carbon exterior parts complete the panda look with the factory white paint. Work CR2P two-piece, 20-inch wheels and an Airlift system give the aired-out stance, but its signature sound is complements of a Paxton supercharger kit with BBK headers and a Gibson exhaust. Not one thing on this S550 has been left untouched. Dakota Simon’s 2024 Performance Pack GT also caught my attention but for its subtlety. The rear wheels look stock, but with beadlocks and drag radials. Upon closer inspection, the turbo kit was home-built but done beautifully with titanium charge pipes. It doesn’t hurt that it makes 1,045 horsepower at the wheels. Troy Kelly’s ‘68 “GT350 Tribute” uses a reproduction body for something truly unique – a built Voodoo engine with a ProCharger D-1X, Tremec 6-speed, Independent Front Suspension and 4-link rear. Troy built and painted the car himself.
Vendor Highlights
Mustang Week Texas is a great place to get reacquainted with brands you haven’t seen for sometime, and new ones you might not have heard of. A few examples that come to mind are American Racing, who has a lot of fresh new wheel designs including beadlocks for street cars and some late model Mustang specific wheels that fit the lines of S550s beautifully and even give a nod to some special OEM wheels without being a carbon copy. If you’ve been reading Ford Muscle, then you know it’s easier than ever to do a Godzilla swap for some raw, naturally aspirated, big-cube horsepower. Late Model Engines came to the show with a number of solutions for dropping your salvaged powerplant into your chassis, such as a billet intake for four-barrel throttle body or carb, valvespring packages, valve covers, and oil pan.
I didn’t know driveline upgrades could be such eye candy, but that’s exactly what I found. The folks at Circle D brought some 8HP products for those of you salivating over the idea of doing an 8-speed swap like we are. TruFiber was doing a healthy raffle, and Richmond showed off its differential kits – clutch-type, helical gear and lockers. My personal favorite was Synergy Race Development hand brake parts including billet hand brakes and brakes for the second set of rear calipers. They even had billet knuckles for Cobra IRS, whether you are doing a swap on your Fox or just want to replace your cracked stockers. They turn into drop spindles by simply rotating one piece 180-degrees to correct geometry on lower cars, and they are stronger than the factory cast pieces (which are now extremely expensive by the way).
Smoke Show
With pros like Mick Brasher in the “ULEGAL” ‘73 Corolla, Mick Hinchy in the 2014 Holdon Commodore, and Seth Cavanaugh in “Frosty” (a ‘69 International Metro Mite ice cream truck) on Team World, the Ford team had their work cut out for them at the Smoke Show, presented by Summit Racing. Shannon Serig in “Crowd Control” (NASCAR Mustang), Kyle Hoge in “Lo-Blo” (1930 Model A Coupe), and Zach Pennock in the ‘58 F100 were some of the headliners on Team Ford. A few standouts from the Street Burnout competition such as Jeremy Jarrett were invited to the Pro Burnout competition and a shot at the $15,000 purse.
During testing, the bladder ruptured in Serig’s NASCAR fuel tank, taking him out of the competition. And in an unusual occurrence, Brasher struggled almost right out of the gate in the competition and had to bow out early. The short wheelbase Corolla is known for spinning on its axis very quickly, making it a crowd favorite. In the end, Australian Jacko “Lux” Harrison took Third in the Tacoma, relative-newcomer and Texan Collin Thomas in the ‘40 Chevy rat rod took Second, and Pennock (also from Texas) took the championship and a giant check.
That’s a Wrap
To end the show, the Mustang Week team pulled out all the stops… The Monster FMX team organized a, well, monster way to celebrate the end of the show, but literally jumping over Ben Hobson and Vaughn Gittin Jr. as they drifted through the Monster Energy Zone. Fireworks, tire smoke, music, and everything displayed on a giant video board…and free Monster energy drinks. Cobra Sam, Adam Dorey, and even a T-shirt cannon were used to stoke the flames of the excited crowd. What a way to go!
Saturday Winners List
Dyno Competition, presented by Tuner School
Naturally Aspirated:
3rd Place – Destiny Sanchez (433hp)
2nd Place – Marlon Rangel (452hp)
1st Place – Octavio Reyes (573hp)
Power Adder:
3rd Place – ChristopherJensen (913hp)
2nd Place – Jonathan Newman (993hp)
1st Place – Matthew Hauffer (1,085hp)
Pro Burnout Competition, presented by Summit Racing
3rd Place – Jacko “Lux” Harrison
2nd Place – Collin Thomas
1st Place – Zach Pennock
Mustang Week Texas 2026 Awards Winners
Mustang Week Texas 2026 brought out an incredible mix of classic, modern, and high-performance builds. From vintage icons to the latest S650 Mustangs, the competition was strong across every category. Below is the complete list of award winners from the event.
Outstanding Mustang Awards
| Award | Name | Car |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Kamos Glover | #272 – 2019 Mustang CS/GT |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Todd Rock | #837 – 2020 Mustang GT |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Leon Salge | #214 – 1965 Mustang Coupe |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Dakota Simon | #918 – 2024 Mustang GT |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Erika Cano | #796 – 2024 Shelby |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Suseth Massion | #898 – 2014 Roush |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Troy Kelly | #372 – 1968 Shelby GT350 |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | David Hale | #413 – 2025 Mustang GT |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Gavin Satterfield | #710 – 2025 Mustang GT RTR |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Eric & Linda Shirley | #853 – 2022 Mustang GT |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Jeremy Werthess | #839 – 2010 Mustang GT |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | James Reed | #871 – 2004 SVT Cobra |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Mark Moore | #742 – 1965 Mustang Fastback |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Cotton Treadway | #351 – 1965 Mustang Coupe |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Michael Davis | #260 – 2025 Mustang GT |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Fernando Garza | #377 – 1989 Mustang LX |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Marlene Lake | #297 – 2007 Roush |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Fidel Marquez | #714 – 2013 Boss 302 |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | David Lake | #298 – 2009 Roush |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Kenny Boardman | #773 – 1992 Mustang LX |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Todd Treadway | #352 – 1968 Shelby |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Chris Stricklin | #300 – 1993 Mustang LX |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Cynthia Johnson | #291 – 2020 Roush |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Andrew Sommer | #343 – 2013 Boss 302 |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Michael Zanella | #406 – 2016 Mustang GT |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Barry Ray | #326 – 2021 Shelby GT500 |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Jordan Rodriguez | #813 – 2016 Mustang GT |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | James Reed | #823 – 2018 Mustang GT |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Eric Fleming | #746 – 1995 Mustang GT |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | James Reed | #820 – 2004 SVT Cobra |
| Outstanding Mustang Award | Alex Rounds | #330 – 2024 Mustang GT |
Specialty, Judges, and Promoter Awards
| Award | Name | Car |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding Race / Competition Vehicle | Ric Saldivar | #224 – 1966 Pro Street Mustang |
| Outstanding Original Vintage | Owen Lucas | #948 – 1972 Mustang Convertible |
| Outstanding Resto Mod | Scott Sagers | #332 – 1968 Mustang |
| Outstanding Conversion | Ron Manfred | #305 – 2006 Mustang Avant |
| Outstanding Open | Eric Ritter | #328 – 2019 RTR Mustang |
| Judges Pick | David Marche | #707 – 2005 Mustang GT |
| Judges Pick | Bryan Thomas | #227 – 2020 Mustang GT |
| Judges Pick | Josh Bouse | #116 – 2024 Mustang GT |
| Judges Pick | David Wood | #362 – 1969 Mach 1 |
| Judges Pick | James Reed | #872 – 2003 SVT Cobra |
| Promoter Pick | Jerry Shoemaker | #221 – 1970 Mach 1 |
| Promoter Pick | Willie Kirkpatrick | #745 – 2009 Bullitt |
| Promoter Pick | Mike Buschor | #804 – 2016 Mustang GT |
| Promoter Pick | Anette DeGeer | #917 – 1969 Resto Mod Mustang |
| Promoter Pick | Fernando Garza | #377 – 1989 Mustang LX |
Best of Show and Class Awards
| Award | Name | Car |
|---|---|---|
| Vintage Mustang Week Best of Show | Jerry Shoemaker | #221 – 1970 Mach 1 |
| Retro Mustang Week Best of Show | Chad Smallwood | #339 – 1992 Mustang LX |
| Modern Mustang Week Best of Show | Bob Lehr | #158 – 2007 Mustang V6 |
| Outstanding 1964½–1966 Mustang | David Cobb | #751 – 1966 Mustang |
| Outstanding 1967–1968 Mustang | David Kampen | #292 – 1968 Mustang |
| Outstanding 1979–1986 Mustang | Jago Garcia | #139 – 1984 Mustang T-Top |
| Outstanding 1987–1993 Mustang | Charles Hoffman | #374 – 1987 Mustang LX |
| Outstanding 1994–1998 Mustang | Harold Phillips | #191 – 1998 Mustang |
| Outstanding 2005–2009 Mustang | Arthur Bolton | #246 – 2008 Mustang GT |
| Outstanding 2010–2014 Mustang | Arthur Longoria | #303 – 2010 Mustang GT |
| Outstanding 2015–2017 Mustang | Jeff Munger | #316 – 2015 Mustang GT |
| Outstanding 2018–2023 Mustang | Paul & Vickie Doucet | #130 – 2020 Mustang GT |
| Outstanding 2024–2026 Mustang | Tasha Ortiz | #705 – 2024 Mustang GT |
Specialty Trim Awards
| Award | Name | Car |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding 1969–1971 Boss | Ryan Tidwell | #153 – 1969 Boss 302 |
| Outstanding 1969–1973 Mach 1 | Grant Cooper | #124 – 1969 Mach 1 |
| Outstanding 1993 SVT Cobra | Scott Hilliard | #735 – 1993 SVT Cobra |
| Outstanding 2012–2013 Boss | Ric Bogue | #114 – 2013 Boss 302 |
| Outstanding 2008 Bullitt | Don Cramer | #403 – 2008 Bullitt |
| Outstanding 1999–2004 SVT Cobra | Vince Selby | #218 – 2003 SVT Cobra |
| Outstanding 2003–2004 Mach 1 | David Neary | #379 – 2004 Mach 1 |
| Outstanding 2021+ Mach 1 | Dominic Zanella | #365 – 2023 Mach 1 |
| Outstanding 2019 Bullitt | Jonathan Popp | #323 – 2019 Bullitt |
| Outstanding Roush | Benney Cepeda | #875 – 2007 Roush |
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