Rebecca Starkey Making The Move To NMRA Coyote Modified For 2015

Images: VMP Tuning and StangTV

For 2014, the NMRA kicked off a brand new class aimed at the high powered modern Mustangs that were making big waves in the street legal drag racing world. Coyote Modified, was designed exclusively for Ford’s still relatively new 5.0 engine, which had been out just long enough that the aftermarket support was now in full swing. The class rules, the performance of the cars involved, and even the colorful personalities of the competitors reminded us of the early days of Renegade and even Super Street Outlaw.

While there will certainly be a few new faces in Coyote Modified this season, we recently received word of one to watch out for and that’s none other than Rebecca Starkey. Rebecca, is the wife of VMP Tuning head honcho Justin Starkey. When she’s not busy with her day job as a nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, or chasing after the four Starkey children, you can usually find Rebecca at the drag strip, working on going faster.

The black 2011 Mustang GT that Rebecca pilots has become well known in the Mustang community. Serving as the test bed for VMP, you could easily say that this car was pivotal in the Coyote performance movement. Rebecca has piloted the car in-between degrees and pregnancies from stock to some major milestones. With her behind the wheel this car was one of the first to eclipse the 10s and then then 9s, all while Rebecca was driving it to the track with two car seats in the back, and loaded up with a diaper bag and stroller.

Having been a familiar face in True Street and continues to be a test bed for VMP, the car received a VMP Gen 2 supercharger upgrade during the 2014 racing season. By the end of last year, Rebecca had knocked down a 9.15 ET, with a best speed of 149 mph. For 2015 she decided to take her racing to the next level, and so her once daily driven 2011 GT, is now undergoing changes to make its way into the Coyote Modified class.

Running the VMP Gen 2 supercharger not only allows Rebecca’s car to make big power, but also let’s it take advantage of a lower race weight if 3,250 pounds according to NMRA rules.

The car will continue to wear the VMP Gen 2 supercharger, but it will be atop an all new Darton sleeved MPR engine, built by Tim Eichorn. BMR and Viking Shocks will be helping the car get through the 60-ft with more consistency, and down the track straight and true. “The TVS is a torque monster, the car would pull 1.30 60fts, but it was hitting the tires so hard the 60fts were not consistent,” says Rebecca’s husband Justin. A new fuel system from Fore Innovations will take the place of the stock unit, which has supplied the race fuel to the engine via ID1300 injectors up until now.

With two Master’s degrees to her credit, and a full house at home, Rebecca is ready to focus her efforts on the 2015 racing season. She plans to attend the full NMRA schedule and make a solid run at Coyote Modified. Of course she says she couldn’t do it without the support of her Husband Justin, the new found engine power, and changes to her car, as well as a whole laundry list of sponsors including VMP Tuning, Roush Performance Parts, Brisk Spark Plugs, Stroud Safety, Injector Dynamics, TRZ Motosports, Gulf Racing Fuels, JLT Performance, BMR Suspension, Eaton, and Stifflers.

Rebecca plans to be solidly in the mix of competition this coming season, and we look forward to seeing this talented mom and nurse take on some of the fastest Coyote powered cars in the country.

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About the author

Don Creason

Don Creason is an automotive journalist with passions that lie from everything classic, all the way to modern muscle. Experienced tech writer, and all around car aficionado, Don's love for both cars and writing makes him the perfect addition to the Power Automedia team of experts.
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