Husband and Wife’s 1550hp Mustang the Perfect Stress Relief
It’s been said that drag racing can be a hobby, an obsession, even a disease.
Drivers have been accused of being crazy for spending the money and time on a car that could be an inch away from trading an amazing pass for breakage and heartbreak.
For this twin-turbocharged 1989 Ford Mustang, it’s the exact opposite. Jason and Tina Golden tackle the drag-and-drive game as a team, and although they have their share of triumphs and turmoil, they continue to press on together.
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“We (my wife and I) love these events,” said Jason of the drag-and-drive event structure. “It’s no stress racing for me, because I’m only trying to better my best pass. Tina isn’t scared to jump in and change tires, oil or whatever. She knows how and what needs done. Because it’s not class racing for us, we are just more relaxed and enjoy the driving to each track.”
For Jason and Tina, it started with an iconic Fox Mustang notch, a car that’s proved a popular choice for small tire racing.
To get it ready for the street and track, the engine bay was stuffed with a Maschmeier Performance Engine 400 cubic inch small block Ford powerplant. Using a Ford Motorsports NASCAR block, Maschmeier selected Callies connecting rods and crankshaft to pair with JE Pistons for the short block, then topped it with Brodix cylinder heads wearing T&D shaft rockers.
The extra boost in power comes from twin Garrett 76 G45 turbos that sit right up front for all the airflow. Backing a dyno-proven 1550 rear-wheel-horsepower at 21 pounds of boost is a Proformance Racing Transmission Turbo 400 3-speed automatic with a Chance billet converter, and the rear end is a 9-inch variety holding 3.50 gears in the center chunk.
The Mustang holds a 25.3-spec roll cage from Hooken Chassis, and is only a hood and front bumper away from the popular All-Steel-All-Glass designation.
When the car got its official debut in the drag-and-drive world at the 2022 edition of Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, it had little time on it.
“We started our drag-and-drive adventure with the car fresh off the dyno, two trips to the track and 50 street miles,” said Jason.
Following a 23-hour drive to Florida, they entered the Unlimited class, and five days later, Jason had clicked off a best of 8.06 at 179.16 en route to a 9.53 average, earning him a fourth-place finish and completing his first drag-and-drive.
Jason and Tina added a second drag-and-drive to their roster in 2022 with a Rocky Mountain Race Week (RMRW) 2.0 visit, once again diving into Unlimited class waters.
“We will always run Unlimited,” Jason said. “Something about knowing we can’t run with the Pro Mods keeps me from being competitive. We run our race and try to run our best.”
Their best proved to be pretty solid at RMRW, as the Mustang ran a best pass of 8.42, and averaged 8.62 to finish second in class.
After a solid debut year, the Goldens entered Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes in 2023, but their third drag-and-drive event would not be a charm.
“Sick Summer just wasn’t good for us,” said Jason. “We struggled and fought boost issues, and eventually we threw in the towel on the first day.”
After returning home to Missouri, the source of their issues was discovered to be a vacuum line.
“You should have seen us on that first day,” Jason admitted. “We had the whole turbo system tore apart, and it was a vacuum line!”
For 2024, Jason and Tina plan to enter The Circuit in the spring, Sick Summer and RMRW 2.0.
“If all goes well, I’ll run the Hot Rod Drag Week as well,” said Jason. “In my opinion, the biggest challenge in doing these crazy drag-and-drives in a high horsepower car is finishing. We have met some wonderful friends at these events, and I couldn’t do this without my wonderful wife, who loves this crazy shit as much as I do.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine and Jason Golden.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com