The TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout is back for the 2023 NMRA racing season, pitting the eight quickest and best manual-transmission racers against each other for ¼-mile gear jamming supremacy.
“To say the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout has been a success is a huge understatement,” explains Mike Kidd, Aftermarket Business Unit Manager for TREMEC “Having a manual transmission adds so much excitement to driving, both on the road and at the race track. Having an event where racers can take their TREMEC-equipped vehicles to the limit in a safe environment is a lot of fun while showing everyone the performance that TREMEC 5- and 6-speeds are capable of, whether it’s a factory OE TREMEC or one of our aftermarket transmissions.”
The first NMRA event and the first TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout is the Spring Break Shootout March 2-5 at Orlando Speed World, the first time the season opener will be held at the long-running Central Florida dragstrip.
A special addition for the 2023 NMRA Spring Break Shootout will be the TREMEC All-Female True Street Showdown. The name is pretty self-explanatory, and the class will follow the same rules as True Street. Considering how fiercely competitive NMRA women drivers are, we expect this face-off to be a maelstrom of drag racing competition. You can find the full rules for All-Female True Street here. Just like regular True Street, there will be 15- through 9-second E/T classes to win, plus the overall fastest E/T winner. Results will be announced at the same time as regular True Street during the TREMEC Racer Appreciation party. Plus, All-Female True Street manual transmission racers will also be eligible to compete in the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout.
The TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout takes the top eight H-pattern shifted manual transmission cars running in NMRA’s True Street class, based on their True Street three-run elapsed-time average. One of the most popular classes at NMRA drag racing events, True Street is open to all Ford powered and bodied cars that are legitimately street legal and drivable. Before competition, all entries must complete a 30-mile road cruise along to prove they’re street worthiness. Once back at the track, vehicles are lined up in the staging lanes for a 30-minute cool-down that allows drivers to check tire pressure and turn on nitrous bottles. Hoods cannot be opened, no ECU or other tuning is allowed and no fueling is permitted. Cars must be running on street-legal DOT approved tires. The full list of True Street rules are on the NMRA website.
After cool-down, all surviving True Street entries (a few usually fall out between the street cruise and during cool-down) will run three back-to-back ¼-mile runs to build an elapsed time (E/T) average that will determine the winner of each True Street E/T class. Classes run from 15- to 9-second E/Ts, with each class winner required to have an average inside that E/T bracket. In lieu of an 8-second E/T class, the absolute quickest E/T average will be the overall True Street winner.
Once True Street class winners are announced, the eight cars qualifying for the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout (along with two alternates) will be announced. Competition will be held on elimination Sunday, with a .400 pro tree staggered start used based on each entry’s E/T average from Saturday. There will be NO breakouts. The full TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout Rules are listed on the NMRA website.
“The NMRA and Steve Wolcott have been great partners since the inception of the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout, helping it grow to where we have three separate shootouts during the season and be a featured part of both the NMRA season opener and the season ending World Finals,” said Mike.
Grand prize will be a McLeod Racing RXT Clutch & Flywheel (a $1,300 value), and the runner-up will receive a $500 McLeod Racing gift card. All eight racers who make the shootout will receive a special gift from TREMEC.
“2022 was a great success for the NMRA, and 2023 is already shaping up to keep that trend going,” tells Steve Wolcott, President & CEO of NMRA/NMCA, Fastest Street Car Magazine and Race Pages Digital “Partnering with Mike Kidd and TREMEC on the Stick Shift Shootout gives our racers an extra experience to enjoy along with a chance to increase their race earnings. TREMEC coming on board to also support our All-Female True Street Class not only bolsters the strength of competition, it also shows our dedication to growing All-Female True Street to be a marque of all our events.”
