TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout at the 2026 Holley Ford Fest

A hard launch, quick shifts and a race to the finish line. Stick-shift drag racing puts the driver at the center of the action, and TREMEC Stick Shift Shootouts give that skill a stage.

For tracks and event organizers, these shootouts add a competition that celebrates hands-on driving and gives spectators racers to cheer for. For competitors, they are an opportunity to demonstrate the strength and performance of their TREMEC-equipped vehicles while enjoying the fun of racing a manual transmission.

The TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout brought that excitement to the 2026 Holley Ford Fest at historic Beech Bend Raceway, where Mustang racers put their cars and shifting skills to the test.

After rain postponed Friday’s qualifying, the skies cleared Saturday and the racing was on. Jeff McCool was the only entry in the Pro Stick class, and laid down an impressive 8.885-second pass at 154.32 mph in his TREMEC Magnum 6-speed transmission-equipped 1981 Mustang. He made a solo run to claim his third TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout title with the Pro Stick win.

In Street Stick, we started with four qualifiers, but an awe-inspiring wheel stand took Matt Fint in his 1998 Ford Mustang Cobra out of the competition for the weekend. Jeffrey Johnson qualified his Magnum XL 6-speed transmission-equipped 2014 Mustang with a best pass of 10.673 seconds at 131.27 mph. Johnson faced Chris Lawson in the final, where both Mustangs launched hard before trouble on the 1–2 shift slowed Lawson. Johnson pulled away to earn his first TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout trophy.

Next up TREMEC will be at the 2026 Mod Nationals, Oct. 15–18, 2026, at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Adel, Georgia, sponsoring the True Street class. The TREMEC display trailer will be there with the TREMEC cutaway display transmissions and the experts from Hanlon Motorsports helping answer any of your TREMEC-related questions.

A 1981 Ford Mustang drag racing at Beech Bend Raceway — Jeff McCool competed in Pro Stick with his 1981 “four-eye” Fox-body Mustang, powered by a nitrous-fed, 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 and equipped with a TREMEC Magnum 6-speed transmission. When McCool won the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout at the 2021 NMRA Norwalk event, the car ran in the low 10-second range. At Holley Ford Fest 2026, it was running in the high 8s.

A red 1999 Ford Mustang does a burnout at the Beech Bend Raceway dragstrip during the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout — Chris Lawson qualified his red 1999 New Edge Mustang with a troubled 13.723-second pass at 87.38 mph. The car was capable of running in the 10s, but Lawson would need a clean run in the final to challenge for the Street Stick title.

A blue 2014 Ford Mustang drag races at Beech Bend Raceway during the 2026 Holley Ford Fest — Jeffrey Johnson’s turbocharged, 5.0-liter V-8-powered 2014 Mustang ran consistently throughout Saturday’s qualifying. A TREMEC Magnum XL 6-speed transmission handled the shifts.

1981 Ford Mustang drag racing at Beech Bend Raceway goes past the starting line Christmas Tree — McCool launched hard on his solo Pro Stick final, then eased off to record an 11.08-second pass at 86.96 mph and collect the purse and trophy.

A 1999 Ford Mustang and a 2014 Ford Mustang drag race at Beech Bend Raceway in Kentucky — Lawson staged in the right lane opposite Johnson for the Street Stick final. After their burnouts, both drivers were ready to settle the title. When the Christmas Tree flashed green, both Mustangs launched hard, setting up what looked like a close race.

A red 1999 Ford Mustang drag races at Beech Bend Raceway in Kentucky — Lawson ran into trouble just past the Christmas Tree. Audible gear grinding during the 1–2 shift cost him momentum, and he could not recover. He coasted down the track as Johnson pulled away.

A 2014 Ford Mustang drag races on the dragstrip at Beech Bend Raceway in Kentucky — With the Street Stick win in hand, Johnson eased off and coasted to a 12.30-second pass at 86.21 mph.

A 1998 Ford Cobra Mustang showing damage from a near rollover accident on the dragstrip at Beech Bend Raceway

The front bumper of 1998 Ford Cobra Mustang showing damage from a near rollover accident on the dragstrip at Beech Bend Raceway

Matt Fint arrived hoping to repeat his 2025 Street Stick victory at Holley Ford Fest. His 1998 Mustang Cobra was known for impressive wheel stands, but its first qualifying pass took a frightening turn. After a towering wheel stand, the car came down sideways, scraping the driver’s side against the track and appearing close to rolling over. Fint managed to keep it upright, but the hard landing pushed a strut through the tower and broke the caster/camber plate. Thankfully, he was uninjured, and the damage was relatively minor given how much worse the incident could have been. His racing weekend, however, was over.