TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout at Mustang Week Charlotte 2026
It was a weekend of firsts during Mustang Week Charlotte 2026. This marked the first time the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout was held at zMAX Dragway and the first time Mustang Week took place at the Charlotte venue. As an added bonus, the Mustang Week installment marked the return of quarter-mile racing for the shootout.
For those new to the series, the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout gives racers with H-pattern manual-transmission cars the opportunity to face off on the dragstrip. At some events, the shootout features the eight quickest stick-shift racers from the True Street category. At others, it runs as a stand-alone eight-car class with qualifying rounds determining the field. Mustang Week Charlotte featured a winner-take-all, four-car format composed of racers from the True Street class. The winner took home a new TREMEC TKX 5-speed transmission.
The qualifiers were:
Clint Biddix — 2024 Mustang GT — 10.040-second average elapsed time
James Sheridan — 2018 Mustang GT — 11.862-second average elapsed time
Jeff Smith — 2020 Mustang GT — 11.866-second average elapsed time
Enrique Ovalle — 2016 Mustang GT — 12.713-second average elapsed time
Eliminations were run heads-up using a Pro Tree. See the photos and captions for the play-by-play action.
The TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout series returns Oct. 1-3, 2026, at Holley Ford Fest at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, KY.
After a brief drivers meeting, the 20 True Street entries, including TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout contenders, left the confines of zMAX Dragway for a road cruise to prove their street worthiness. The cruise was not without issues, including what had to be one of the worst-timed traffic lights in the universe. It delayed the group for about 20 minutes and split the cars into smaller packs. Two entries were lost during the cruise, including a stick-shift contender and Steve Shrader, whose car appeared poised to claim the No. 1 qualifying spot. The remaining cars eventually returned to the track for a cooldown before making their True Street passes.James Sheridan qualified second for the shootout with an 11.862-second average elapsed time in his 2018 Mustang GT. Sheridan originally came to Mustang Week Charlotte to compete only in the roll-racing portion of the program, but a last-minute decision to enter True Street earned him a spot in the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout.Shootout regular Jeff Smith was battling tuning issues with his Competition Orange Terminator Mustang, so he drove Mike Kidd’s Magnum XL-equipped 2020 Mustang GT in True Street and qualified for the shootout. These were the car’s first official dragstrip passes and Smith’s first time racing an S550 Mustang. Despite adjusting to a completely different car, Smith qualified third with an 11.866-second average elapsed time.Clint Biddix claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot for the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout at Mustang Week Charlotte 2026. Driving his Vortech-supercharged 2024 Mustang GT, Biddix recorded a three-run average elapsed time of 10.040 seconds. After two low-10-second passes, he broke into the 9s on his final run.Enrique Ocalle of Athens, Alabama, claimed the fourth and final qualifying spot in his 2016 Mustang GT. With a three-run average elapsed time of 12.713 seconds, Ovalle was not confident he would make the field. His excitement was unmistakable when his name was called as the final qualifier.Our four qualifiers for the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout at Mustang Week Charlotte 2026 were, from left, Enrique Ovalle, Jeff Smith, James Sheridan and Clint Biddix, with TREMEC’s Mike Kidd in the middle.A random chip draw determined the first-round matchups. Clint Biddix would face Jeff Smith, while James Sheridan would line up against Enrique Ocalle. The two winners would advance to race for a new TREMEC TKX 5-speed transmission.Ovalle and Sheridan were first to the line, with Sheridan getting the jump at the start. Although Sheridan left first, Ovalle made a race of it and remained less than a car length behind. Sheridan reached the finish line first with an 11.76-second pass at 119.06 mph, while Ovalle ran 12.11 seconds at 117.90 mph.Next, Jeff Smith attempted to upset No. 1 qualifier Clint Biddix. The supercharged red Mustang GT had run quicker with each pass during test-and-tune and the True Street competition. Smith launched well, but Biddix still beat him off the line and led by nearly a car length at the 60-foot mark. Biddix took the win with a 10.01-second pass at 126.83 mph. Smith recorded his quickest pass of the day at 11.56 seconds and 127.22 mph.Facing a disadvantage of nearly 2 seconds, Sheridan needed the best run of his career – and some luck – to beat Biddix to the finish. Sheridan cut a good light, while Biddix spun the tires when the green bulb lit on the ‘tree. For a moment, it appeared an upset might be brewing.Despite the tire spin and Sheridan making a strong pass, Biddix’s silver Mustang regained traction and led by a couple of car lengths at the eighth-mile marker. Biddix secured the win with a 10.22-second pass at 144.49 mph, while Sheridan ran 11.88 seconds at 121.91 mph. With the victory, Biddix earned a new TREMEC TKX 5-speed transmission.
