For its first ever, the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout took place at Sick the Mag’s Sick on the Green event at Beech Bend Raceway in Kentucky May 29-31, 2025. The format was a bit different compared to the final shootout of 2024, with the biggest change being that the Stick Shift Shootout was open to all makes and models except dragsters, roadsters, full-tube chassis and rental cars. To enter the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout you just needed to be in a car or truck with an H-pattern shifted manual transmission. Competition would be heads up (no staggered start) and the backet set by qualifying E/Ts. If you’re curious to see the full rules, click here.
Friday’s qualifying was a hampered a bit by intermittent showers but runs still took place and racers able to get their cars dialed in. A final round of qualifying was held on Saturday before eliminations, with the weather and track conditions being ideal and no rain threats. Despite only having six cars entered, it was still a great competition. A common thread with all six racers was their cars were all equipped with TREMEC Magnum 6-speed transmissions.
The six racers who qualified were:
Tom West 2001 Honda S2000 twin turbo LS powered (7.78 E/T)
Torey Browne 1985 Ford Mustang (8.228 E/T)
Adam Buntley 2001 Ford Mustang Cobra turbo 4.6L 4V powered (8.699 E/T)
Skyler Hardy 1992 Ford Mustang supercharged Coyote powered (9.012 E/T)
Dannie Addair 1987 Ford Mustang Windsor powered (9.084 E/T)
Kyle Buntley turbo LS powered (9.837 E/T)
Under stormy skies on Friday all but one round of qualifying was held for the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout at Sick on the Green. Despite the off and on rain, the track surface at Beech Bend Raceway was still great and our shootout competitors got their cars dialed in. The six-car field was quick, with the slowest being a 9.837 qualifying E/T and quickest a 7.789 E/T.
After one more round of qualifying to start the day Saturday, the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout field was set. Number one qualifier was Tom West (7.78 E/T) followed by Torey Browne (8.228 E/T), Adam Buntley (8.699 E/T), Skyler Hardy (9.012 E/T), Dannie Addair (9.084 E/T) and Kyle Buntley (9.837 E/T). Unfortunately at the end of qualifying the engine in Kyle Buntley’s 1988 Ford Mustang (a turbocharged 5.3L LS engine) popped a head gasket and ended his weekend.
TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout racers are a fun bunch! For their first-round matchup, racers Dannie and Torey played rock-paper-scissors to decide who had lane choice. Torey ending up winning the best two-of-three contest and had lane choice.
Dannie who won the battle on the track in the first round. Both racers cut good and close lights off the line (Addair’s .133 reaction time to Browne’s .127), but Torey spun the tires bad out of the gate, allowing Dannie to build a lead. Having the quicker Mustang, could Browne close the gap before the lights?
Once he gained traction Torey started reeling in Danny, but he didn’t have enough track to finish the comeback, with Dannie lighting the win bulb on the scoreboard with a 9.020@157.72 run to Torey’s 9.753@169.59.
The next matchup pitted number three and four qualifiers Adam (Left 8.699 E/T) and Hardy (Right 9.012 E/T). Skyler had a slight advantage off the line with a .217 reaction time to Adam’s .237 clutch release. The race was tight at the 60-foot mark and approaching the eighth mile mark.
As the quarter mile lights got closer Adam had started to pull ahead with Skyler giving it everything his Coyote-powered Fox had. Adam’s 2001 Cobra tripped the lights first with an 8.773@157.01 sprint to Skyler’s 9.032@154.62.
The final pair of round one was set to be low qualifier Tom and his 2001 Honda S2000 versus Kyle in the turbo LS1988 Ford Mustang. But a head gasket failure at the end of qualifying had Kyle unable to make the call. This gave Tom the free pass. The team had been working on the S2000’s tune to get the car dialed in. Not to waste the free pass, West made a full pass to see if the car could repeat its fast pass from qualifying.
The S2000 with its turbo LS and TREMEC Magnum 6-speed looked dialed in just right, running a blistering 7.906@179.09.
Round two had Adam lined up against Dannie in a turbo pushrod V8 versus turbo DOHC V8 showdown. Dannie had run high 8s in the past with his turbo Windsor, so his car was capable of matching what Adam’s Cobra could run. Dannie got the advantage off the line with a .292 reaction time to Adam’s .344 light. Both cars hooked good and the race was on to see if Dannie could hold his starting line advantage.
The best race of the shootout, the two Mustangs were in a tight sprint to the finish for a chance to face Tom in the final. Adam erased Dannie’s starting line advantage and it was his lane’s scoreboard that lit up first with an 8.780@157.21 1,320-foot gallop to Dannie’s 8.901@158.07.
Because of the eight-car bracket format, Tom ended up with another solo run on his way to the finals. Not one to waste a free pass, Tom dropped the hammer on the S2000 and laid down a 7.869@175.46 pass.
Heading into the final Adam’s 2001 Ford Mustang Cobra had run 8.773 and 8.780, showing its usual consistency. With low qualifier Tom’s S2000 running a second faster, it would take everything the 2001 Cobra had plus a lot of luck to beat the turbo LS-powered Honda to the finish line.
Tom wasn’t going to risk losing the race off a technicality like a red light, so Adam got a big advantage off the line with a .179 reaction time to Tom’s .442 light. Adam knew the S2000 could easily make that up though, and spurred his Mustang on to hit top speed ASAP. Adam’s fastest ever run was an 8.69 (set at this event) and he would need to pull another one of those to have a shot at the win.
It didn’t take long for Tom in the Honda S2000 to make up the distance and overtake Adam. When the win lights and board lit up in Tom’s lane, it showed 7.823@180.12 to Adam’s 8.846@154.44, taking home the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout title and an $1,800 winner’s check. Adam took home the $850 runner-up purse.