Network
Tires were squealing and accelerator pedals were to the floor, but the action was safely away from the streets at Mustang Week 2024. The event has a long history of corner-carving dating back to when the speedway was still around, but the Mustang Week K1 Challenge presented by DeatschWerks kept that spirit alive on the go-kart track.
The beauty of Mustang Week is the variety of activities available at the events and around town. This event brought the 60th Anniversary Mustang celebration action indoors for some high-stakes action as participants competed for the chance to win a $1,000 gift card for first place, a $750 card for second place, and a $500 card for third place, as well as the chance to square off against celebrity drivers like Vaughn Gittin, Ben Hobson, Jack Roush Jr., and Chad Finchum.
Of course, the other great thing about Mustang Week is the event’s namesake car is everywhere, so the parking lot at K1 Speed was like a car show of its own, so we checked out some of those rides as well.
Next, we reach peak Mustang Week as the Mustang 60th Anniversary celebration heads for Myrtle Beach Mall for the Official Mustang Week Car Show. There will be thousands of cars on hand, awards on the line, and plenty of vendors showing off their wares. Before we head to the mall, let’s catch up on the action from the K1 Challenge presented by DeatschWerks.
All the participants at the Mustang Week K1 Challenge presented by DeatschWerks scored a 10-percent discount for online purchases from DeatschWerks during Mustang Week, but only the fastest drivers earned a slot in the final race. (Photos by Steve Turner)
Each racer ran two races and only a select few made it to the final round against the likes of Vaughn Gittin Jr., Ben Hobson, Jack Roush Jr., and Chad Finchum. It was all smiles before the race, but once they strapped on the helmets things got competitive.
In the end, Vaughn Gittin Jr. took the overall win, but of the amateur drivers it was Lincoln James finishing second overall and first among the non-pros. He scored a $1,000 gift card from DeatschWerks. Ryan Levenson took home a $750 gift card for second place, and Taylor Toler scored a $500 gift card for 3rd place. “It is really fun to race with pro people who do this for a living and come in second out of all of them,” Lincoln said. All the top finishers received trophies and championship belts courtesy of DeatschWerks.
RTR’s chief Funhaver, Vaughn Gittin Jr., finished first overall with Ben Hobson and Jack Roush Jr. rounding out the top three pro drivers. “This was a really cool event. I think Mustang Week has kind of been missing something like this for people to get adrenaline and the pros and attendees can have some fun,” he said. “It was sick. I had a blast. Everyone kept it clean. I wasn’t the fastest dude. I was just consistent and, obviously, had clean air, but it was rad. It was super cool to race with some of the locals and the Mustang Week squad. I am looking forward to holding my belt through next year.”
Even though there was no official car show, there were plenty of sweet stallions in the parking lot at Player 1UP during the K1 Challenge presented by DeatschWerks. One that drew a lot of attention was Matthew Blancett’s 2014 Mustang GT, which is wrapped in a Spiderman theme. A veteran and retired police officer, Blanchett says the Spiderman comics helped bring him back home after his military service. Applied by the Wrap Compound, the graphics are just a costume for an S197 imbued with 633-horsepower superpowers courtesy of a Paxton supercharger and more.
Fox Mustangs are common at Mustang Week, but it’s not too often that you see an OG 1979 Mustang roll onto the scene. Owned since it was new by Rick Smith, who purchased it from Crescent Ford where he worked at the time, this car is powered by a turbo four-cylinder that was hopped up and rebuilt by Roush. Smith ordered it so configured because he is not a fan of the Pace Cars from that model year.
