When Steeda ran Silver Bullet 2.0 to a shocking 10.758 at 128.59mph last month, we believed that was indeed the fastest pass naturally aspirated with the new S650 Mustang platform. However, we stand corrected thanks to a reader who dutifully informed us due to a rounding error.

In fact, Justin’s Performance Center still owns that record in the “Dark Cloud.” At the time (late 2023), it was celebrated online as a 10.76 when the pass was, in fact, 10.755 at 128.03 mph. Steeda may have had the speed, but not the e.t. to successfully claim the record. Yes, three-thousandths of a second still belongs to JPC, who was the first in the 10s and even ran 9s in October of last year.

JPC’s 2024 Mustang “Dark Cloud” was one of the first on the scene to start chasing drag records. Rigorous testing and over 64 passes yielded some impressive results, considering the lack of tuning. Using nitrous, they wound up running a personal best quarter-mile time of 9.57 seconds at 141 mph.

The JPC team transformed the stock 2024 Mustang into the “Dark Cloud” in short order through a series of strategic moves, from weight reduction, a ProTorque converter, and suspension upgrades from Steeda. Performance was further augmented with LTH Exhaust long-tube headers, Nitrous Express nitrous kit, Weld Racing wheels, and a Driveshaft Shop carbon fiber driveshaft as well as beefier axles.

With continuous research and development, JPC has tested nearly everything from converters to nitrous and ethanol fuel percentages. The “Dark Cloud” has made 64 passes with thorough data-logging, so they can understand how the car performs or behaves. With the help of this data, they fine-tuned the car and pulled out every ounce of power from it.

Though the nitrous-assisted record was a good first step, JPC isn’t getting complacent. It’s already looking toward a Hellion twin-turbo kit as the next iteration of “Dark Cloud.” To this end, the team looks forward to the possibilities of boost that will hopefully increase the performance of the car and continue to drive the limits of the S650 platform.

The combined efforts of their dedicated team would have never achieved success like JPC’s. The driver, Justin, could never have performed so well without the team behind this success, consisting of Eric Holliday, Dylan Gravedoni, TJ Fox, Mike Riddle, Dylan Day, Kris Knowles, Larry Sinkule, and Nick Shanefelter. The support crew always made sure that the car was ready on time to roll on and before and during the track day.

This is another pioneering achievement for JPC (who accomplished similar feats on the prior two platforms), taking the muscle car further than what was believed Mustangs can do – especially without ECU tuning. While they are always developing and perfecting “Dark Cloud,” the Mustang community can’t wait for their next innovation. To follow their developments closely, check on their social media channels and visit their website for updates on current developments of Mustang upgrades.