What a difference a year has made for Canadian racer Bob Guido at Drag Week.

Last year, Guido drove his 1969 Mustang some 2,500 miles one way all the way from Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada, to be a part of the Drag Week festivities in the midwest. The adventurous Guido got his gorgeous machine down into the 11.70’s early in the week, but found himself in a precarious situation on day three in St. Louis when he lost control of the car and struck both walls, damaging the bodywork, an upper control arm, and a ball joint. Determined to continue his quest to complete Drag Week — and make it back home without the help of a wrecker — he thrashed all night to repair the car, finished out the week, and then drove the car, which he aptly named the “Red Wreck”, 2,500 miles back home to northern Alberta.

Realizing it would be more cost-effective to find another ’69 Mustang body than repair the wrecked car, Guido did just that and set about preparing it for Drag Week 2014. One reminder of the original “Red Wreck” remained, however: the trunk lid that was signed by all those that Guido met and received help from on his eventful Drag Week tour a year ago.

Like the original car, Guido once again equipped the new ride with components from Chris Alston’s Chassisworks and Total Control Products, including a full TCP front coilover conversion suspension package and Varishock coil over shocks.

Despite once again driving — not trailering — his car all the way to Drag Week in Tulsa, Guido was first in line at 5:45 a.m. on the opening day, ready to get after it. And this time around, there were on extracurricular excursions with the guardrail to set his week back.

Guido knocked out an 11.49 in testing in Tulsa, then went 11.42 on day one of competition with his 408 cubic inch, small block-powered machine that’s backed by a TKO400 transmission. He then went 11.51 on day two in Topeka, 11.30 in Noble, an 11.34 in Great Bend, and another consistent run of 11.32 in the finale at Tulsa to close with an 11.38-second average for the week, placing him sixth in the Modified Naturally Aspirated category.

In addition to being a low 11-second warrior on the track. Guido’s car also gets it done on the road course at SCCA events — a testament to the abilities of the suspension setup from Total Control Products and Chassisworks.