For a family that’s only been drag racing for four years, the Bongiovanni’s from New Jersey has assembled a fleet of fast Ford Cobra Jets. Father Anthony has two 2008 Cobra Jets that he raced last year in NHRA Stock and Super Stock and in 2009 he commissioned B&B Race Cars to build a new Cobra Jet starting from a 2010 Mustang body-in-white.  While Anthony has been learning the ins-and-outs of Stock and Super Stock racing, his two daughters have been developing their driving skills in junior dragsters with plans to drive a Cobra Jet when they turn 18.

“I have two girls age 13 and 17, and they have been racing since they were 9 and 13 in junior dragsters,” said Bongiovanni. “My older one Michelle is getting out of juniors so we’ve put this car together for her to race. This deal really started out 18 months ago with a 2008 Cobra Jet stocker with the 4.6L 3-valve motor. It wasn’t really competitive in the older car so when NHRA approved this combination for 2010, that motor was a lot more competitive. I already had a body in white so I took that engine and created this car. “

The modular 4.6 liter 3-valve engine in the new car was assembled by B&B Racing Engines in Rahway, New Jersey. NHRA rules allow racers building a new 4.6L Cobra Jet to run a Ford Racing intake, cams, pistons and throttle body. Bongiovanni updated last years motor to the 2010 specs and thinks the combination should be competitive. While the 4.6-liter naturally aspirated engine may not have the grunt of the supercharged 5.4, Bongiovanni thinks it will be a safe car for his daughter to learn in.

The Bongiovanni’s plan to run the car next year in NHRA’s Northeast Division 1, with a debut planned in February at the Division 2 races in Florida.  Plans are to run the Mustang in the J/SA Stock Eliminator class.

Last year, Anthony campaigned a AA/SA Cobra Jet in Stock and a SS/CA Cobra Jet in Super Stock. “We had a ball running junior dragsters doing all the traveling and racing. For the future I started to investigate a way to continue on as the kids got older.” recalled Bongiovanni. “I wanted to build a big car and the Shelby GT500 looked appealing since I like Fords and Mustangs. I ended up building two 2008 CJ’s from B&B, one for her and one for me.

The original plan was to build a Shelby GT500, but trouble sourcing parts and the arrival of the Cobra Jet program made the decision a no brainer. “We were starting with a V6 car and the Shelby hood and front end were tough to find, said Bongiovanni. “Ford Racing came out with the Cobra Jet body and exterior kit. I did some homework and found out that the NHRA approved the supercharged motor for the Stock Cobra Jet at 425 horsepower.”

When asked about the effect of the new cars from Dodge and Ford on NHRA sportsman racing, Bongiovanni likes the challenge. “I think it’s (the CJ engine) is a little underrated, but I think its good for the sport. It brings in new blood. You can’t keep running the old stuff all the time and expect the sport to run forward.  Although I have not gone thorough 30 years of tuning experience, I built these cars and I’ve paid the freight to get these cars to do what I want them to do.  There are not a lot of people with experience with these Cobra Jets or the motors. If I built a 68 Camaro, there is a wealth of information on that. I’ve gone through a lot of trials and tribulations getting these cars to run and I’m still going through it.”

Bongiovanni is happy with the progress he has made with the cars and thinks the Cobra Jet’s new technology moves the class forward. He feels confident that the NHRA tech department will figure out a way to balance the latest cars from Detroit with the earlier iron.

After taking delivery of the new 2010 Cobra Jet just after Thanksgiving, Bongiovanni sees some progression from the 2008 car.  “Darren and I took what we learned from racing the 2008 Cobra Jet and applied it to the new car. Right out of the shop, it sits nice and we’re running the new Ford 5R55S automatic transmission. The 5R55S transmission has been a focus of this new car project. The challenge has been the computer controller is different from the one that runs the engine. With the new car we tried to stay within the guidelines of what a stock eliminator car should be but everything progresses as automotive technology evolves.

Compared to some traditional Stock Eliminator cars, Bongiovanni’s Cobra Jet has all the latest in chassis and suspension updates from B&B Race Cars.  The Middle Tennessee shop has built record setting NHRA Super Stock Cobalts, Challenger Drag Pack cars and Cobra Jets, so they are familiar with how to build a fast yet safe race car.

“You look at the roll cage and some might say it looks like a super stock car and we went a little overboard”, said Bongiovanni. “I did go overboard on some things like the 40 spline rear axles and roll cage. But it really came down to safety because my daughter is going to be running it. I want a safe of car as possible for her to run.“