After a few weeks off, a new engine combination, a larger turbocharger than normal and no testing, the Bruder Brothers loaded up their Edison, New Jersey-based Ford Mustang and rolled westbound to the beautiful Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois for the NMCA/NMRA Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing.

Friday did not start the way the X275-turned-Street Outlaw racer was hoping for. After a long line in the morning to get in the gate and then getting set up after parking, they missed the optional test & tune session offered to the racers to get a quick shakedown run. The first pass with the new DiSomma Racing Engines small-block Ford with the Precision 94mm turbocharger would be the ever-important first round of qualifying.

With brother Nick behind the laptop, the duo rolled to the lanes with a nice, safe, A-to-B tune-up loaded into their hot rod, hoping to get on the qualifying sheet and learn more about the new engine combination. The soft tune-up turned positive for the Bruders, sitting number six in a 27-car field with a 4.663 at 163 mph off the trailer. After two more rounds of qualifying, the team sat in the number four position with a strong 4.485 at 164–one of only four cars in the 4.40 elapsed time range on only three full passes with the new combination. That gave them a first round matchup with Arkansas’ runner, Chip Pike.

Bruder made quick work of Pike to advance to Sunday’s eliminations to face teammate John Ashnault in the second round of VP Racing Fuels/Stainless Works Street Outlaw. Rich had to earn the second round win in a pedal fest over Ashnault, which resulting in him losing lane choice to multi-time NMRA champion, John Urist, in the quarter-finals.

Bruder took the win not once, but twice, over R&E Racing’s Eric Gustafson who had engine issues and lost oil pressure in the NMCA vs. NMRA Super Bowl run-off.

After going back to the trailer, reworking the tune-up and reading the track conditions, Bruder powered to a 4.565 to defeat a spinning Urist to advance to the semi-finals and face another ProCharged car, Phil Hines. Hines, just like Urist, struck the tires at the hit and Bruder clocked another 4.565 to earn a trip to the finals in his first outing in the NMCA/NMRA in Street Outlaw trim–a showdown with number two qualifier, West Coast runner Eric Gustafson and his ProCharged Mustang.

The Bruder Brothers powered down the Route 66 tarmac to a 4.533 at over 163 mph to defeat Gustafson who had issues as the Bruders claimed their first NMRA win in their inaugural trip to an event. Bruder came back around to defeat Gustafson, who had more issues, once again to give NMRA a point in the ever popular Super Bowl Race for the Rings format and helped the NMRA take the overall title once again!