Racin’ Jason Mustang To Make Debut At Yellow Bullet Nationals

Racin' Jason 2

Many Mustang drag racers owe their reason for taking up the sport to this car. Racin’ Jason Betwarda might as well have been a rock star back in the day, this car was so famous. Unfortunately, Racin’ Jason died in a crash while testing his 10.5 Fox coupe at Lebanon Valley Dragway on June 12th, 1999.

After a long hibernation and purchase by Betwarda’s buddy Joe Caldwell, the convertible is close to making a return to the drag strip. “I knew the car from the beginning. I watched it get built,” Caldwell says. “I hunted the car down for 10 years. It was hidden,” Caldwell adds.

Caldwell says the car was, “a mess when I got it.” However, he didn’t care about that. All he cared was that he had the car, and he was going to rebuild it, no matter what. Caldwell heard the engine was still at Duttweiler’s place. “The guy that bought the engine let it sit at Duttweiler Performance all these years,” Caldwell says. During the car’s heyday, the engine was top of the line. Before sending the engine to Caldwell, Duttweiler updated it to today’s technology, but kept the timeless performance pieces.

The 408-inch Windsor is the same engine the car had in it back in the day, but with updated components. At one time, every Pro 5.0 car had Yates heads on it.

The 408-inch Windsor is the same engine the car had in it back in the day, but with updated components. At one time, every Pro 5.0 car had Yates heads on it.

The engine is a 408-inch Windsor starting with a Dart aluminum block, a Bryant crank, Oliver lightweight steel rods, Diamond pistons, Yates heads from Bill Elliott, a Wilson intake, 160 lb/hr injectors, an Accufab throttle body, and a Big Stuff 3 engine management system.

Once Duttweiler was done with the engine it was then shipped to C&F Race Cars to get fitted to the car. C&F built the headers, mounted the twin 88mm turbos, and added a new fuel cell and intercooler system. C&F also re-tubbed the car, replaced a section of the car’s floorpan, and had the chassis certified. “Everything under the car is brand new,” Caldwell says.

A Team Z Motorsports front suspension was added, along with a new steering column, while the car’s existing 9-inch rear was treated to new Strange components. C&F had the car running by using an Aeromotive mechanical fuel pump, a Danny Bee belt drive, and an MSD ignition. A fire system was even added to the car for an even extra measure of safety.

In February of this year Caldwell took the car to Frank Soldridge at PSI Speed Solutions to add the transmission, driveshaft, and have Race Wires’ Troy Baum re-wire the car. The transmission consists of a Dedenbear case with ATI components inside, and a Pro Torque converter.

“Tim Essick and Dan Whetstine have been a huge help on the car, as have been a lot of people” Caldwell says. Vincent Auto Body in Mamaroneck, New York was tasked with redoing the car’s body, and will be applying the new paint over the car’s stock panels, VFN trunklid, and the combination of the original hood and one Caldwell purchased for the car. The two had to be molded together to arrive at the correct look for the car.

The plan is to dyno the car, and once everything checks out and it makes the power Caldwell wants to see from the combination, the car is going to be taken apart and sent to Vincent’s for the final paint on the car. After the car’s painted, it’s going back to Caldwell’s house for the lettering. Caldwell was able to find a guy that has the original font that was used on the car back in the day. The idea is for the car to look exactly the way it did when Racin’ Jason and Mike Ragusa raced it, just way better.

The car is currently in primer, but will be going to Vincent's Auto Body for fresh white paint.

The car is currently in primer, but will be going to Vincent’s Auto Body for fresh white paint.

Then it will go back to C&F for suspension set-up and scaling. Basically, C&F is going to give it a once-over to make sure it’s ready to race. Then Caldwell, Ragusa, and Soldridge will take the car to a private test session to shake down the car. Ragusa is going to drive the car once again. When Caldwell asked Ragusa what it was like to drive the convertible back in the day, Ragusa’s answer was, “Driving the car was like wrestling an alligator.” Hopefully, with the car’s rebirth, improved build practices, and technological advances in the last 20 years, the car will be a little more tame this time around.

The hope is to have the car done for May 1st, but with setbacks already, that date is rather optimistic. More likely it will be ready in June for a small Englishtown debut, where Betwarda’s parents will be in attendance. After the Englishtown unveiling, the car will be at the Yellow Bullet Nationals at Cecil County.

March 31st is the 20th anniversary of the Racin’ Jason convertible being the first Mustang in the sevens. The current goal for the car is to run in the sixes and then make exhibition passes at various events, take it to shows, and let a new generation of racers and fans enjoy the car.

About the author

Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson brings his years of experience in the Mustang aftermarket and performance industry to StangTV. He has been passionate about cars since childhood, with a special affinity for the Mustang.
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