Pushing your car to its outer limits is what makes drag racing fun, but sometimes pushing that extra little bit can lead to disaster. For Dustin Maddocks, that edge was discovered in a smoke filled way in his LSX swapped Ford Mustang.

Maddocks’ 1986 Notchback Mustang had stock 5.3L engine with untouched 799 casting heads under the hood before the top end thermal event.  The combo breathed though a GM Performance Parts carb-style intake converted to EFI with an Edelbrock elbow and 102mm throttle body. Feeding boost though the Big 3 Racing turbo kit is a BorgWarner s480 turbo.  This simple, yet effective setup put down over 750 horsepower to the wheels on the Big 3 Racing Mustang Dyno.

The Mustang has seen action this year at different tracks all over, including some NMCA events and the Holley LS Fest, where it competed in the LSX Rumble Class. During a final test session Maddocks decided to turn the wick up on his machine to see what kind of performance the great air at Quaker City Dragway would allow. The car ran a new best of 9.31 at 148 mph before the fateful final pass. In true John Force-of-old fashion, Maddocks piloted his car on fire through the lights with a lap off 9.55 at 138 mph when the motor gave up…in a very obvious manner.  Thankfully the LSX mill was wearing a freshly-installed engine diaper that kept all the fluid off the track and the Mustang’s tires.