The air at Muncie Dragway hung thick with the scent of race fuel and nostalgia as classic Ford and Mercury iron warmed up for a quarter-mile battle. For the second year, the FE Race and Reunion came to Muncie Dragway in northern Indiana for a truly classic Blue Oval bonanza. As the name suggests, the FE Race and Reunion showcases the very best FE racers and hosts a car/truck show and swap meet, and there’s even a “’brats and beverage” barbecue.
For three days in late April, time travel was possible as racers, builders, enthusiasts, and fans experienced the FE Ford and Mercury horsepower, torque, and beauty. Along with the participants and spectators, our team made the trek to Muncie, Indiana, for this special event.
Matt and Charla Keiser own this 1972 F-350 time machine hauling a 9-second 1968 Mustang.
Locked in time, Muncie Dragway was the perfect setting for rumbling FE Race and Reunion warriors. Its rustic feel and grippy quarter-mile surface provide the perfect setting for drag racing and the off-track fun.
FE Race and Reunion fanatics came from seemingly everywhere—some hauling factory race cars, others dragging battle-worn machines, and some arriving with dreams of taking home a show trophy. Meanwhile, the pits were buzzing with a variety of FoMoCo iron, all packing venerable FE powerplants.
There were many 427 SOHC FE “Cammer” engines on hand
You won’t find a Coyote, Cleveland, modular, Windsor, or anything else for that matter underhood. This gathering is all about the classic FE engine. We watched tools clanging, timing lights flashing, and racers doing everything imaginable to dial in for the race. Engines roared to life, and the stories were flying faster than the cars.
A red Galaxie rolled in, proudly displaying “Heavy Duty” in paint on the quarters, its 427 SOHC “Cammer” thumping even at idle. Right behind it, a 202 Comet pulled up with a 427 and four-speed combination. Next came a 390 Mustang, paint worn thin but history thick. That was the magic of the reunion—perfect restorations parked beside machines that had never stopped racing. And there were race car names, too: “Satisfaction,” “Mr. Twister,” “Midnite Express,” “Metro Missile,” “The Flying Fridge,” and more.
A father-daughter team drove in with this street-legal 1964 Fairlane Gasser.
Produced from 1958-69, FE engines have a storied history, with a wide range of performance variants and a track record spanning from Le Mans to Laguna Seca. The 7.0L 427 has won races in NASCAR and across the globe, including Le Mans, under the skin of the famed Ford GT40. The famed 428 Cobra Jet has ruled dragstrips from 1968 to the present. And let’s not forget the 390, the 406, and the FE Race and Reunion, which showcased big-inch stroker combos with displacements upward of 500 ci, pushing these machines into the 8s at 150 mph!
“The FE Race and Reunion is a celebration of people as much as of the cars and engines,” co-founder Zach Straits, who arrived in his 1961 Country Squire wagon with 390 power, says. “Our community is tight-knit, and we enjoy the camaraderie and energy in the pits and on the track. It’s also our tradition to donate the event’s proceeds to Camp Light in Virginia, a nonprofit organization that provides experiences for at-risk youths and their families.” MR
One of the first racers we spoke to was Ray Paquet, who, at 76, is still jamming the gears in his original 427 Thunderbolt. Paquet builds his own engines, which develop upwards of 900 hp and rev past 9,000 rpm! Paquet has amassed over 75 NHRA Class wins in Super Stock and still competes regularly in Division 3.Champions were crowned at the Ford FE Race and Reunion in the Muncie Dragway Winner’s Circle.Stuart Goertzen took home the gold in FE Pro with his 390-powered, four-speed Cougar. Goertzen typically competes in the NHRA Stock Eliminator category.The FE Race and Reunion brought out all types of FoMoCo iron, including this wicked Galaxie with a SOHC 427 “Cammer!”Muncie Dragway is a throwback to the old days of drag racing, which was perfect for this classic event.Matt and Charla Keiser’s ultraclean 9-second 1967 Fairlane looks as good as it goes.Chris Kuhl put on a wheelie show with his incredible 1969 Mustang.The swap meet was chock full of great parts, including carburetors, body parts, trim, intake manifolds, and more.Bruce Wolfe displayed the former John Vermeersch 1962 Galaxie that packed a 406 with dual quads and a four-speed transmission for good measure.Here’s the engine bay of the former John Vermeersch 1962 Galaxie. The sticker on the valve cover says “Experimental”.Event co-founder and member of the Bonneville 200-mph Club, Zach Straits, was seen cruising his 1961 Country Squire wagon. This car was mildly restomodded with a hot 390 FE. As a back story, it originally served as a Hertz rental car in Washington state.Randy Spohn blasted the quarter-mile with his 8.30-second Falcon.Something you don’t see every day is a 1959 Ford drag car. Wayne Wihelm built his “Grandma’s Grocery Getter” with FE power to run 9s.There was so much to see in Muncie, such as this 427 Comet clone. The clean 202 model had all the correct bits, including a four-speed transmission.Don Fotti made the trek from Manitoba. He has owned this real 428 CJ Mustang for over 50 years. It has a Lance Line stroker and runs 9s in street trim.The car show was a big hit and filled up with a variety of Ford, Mercury, and some oddball muscle.There were plenty of Nostalgia Super Stocks, including Fairlanes, Comets, Cyclones, Galaxies, Torinos, and more. This is Kevin Czajkowski, who won the Quick 8.We even saw a four-speed, 10-second Pinto mixing it up on track.This 1964 Fairlane wagon with a blown FE says it all and tells you this is a really fun event.Fans loved the sounds and wild antics of the big-power FE superstarsWalking the pics and getting up close to the cars and stars was just as much fun as watching the racing.This 1970 428 CJ Mustang runs in the Factory Appearing Stock Tire series but made an appearance at the FE Race and Reunion.More than just race cars, all FE-powered vehicles were welcome. Here’s a nice Cyclone with 428 power.The FE Race and Reunion was your chance to snag those hard-to-find FE parts.Now that’s what we call “up on the wheel!”It’s all about that FE power, and we saw every type and cubic inch displacement.
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