Ben Calimer Captures True Street Victory at NMRA Atlanta with VMP Powered S550

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Runs 9.912-Second Average Winning Overall True Street Class

The weekend of April 5-8, 2018 marked the NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals event held at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia. Cars of all colors and combos battled it out on the 1320’. True Street is a class that features street-legal cars ranging from mostly stock to heavily modified. First, drivers take on a 30-mile cruise. After, they make three consecutive passes to grab the closest average ET to 9-, 10-, 11-, 12-, 13-, 14-, 15-, and 16-second passes.

Ben Calimer, owner of Calimers Performance Transmissions, entered his 2016 Mustang GT into the True Street Class. Powered by a Stage 3 VMP Gen2 kit, he seized the overall class victory with a 9.912-second average time. “My best pass was a 9.60 at 139 with a 1.35 60-foot,” Ben tells us.

Along with the VMP Gen2 Stage 3 kit, other modifications include VMP tune, ID1000 injectors, a Fore return-style fuel system with twin 465 pumps, PMAS cold air, 80mm Roush pulley, GForce half shafts, DSS driveshaft, a Circle D 5C converter, and Baer drag brakes. Weld RTS wheels set off the rear while Alumastars complement the front. Gases flow through American Racing headers to a full American Racing exhaust. Handling is provided by UPR toe links and vertical links, along with aftermarket shocks in the rear.

A few weeks ago, the car was naturally aspirated and running a best of 10.86 with the Cobra Jet setup. With the VMP Gen2 kit and tune, it’s running in the 9’s – more than a full second faster in the quarter-mile.

“I do my own work on the car. Everything from top to bottom,” Ben states. “For future goals, I plan to do the oil pump gears, crank sprocket and pulley down to a 69 mm.” Congrats to Ben on his True Street win! We can’t wait to see what it does in the future!