Bob Guido's 1969 Ford Mustang | 2016 OUSCI Recap

We've come across more than a few cars in OUSCI competition over the years, that have been a lot of places and done a lot of things, but Bob Guido's 1969 Ford Mustang has to be near the top in terms of street car credibility. You see, Bob doesn't own a trailer and he lives in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada. That means if Bob wants to do any of the really cool car stuff that happens in North America, he'll probably be piling on some serious miles just to get across the Canadian border.

How far North is Guido? If he drove due West from his home, he'd eventually drive into Alaska. If drove South, he'd still be in Canada nine hours later. When Bob drove to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for the Road America qualifying event, it was a 5,800-mile roundtrip excursion. Bob's enthusiasm for the series was rewarded at Road America with a K&N Spirit of the Event invitation to the 2016 OUSCI. That meant another 50-hour roundtrip drive down to Las Vegas, but that was nothing for a guy who already covered 5,800 miles just to make it to a qualifying event and had already competed in Hot Rod Magazine's Drag Week, where he also won a Spirit of the Event award.

As it turns out, Bob's nickname for his '69 Mustang Grande, "Red Wreck," has some meaning behind it, as Bob has an on-track incident with his car during Dragweek 2013. While the Mustang's sheet metal was damaged, Bob's determination was unfazed. He hammered out his panels and kept on racing. Bob has since repaired the Mustang and tells us all the work on his car has been performed by himself, his dad (paint) or his brother (roll cage welding). All the way around, Bob's car represents another resounding contradiction to those who think only professionally-built, high-dollar trailer queens make it into the OUSCI.

Bob's ponycar runs a small block 427 cubic-inch Windsor engine, topped with AFR Renegade heads, a custom cam from Flowtech Induction and FiTech's Meanstreet EFI system, which results in 501 horsepower traveling to the rear tires. Even with his drag racing background, Bob runs a T-56 Magnum, six-speed manual transmission, which helps transfer power through an aluminum driveshaft to a Ford nine-inch rearend with 3.89 gears and 31-spline axles from Bear's Performance.

Guido also installed a new suspension with components from Total Control Products and dual-adjustable VariShocks on all four corners. BFG Rivals measure 275/35 up front and 315/30 on the rear and Procar Evolution seats and Autometer gauges are featured inside. Bob's rollcage does have removable door bars and it also keeps him legal on the quarter mile, where his personal best is a 10.98.

At the 2016 OUSCI, the Lingenfelter Design & Engineering Challenge was Bob's strongest event and he notched a top-50 finish in a very tough field. On the Detroit Speed Autocross, Bob's Mustang was one of six cars to post times in the 59-second range and he finished 67th in that event. Five cars posted times in the 16-second range on the PowerStop Speed Stop Challenge and Bob's 16.387 run placed him 72nd. On the Falken Tire Road Course Time Trial, Guido's best lap of 2:02.655 at LVMS placed him 64th in that segment.

Overall, Guido's Mustang placed 64th at the 2016 OUSCI, a solid performance for a rookie appearance in what turned out to be the fastest field in the event's history. If you'd like to ride along on some of Bob's runs, be sure to check out the Bob Guido YouTube channel. If you'd like to learn more about the OUSCI qualifying series, head over to www.DriveOPTIMA.com