By Mary Lendzion
The NMCA Mickey Thompson Street Outlaw category is filled with impassioned competitors.
They want to go fast, they want to go rounds and they want to get to the winner's circle. They also face challenges head-on, and among them is Alan Felts of Bowling Green, Kentucky.
He's honed in on hauling in his Mustang powered by a small-block Ford put together by Jeff Burns Racing Engines and paired with a Precision 88mm turbo, and he does whatever it takes to ensure that he does.
To get his NMCA season started, Felts set the pace in qualifying with a 4.25 and won with a 4.29 at Whipple Superchargers NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem presented by Holbrook Racing Engines in March at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida. While he was at it, he set elapsed time and top speed records in the category with 4.257 and 168.32 mph, and those records still stand.
Felts led qualifying again, this time with a 4.29, and lost in the second round of eliminations at the Scoggin Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals presented by MAHLE Motorsport in April at Atlanta Dragway. After that, he qualified in the sixth spot with a 4.47 and lost in the second round of eliminations at NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing presented by HPJ Performance in May at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois.
While Felts wasn't able to make the Inaugural Arrington Performance NMRA/NMCA Power Festival presented by Force Engineering in July at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Michigan, he set the pace in qualifying with a 4.44 but illuminated the red in the first round of eliminations at the NMCA All-American Nationals in August at Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio.
With complete concentration, he led qualifying with a 4.30, went to the winner's circle with a 4.36, and captured the 2021 NMCA Mickey Thompson Street Outlaw championship at the 20th Annual NMCA World Street Finals presented by Chevrolet Performance in September at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indiana
We started drag radial racing six years ago and worked hard to find victory, and finally, I can claim that I'm a world champion, said Felts. I've always looked up to people like Jessie Coulter, who has many championships, and it feels awesome to finally join the elite group of champions. I want to thank my dad, Johnny, who is always by my side, my mom Tena, my wife Jacqueline, and my biggest fans, my daughter, Kambree, and my son, Knox. And most of all, I want to thank my best friend, tuner and chassis builder, Jessie Coulter, and my sponsors Holley EFI, Energy Manufacturing, and RC Components.
Felts will be celebrated at the NMCA Muscle Car Nationals Champions Ceremony, which is held during the PRI Show on Dec. 10 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, and in the upcoming Champions Issue of Fastest Street Car Magazine.
It was a great season and goals were met, but we will continue to do better and work to go faster," said Felts. "The rush you get never gets old.