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"I couldn't be happier for Brent Hajek and John Calvert who have taken the car that we designed, and created a championship race car in just six weeks," said Brian Wolfe, director of Ford North America Motorsports. "I am especially happy that John was able to drive the Al Joniec tribute car that won in 1968 to a victory in 2009. It is an unbelievable debut for the Cobra Jet."
"I couldn't be prouder of the team who got the car together, and a lot of credit needs to go to the group at Ford Racing who developed the Cobra Jet and once again developed a race car that, like the Mustang FR500C, won in its initial outing."
Driving for Oklahoma-based Brent Hajek Motorsports, Calvert piloted the Cobra Jet through a chaotic opening weekend that stretched over six days due to rain delays. Calvert, a former world champion (1991 Stock) and a three-time NHRA Winternationals champion, normally runs a 1968 Cobra Jet. He agreed to drive the Hajek '08 entry in Stock Eliminator at the Winternationals.
"How cool is this? It was like a storybook ending that was meant to be," said Hajek, who entered four Cobra Jet Mustangs at Pomona. "It is our first time entering a national event and we won! This program was always about paying tribute and respect to the drivers from '68 who started the legend of the Cobra Jet. This was about upholding their honor and everyone involved with this project deserves a great deal of credit."
The FR500 series of Mustangs are race-ready cars, designed by Ford Racing engineers for performance-conscious customers, that can be rolled right off of a truck and win in competition. In winning its debut race, the '08 Cobra Jet matched the accomplishment of its sister car, the Mustang FR500C.
The FR500C was first delivered to customers at the 2005 Grand-Am Rolex Series opening race in Daytona on a Wednesday, won the race on Friday and went on to secure a championship its first season. The FR500CJ has repeated history by delivering a victory for the FR500 series of Mustangs in its debut weekend.
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