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At Mustang Week, it's time to hit the track for hot laps at K1 speed

Tires squealed and throttles were slammed to the floor, but the action was safely off-road at Mustang Week 2024. The event has a long tradition of cornering that dates back to when the race track still existed, but the Mustang Week K1 Challenge presented by DeatschWerks kept that spirit alive on the go-kart track.

The beauty of Mustang Week is the variety of activities offered at the events and around town. This event moved the Mustang's 60th anniversary celebration indoors, where there were some exciting activities: Participants competed for the chance to win a $1,000 gift card for first place, a $750 card for second place, and a $500 card for third place, as well as the chance to compete with celebrity drivers such as Vaughn Gittin, Ben Hobson, Jack Roush Jr., and Chad Finchum.

Of course, the other great thing about Mustang Week is that the event's namesake car is everywhere, so the parking lot at K1 Speed ​​was like its own car show and we got to check out some of those vehicles too.

Next we reach the climax of Mustang Week as the Mustang's 60th Anniversary celebration culminates in the official Mustang Week car show at the Myrtle Beach Mall. There will be thousands of cars on display, prizes on the line, and many dealers showcasing their wares. Before we head to the mall, we'll check out the action from the K1 Challenge presented by DeatschWerks.

All participants in the Mustang Week K1 Challenge presented by DeatschWerks received 10% off online purchases from DeatschWerks during Mustang Week, but only the fastest drivers secured a spot in the final race. (Photos by Steve Turner)

Each rider raced two races and only a select few made it to the final round against riders like Vaughn Gittin Jr., Ben Hobson, Jack Roush Jr. and Chad Finchum. Before the race everyone was excited, but once they put their helmets on it became a fiercely competitive race.

In the end, Vaughn Gittin Jr. took the overall win, but of the amateur riders, Lincoln James finished second overall and first among the non-professionals, receiving a $1,000 gift card from DeatschWerks. Ryan Levenson received a $750 gift card for second place and Taylor Toler received a $500 gift card for third place. “It's really fun to race against professionals who do this for a living and come second to everyone,” Lincoln said. All of the top finishers received trophies and championship belts courtesy of DeatschWerks.

Mustang Week

RTR's chief fun-haver Vaughn Gittin Jr. took first place overall, with Ben Hobson and Jack Roush Jr. rounding out the top three pro drivers. “It was a really cool event. I think Mustang Week was missing something like that to get people's adrenaline pumping and the pros and visitors having fun,” he said. “It was insane. I had a blast. Everyone did it cleanly. I wasn't the fastest. I was just consistent and of course had clean air, but it was awesome. It was super cool to race with some of the locals and the Mustang Week team. I'm looking forward to keeping my belt next year.”

Although there was no official car show, there were plenty of cute studs in the Player 1UP parking lot during the K1 Challenge presented by DeatschWerks. One that drew a lot of attention was Matthew Blancett's 2014 Mustang GT, which is wrapped in a Spiderman motif. Blanchett, a veteran and retired police officer, says the Spiderman comics helped him come home after his military service. The graphics, applied by Wrap Compound, are just a costume for an S197 that's equipped with 633 horsepower superpowers thanks to a Paxton supercharger and more.

Fox Mustangs are not uncommon at Mustang Week, but it's not often you see an original 1979 Mustang on the scene. Rick Smith owned the car since it was new, buying it from Crescent Ford, where he worked at the time. It's powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder that was tuned and rebuilt by Roush. Smith ordered it in this configuration because he's not a fan of the pace cars from that model year.

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