Ryan Hargett’s Mustang Dominates in Drag-and-Drive Competition

After more than a decade of refining his 2011 Ford Mustang, longtime racer and business owner Ryan Hargett is searching for his first 6-second, street-legal pass – and he’s already come close to doing the deed as he clicked off an impressive 7.170 at 196.08 mph trip during 2023’s Drag Week tour.

Introduced to drag racing by his father, Dennis Hargett, Hargett has been around the sport ever since he was born. In 1992, when he was 16 years old, he started running at local tracks around his hometown of Evansville, Indiana.

Over the years, Hargett honed his skills and expanded his repertoire, garnering 30 years of experience wheeling everything from bracket cars to Pro Modified monsters. “I’ve raced street cars all the way up to an 800 cubic inch, nitrous oxide-assisted Pro Mod with a clutch pedal and a Lenco transmission,” shared the NMCA Pro Street national event winner who also finished in the top 10 for NMCA season points on multiple occasions.

Together with his wife, Tammy, who has been next to his car for every pass he’s made down the dragstrip since he was 16 years old, Hargett took over his father’s Hargett Automotive Machine business in 2012. He expanded operations and rebranded to Hargett Automotive & Performance, then began offering everything from general auto repair and oil changes to chassis fabrication, custom engine builds, dyno tuning, and more.

One year before beginning the business, though, Hargett had purchased a new, Kona Blue 2011 Ford Mustang with the ultimate intention of turning it into a dedicated drag-and-drive brute. With only 5,000 miles logged on the odometer, the build began in 2016 and only took one short year until the car was ready to start earning its keep in 2017.

The chassis work, done by Tin Soldier Race Cars, yielded a potent finished product: a 25.3 SFI-certified S197 ready to rip on both the street and the strip while providing a safe, solid platform for its pilot. After the cage was finished, Hargett returned the roller to Hargett Automotive & Performance to begin installing the drivetrain.

Ford’s famous Coyote engine was selected as the starting point for what was to be an even better version of the factory’s flagship powerplant. Although Hargett built the 302 cubic inch engine himself, the platform was first prepped with expert machine work by TKM Performance.

“It’s a stock Ford Predator block that’s been sleeved and uses a stock Ford Predator crankshaft, R&R aluminum connecting…