NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Ron Feist was selected as the winner of the Holley Never Rest Award at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals after thrashing hard to get his father, Bill's Stock eliminator Mustang ready for competition at Brainerd International Raceway.

"I hurt the motor in my own 427 '67 Fairlane in testing during the double divisional at Brainerd, and I jokingly told my dad that I'd pulled the cover off of his Mustang and was getting ready to load it," said Feist. "He said, 'Take it,' so I spent the weekend getting the car ready.

"I'd never driven a stick car before, but I got a lot of advice and coaching from Dad and other racers. [Shoutout to Scott Dugdale.] I practiced staging in the pits. After my first pass, I got out of the car and felt like an 18-year-old running down the track for the first time.

"Dad has made great progress after being treated for tonsil and lymph node cancer in early April. I sent him the runs and RacePak info. He tells me I'm not shifting fast enough!"