Mw

cyberstang5.0 · 08-22-2003, 01:45 PM

Am I blonde or just stupid?

I read at the bottom of Dan's sig and it says...
"The Mustang Works Magazine"

Is MW a magazine as well as a website?

If it is, I have been here for 2 years and did not know that... I should be shot.

StangFlyer · 08-22-2003, 03:16 PM

It is not a "print" magazine, but an online magazine or eZine. It's a lot of things. In essence, Mustang Works is a large community based site that provides communications, interaction, news, articles, and other information to its readers and members. It is because we've often published our own original content (features, event coverage, tech) that it goes beyond just a "website" to be a media source, as well.

Does that cover it?

Well, not quite...

Actually your post has brought a lot to mind, so I am going to go off on a large tangent and tell a few stories that many might not know regarding the history of Mustang Works. As, in a mere eight years of operation, this site has forged a very intriguing history in the Ford / Mustang industry. Many people have been involved with Mustang Works over the years that have gone on to do significant things and/or greatly influence our industry.

Several years ago, before James Lawrence was the cofounder and co-owner of the NMRA racing series (now ProMedia Publishing as the parent company) and the Fastest Street Car racing series, he was the founder of Ford Performance Solutions, an aftermarket parts reseller and shop, in California. When he started it, he primarily was selling and advertising online. He also did a lot of advertising on Mustang Works, and then later started writing some articles for the site also (see Cylinder Head Science).

James was actually starting to grow FPS quickly, and therefore brought on board a couple employees to work in his warehouse/shop. Not too long after he had started writing for MW, one night his two employees came into the warehouse and cleaned him out! If I remember right, they stole like $30K in parts from him. Well, being a newer company, this effectively put him out of business overnight. So, he had to sell FPS for what he had left in order to cover his losses and save the company. The new owners, of course, kept FPS going and it has since been built into a successful aftermarket parts supplier.

After this happened, however, James actually ended up landing a job as a writer with 5.0 Mustang Magazine. My understanding is that he used the work he did here at Mustang Works as an example of what he could do to help him land the job. James worked with 5.0 Mustang, where Rob Kinnan was the Managing Editor. During their time at 5.0 together they formed the idea for the NMRA racing series. After James was there a year, they both left their jobs at 5.0 Mustang and founded the National Mustang Racers Association together. Of course, the rest is history, as they've built one of the biggest Ford racing programs in existence and formed Race Pages Magazine to support it. Then more recently created the Fastest Street Car racing series and the Fastest Street Car Magazine, as well.

James is a great guy, and even if it wasn't the main thing, I like to think that Mustang Works was one of the influencing factors that turned the course of history because he was able to show his work here to help land his job at 5.0 Mustang. And, of course, that's what led him to partner up with Rob and for them to eventually form the NMRA. Now... that's cool!

Another story would be Dr. Jamie Meyer, the "center" of information and gossip of the Mustang racing world. Years ago, we worked together and got to know one another during our years doing work with the Fun Ford Weekend racing series. When I founded the original Fun Ford Weekend website, Jamie used to write the 5.0 Tire Tracks newsletter for Fun Ford. And, towards the end of working with Fun Ford he used to announce at their events. Of course, Jamie stopped working with FFW eventually (another story), but during those same years Jamie also did writing for MW (like The Natural).

Near the end of working with FFW and after writing pieces for MW, Jamie was able to start writing for 5.0 Mustang where he got to know James Lawrence. After James formed the NMRA and Race Pages, he also was asked to start writing for Race Pages and started doing work with the NMRA events too. Of course, today Jamie is a well know fixture with his articles in both 5.0 Mustang and Race Pages Magazine. In addition, he is the announcer at all the NMRA events now. Most anyone who's attended an NMRA event has heard his voice, where he excites the spectators with his excellent commentary, a talent he garners from his vast knowledge of all the racers and their cars and his own enthusiasm for our sport.

Then, back in 1996 I created the original Fun Ford website on the FunFord.com domain, which I own. I sought and successfully garnered official backing of it from FFW, as well. For six years, it was the official site of the FFW racing series, bringing FFW out of the dark ages and into the online future. Providing highly valued marketing and exposure to the racing series. And, I did it all for free. Although I believe I seriously got screwed over on the whole thing (that's another BIG story), it was still something I am very proud I could provide to the racing community and that I helped the largest Mustang racing series grow over a six year period.

During those years, I also envisioned and designed the Street Renegade racing class, after which I lobbied FFW to take on and implement. At the time the only place for a power adder car was in Street Outlaw. Unfortunately, cars in Street Outlaw were already running 9's at the time. Therefore, being competitive in S/O was an unrealistic expectation for any "real" street driven Mustang. This class was to fill that void and I foresaw it drawing a large number of people to FFW racing who had previously shied away from it because there was no place for them. Fortunately, I convinced FFW to implement the class as designed. To my own amazement it was a smashing success with about 50 cars appearing for it at the Spring Break Shootout event its first year. And, although the class has evolved over the years, it has remained one of the more popular classes in Mustang racing and has been adopted by the other racing programs due to its popularity.

Jamie Meyer on more than one occasion has written in the magazines that I am "the father" of Street Renegade. I highly appreciated him (and also Steve Turner at 5.0) making it known I created the class and making this known (because otherwise, it would not have been... another story), but I actually like to think that I was just a vehicle for the class. As what I did was simply match my own frustration over owning one of the highly modified street cars that had no real place in FFW for it, together with all the comments and suggestions from all those racers here at MW during that time period, to layout what all of us were looking for. But, it is certainly a good feeling, even still, that I was able to do something that had a significant influence and provided our industry with something such as a successful national racing class.

Furthermore, many tech articles and event features here have also been written by notable others, as well. Individuals like Chris Johnson, who after writing for some time on MW, went off to form Johnson Motorsports, and has become a successful Mustang tuner and shop owner. Mike Wesley, who wrote electronics and EEC articles for MW several years ago. Of course, he is now infamous in the industry for creating the calibration chip programming technology that in so commonly used to tune some of the hottest Mustangs on the street and track. And, even recently there's Dr. Rudy Rouweyha. A doctor by day in Ohio who operates his own practice, he's a proficient writer and a photographer extraordinaire. Although he hasn't founded a racing series, he's brought in-depth racing photography and article coverage to thousands of readers on Mustang Works, with many appearances in Race Pages, Fastest Street Car, and other print magazines.

And, in more recent history of the site, Nicolle Douglas joined up with me to help bring attention and dedicated material on MW for females in our hobby. Through our partnership, and much effort on her part, MW's has hopefully helped draw more females into our love... Mustangs (and more generally Ford Vehicles). Nicolle deserves a round of applause and appreciation for her efforts to help and promote females in this hobby. When I talk to her, and I see her drive and motivation to grow and succeed. And honestly, I often see myself and how I was years ago while I was originally building Mustang Works. She is a good person in this industry, and I know she will be successful. And, more importantly, she will make a difference. In fact, I think she already has.

Of course, all the moderators and individuals here who help out with MW, in their own way, have all in combination helped MW be one of the great information sources, communities, and homes on the Web for us all. Currently, we may not be the biggest traffic wise, but I'll be damned if this isn't the best! And, no one can tell me otherwise.

And, I've probably only told half the stories I could...!

mustangII460 · 08-22-2003, 05:58 PM

..and then there was one individual that went on to PRO 5.0 racing,,,,uh,,,,,,no he didn't, sorry.

Intresting information Dan, alot of which I was unaware of. Good deal. Lets all hope for continued success.!

srv1 · 08-22-2003, 09:14 PM

Dan, this site is great. I met some people off here in person and most likely more. I like this site better some others. Its kind of laid back. Everyone is really helpful. Plus I dont know of any Mustang or car related site where the Female forum is more popular than other forums! Thanks to Nicole and the other women as well. Great site! Good job you two!

James

Hethj7 · 08-22-2003, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mustangII460
..and then there was one individual that went on to PRO 5.0 racing,,,,uh,,,,,,no he didn't, sorry.

Yes, yes. Eric4Nitrous took the Pro 5.0 racing community by storm beginning with.....oh, yea, didn't happen!

Not too get to far off subject with that, just reliving a MW saga a little bit.

In all seriousness, Dan, you really have put together a great site. It is where I turn to for anything I need help with, not just Mustangs. I know it has been said before, but Thank You!!

08-22-2003, 01:45 PM	#1
cyberstang5.0 347ci of HORSE POWER!!! Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 1,416	Mw Am I blonde or just stupid? I read at the bottom of Dan's sig and it says... "The Mustang Works Magazine" Is MW a magazine as well as a website? If it is, I have been here for 2 years and did not know that... I should be shot.

08-22-2003, 03:16 PM	#2
StangFlyer Founder Join Date: Jun 1995 Location: Michigan Posts: 19,326	It is not a "print" magazine, but an online magazine or eZine. It's a lot of things. In essence, Mustang Works is a large community based site that provides communications, interaction, news, articles, and other information to its readers and members. It is because we've often published our own original content (features, event coverage, tech) that it goes beyond just a "website" to be a media source, as well. Does that cover it? Well, not quite... Actually your post has brought a lot to mind, so I am going to go off on a large tangent and tell a few stories that many might not know regarding the history of Mustang Works. As, in a mere eight years of operation, this site has forged a very intriguing history in the Ford / Mustang industry. Many people have been involved with Mustang Works over the years that have gone on to do significant things and/or greatly influence our industry. Several years ago, before James Lawrence was the cofounder and co-owner of the NMRA racing series (now ProMedia Publishing as the parent company) and the Fastest Street Car racing series, he was the founder of Ford Performance Solutions, an aftermarket parts reseller and shop, in California. When he started it, he primarily was selling and advertising online. He also did a lot of advertising on Mustang Works, and then later started writing some articles for the site also (see Cylinder Head Science). James was actually starting to grow FPS quickly, and therefore brought on board a couple employees to work in his warehouse/shop. Not too long after he had started writing for MW, one night his two employees came into the warehouse and cleaned him out! If I remember right, they stole like $30K in parts from him. Well, being a newer company, this effectively put him out of business overnight. So, he had to sell FPS for what he had left in order to cover his losses and save the company. The new owners, of course, kept FPS going and it has since been built into a successful aftermarket parts supplier. After this happened, however, James actually ended up landing a job as a writer with 5.0 Mustang Magazine. My understanding is that he used the work he did here at Mustang Works as an example of what he could do to help him land the job. James worked with 5.0 Mustang, where Rob Kinnan was the Managing Editor. During their time at 5.0 together they formed the idea for the NMRA racing series. After James was there a year, they both left their jobs at 5.0 Mustang and founded the National Mustang Racers Association together. Of course, the rest is history, as they've built one of the biggest Ford racing programs in existence and formed Race Pages Magazine to support it. Then more recently created the Fastest Street Car racing series and the Fastest Street Car Magazine, as well. James is a great guy, and even if it wasn't the main thing, I like to think that Mustang Works was one of the influencing factors that turned the course of history because he was able to show his work here to help land his job at 5.0 Mustang. And, of course, that's what led him to partner up with Rob and for them to eventually form the NMRA. Now... that's cool! Another story would be Dr. Jamie Meyer, the "center" of information and gossip of the Mustang racing world. Years ago, we worked together and got to know one another during our years doing work with the Fun Ford Weekend racing series. When I founded the original Fun Ford Weekend website, Jamie used to write the 5.0 Tire Tracks newsletter for Fun Ford. And, towards the end of working with Fun Ford he used to announce at their events. Of course, Jamie stopped working with FFW eventually (another story), but during those same years Jamie also did writing for MW (like The Natural). Near the end of working with FFW and after writing pieces for MW, Jamie was able to start writing for 5.0 Mustang where he got to know James Lawrence. After James formed the NMRA and Race Pages, he also was asked to start writing for Race Pages and started doing work with the NMRA events too. Of course, today Jamie is a well know fixture with his articles in both 5.0 Mustang and Race Pages Magazine. In addition, he is the announcer at all the NMRA events now. Most anyone who's attended an NMRA event has heard his voice, where he excites the spectators with his excellent commentary, a talent he garners from his vast knowledge of all the racers and their cars and his own enthusiasm for our sport. Then, back in 1996 I created the original Fun Ford website on the FunFord.com domain, which I own. I sought and successfully garnered official backing of it from FFW, as well. For six years, it was the official site of the FFW racing series, bringing FFW out of the dark ages and into the online future. Providing highly valued marketing and exposure to the racing series. And, I did it all for free. Although I believe I seriously got screwed over on the whole thing (that's another BIG story), it was still something I am very proud I could provide to the racing community and that I helped the largest Mustang racing series grow over a six year period. During those years, I also envisioned and designed the Street Renegade racing class, after which I lobbied FFW to take on and implement. At the time the only place for a power adder car was in Street Outlaw. Unfortunately, cars in Street Outlaw were already running 9's at the time. Therefore, being competitive in S/O was an unrealistic expectation for any "real" street driven Mustang. This class was to fill that void and I foresaw it drawing a large number of people to FFW racing who had previously shied away from it because there was no place for them. Fortunately, I convinced FFW to implement the class as designed. To my own amazement it was a smashing success with about 50 cars appearing for it at the Spring Break Shootout event its first year. And, although the class has evolved over the years, it has remained one of the more popular classes in Mustang racing and has been adopted by the other racing programs due to its popularity. Jamie Meyer on more than one occasion has written in the magazines that I am "the father" of Street Renegade. I highly appreciated him (and also Steve Turner at 5.0) making it known I created the class and making this known (because otherwise, it would not have been... another story), but I actually like to think that I was just a vehicle for the class. As what I did was simply match my own frustration over owning one of the highly modified street cars that had no real place in FFW for it, together with all the comments and suggestions from all those racers here at MW during that time period, to layout what all of us were looking for. But, it is certainly a good feeling, even still, that I was able to do something that had a significant influence and provided our industry with something such as a successful national racing class. Furthermore, many tech articles and event features here have also been written by notable others, as well. Individuals like Chris Johnson, who after writing for some time on MW, went off to form Johnson Motorsports, and has become a successful Mustang tuner and shop owner. Mike Wesley, who wrote electronics and EEC articles for MW several years ago. Of course, he is now infamous in the industry for creating the calibration chip programming technology that in so commonly used to tune some of the hottest Mustangs on the street and track. And, even recently there's Dr. Rudy Rouweyha. A doctor by day in Ohio who operates his own practice, he's a proficient writer and a photographer extraordinaire. Although he hasn't founded a racing series, he's brought in-depth racing photography and article coverage to thousands of readers on Mustang Works, with many appearances in Race Pages, Fastest Street Car, and other print magazines. And, in more recent history of the site, Nicolle Douglas joined up with me to help bring attention and dedicated material on MW for females in our hobby. Through our partnership, and much effort on her part, MW's has hopefully helped draw more females into our love... Mustangs (and more generally Ford Vehicles). Nicolle deserves a round of applause and appreciation for her efforts to help and promote females in this hobby. When I talk to her, and I see her drive and motivation to grow and succeed. And honestly, I often see myself and how I was years ago while I was originally building Mustang Works. She is a good person in this industry, and I know she will be successful. And, more importantly, she will make a difference. In fact, I think she already has. Of course, all the moderators and individuals here who help out with MW, in their own way, have all in combination helped MW be one of the great information sources, communities, and homes on the Web for us all. Currently, we may not be the biggest traffic wise, but I'll be damned if this isn't the best! And, no one can tell me otherwise. And, I've probably only told half the stories I could...! __________________ StangFlyer 1991 Mustang GT - Supercharged 377 Stroker 2000 Ford Lightning - Project Lightning Hauler Media Center Gallery - View my member photos

08-22-2003, 09:14 PM	#4
srv1 Get down..... Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Room 103 Posts: 2,095	Dan, this site is great. I met some people off here in person and most likely more. I like this site better some others. Its kind of laid back. Everyone is really helpful. Plus I dont know of any Mustang or car related site where the Female forum is more popular than other forums! Thanks to Nicole and the other women as well. Great site! Good job you two! James __________________ Cobra brakes are on! Finally..... ------------------------------------------------

08-22-2003, 05:58 PM	#3
mustangII460 Factoy Five Roadster Join Date: May 2000 Location: Sevier Co,Tennessee Posts: 1,681	..and then there was one individual that went on to PRO 5.0 racing,,,,uh,,,,,,no he didn't, sorry. Intresting information Dan, alot of which I was unaware of. Good deal. Lets all hope for continued success.!