Blackforest leads Mustang 1-2 at Daytona

David Empringham out-dueled friend and fellow Mustang pilot Scott Maxwell to cross the line in first place by a slim 0.356-second-margin to claim Blackforest Motorsports’ second Fresh From Florida 200 victory at Daytona International Speedway in three years. The race featured a huge 106 car starting grid. Empringham shared the driving duties and the champagne spraying with Tom Nastasi, who started the Koni Challenge race from third position, but made quick work of making his way to the front of the pack before turning the USG Sheetrock Mustang FR500C over to Empringham.

The victory was like déjà vu all over again for Nastasi, who took a break-through win in 2005 when Blackforest gave the Mustang FR500C a proper Koni Challenge debut at Daytona International Speedway.

“I just tried to save the car for David as much as I could, but I still had no problem taking the lead," said Nastasi. “The Mustang was fantastic, and David had a great battle with Scott out there. I told him he’d better win, or bring the car back in a bucket trying! Fortunately, he drove a great clean race and we’re here in victory circle. I was really disappointed to not win this race last year, so it feels pretty good right now to get back to the top of the podium."

“I had a lot of fun fighting with Scott because we are friends and share office space back home in Toronto, so it’s going to be great to give him a hard time about this for a while," smiled Empringham, who was the 2005 Koni Challenge Champion. “Brian Nott (Blackforest Motorsports team owner) prepares these Mustangs better than anyone else, and it is always great to get to race with this team. I want to thank Tom for giving me the opportunity to race this car again because it was just fantastic on this track."

The Blackforest squad is based in nearby Deland, Florida, and campaigned five Mustangs in the three-hour event.