Forty-one years ago the Ford Motor Company sent four drivers to the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Ca. and together they performed magnificently introducing the new 1968 Ford Cobra Jet Mustang, putting driver Al Joniec in the Super Stock winners circle.

This season has an opportunity to repeat itself in a roundabout way.

There’s no factory backing this time, but at least four cars are running under the same mantra that the manufacturers raced under back then – Race on Sunday, Sell on Monday.

Longtime Ford collector and avid Stock eliminator enthusiast Brent Hajek has spearheaded this recollection of days gone by albeit with modern technology.

Forty-one years ago the Ford Motor Company sent four drivers to the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Ca. and together they performed magnificently introducing the new 1968 Ford Cobra Jet Mustang, putting driver Al Joniec in the Super Stock winners circle.

This season has an opportunity to repeat itself in a roundabout way.

There’s no factory backing this time, but at least four cars are running under the same mantra that the manufacturers raced under back then – Race on Sunday, Sell on Monday.

Longtime Ford collector and avid Stock eliminator enthusiast Brent Hajek has spearheaded this recollection of days gone by albeit with modern technology.

Hajek purchased the first ten of Ford’s new race ready Cobra Jet Mustangs with every intention of racing a handful of these special edition musclecars.

What would inspire a man to purchase ten of these cars at once?

“We just thought that was the thing to do,” Hajek said, reminding us there was no discount for the bulk purchase. “Plus they’re fast and we needed to have them.”

An avid collector whose collection includes rare musclecars and drag racing machines as well as a 252-mph Mustang (recorded at Bonneville), Hajek felt these cars were capable of delivering a return on his investment, but most importantly, he wanted to get some of them on the track, namely at the NHRA season-opener.

Hajek’s four cars are driven by a quartet of accomplished drivers who can boast three world championships. The 2008 Mustangs driven by Jimmy Ronzello, Gary Stinnett, John Calvert and Jim Waldo bear the names of those who competed in 1968. There are two stock cars, running AA/Stock and A/S, with two automatic transmission counterparts.

The manual transmission cars were prepared in Calvert’s Lancaster, Ca., shop while the automatic cars were developed by Holzman Race Cars in Witchita, Kan.

Hajek admits if not for the unselfish efforts of his drivers, this weekend’s brush with history might not have transpired. Preparing the cars required a measure of work.

“We wanted to change two of their class designations, so we converted two of them to automatic transmissions,” Hajek explained. “There were a few minor safety issues. We extended the roll cages and made a few changes on the brakes. We did away with the power steering, power disc brakes and those kinds of things. Just basically minor things are all we changed.”

Adding to the prestige of the weekend was the fact the four legends who competed back in 1968, were part of this weekend’s special tribute. Gas Ronda, Al Joniec, Hubert Platt, and Randy Richie were on hand to reminisce and lend assistance when applicable.

Platt was eager to participate when he first learned of Hajek’s plan to field the cars at Pomona.

"I talked to Brent back in November," Platt recalled. "He was going to try and get a few of the cars built and I asked him not to forget me. I reminded him to put my name on the car. I also asked him please not to charge me for it. I'm waiting on the bill to come."

While Hajek says that he hopes the 2009 effort is as kind to his drivers as it is was back in 1968, Platt warns that it wasn’t all peachy keen, as they would say back in his hometown of Stone Mountain, Ga.

"In 1968, that car was bad,” Platt recalled. “I won a lot of races with it. I'll never forget that when I left Pomona I went back to race the car in Daytona. I ran over a second under the record in beating a Dodge. I got thrown out of the race and I pleaded my case.

"I told them they could drop that car off of Stone Mountain, and it still wouldn't go that fast," Platt, who was based in Stone Mountain, Ga., continued. "They threw me out anyway."

For the record, none of the 2009 participants were bounced from competition. Also of note, in the only head-to-head competition between a new Cobra Jet and a classic Cobra Jet, the 2008 version won.