In the infancy of Coyote modding, Rebecca Starkey put her 2011 Mustang GT in the record books with a 9.79-second pass back in March of its model year. In the ensuing, years this car has changed combos and competed in various classes, but with the introduction of VMP Performance’s Gen3 TVS supercharger, Rebecca and her ride are on the precipice of an astounding milestone for a blown Coyote — the 7-second zone.

The car picked up a lot of power with the Gen 3 blower, so that gave us the brute force to get down the track. — Rebecca Starkey, VMP Performance

“Cobra Jets ran the same numbers at NMCA in Bradenton,” Rebecca said. “I am just blown away to be running commensurately with purpose-built racecars. We’ve learned a lot and developed a lot (both parts and as people) due to this car.”

Yes, for a privateer to run with the likes of the factory-prepped drag machines is certainly impressive, but it takes more than a 2.65-liter blower to run that quickly. It requires a fully developed combination, and this case, a team of experts.

“Chassis tuning has been of paramount importance as the car has gone quicker. We are constantly upping our game on the suspension side. We have good-quality components, great advice from Todd and Mike Braasch and the guys at Menscer, and Justin (Starkey, her husband) has developed a keen eye for suspension.”

Of course, as part of the VMP team, putting the company’s latest supercharger to the test is pretty important. It turns out the bigger blower is a stout performer that really pushed the performance of Rebecca’s ride forward.

“The car picked up a lot of power with the Gen 3 blower, so that gave us the brute force to get down the track,” she added. “With the increased power, we had to work on the converter. It is a balancing act. Additionally, I was out of RPM at the end of the track so we went from a 4.10 gear to a 3.73.”

The result of these moves was an insane, 8.09-second quarter mile rip at over 166 MPH that must feel pretty awesome blasting down the track.

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Oh so close. In its current form, Rebecca Starkey’s TVS-boosted machine ran bottom eights and her goal is to break into the sevens without pulling weight out of the car.

“Surreal. When it is going well, it is great. It is true, when people say smooth is fast,” Rebecca shared. “When it is bad, it is really bad, really fast. I do a lot of what I do intuitively. Retrospectively, Justin and I will look at a datalog and both be surprised that I pedaled the car just as it starts to spin or wheelie. It is nearly reflexive.”

Once she gets it dialed in a bit more, that 8.0 is sure to drop down into a rarified e.t. territory.

“At least a 7…” she predicted of the combo’s potential. “The car is heavy and I have no plans for removing weight.”

To run even quicker, this combination is set for another round of upgrades that should be enough to improve it by more than than enough to run in the sevens.

“With the increased air from the Gen3, the need for better flow is making itself apparent. A head-and cam-package is necessary. Jimmy LaRocca has been instrumental in helping us develop that, and new cams from him are on their way. We are in the midst of testing some new lower intake manifold stuff with Bret Barber to help on that front, as well,” Rebecca explained. “The converter continues to need attention. I am using a stock ECU and am constantly wanting for my data and more control; HP Tuners is constantly helping us on the quest for more!”

It sounds like this impressive Mustang will be making the rounds this year, and at one of those races it might just break through that 7-second barrier.

“This car is really oriented to street car-style events due to its weight. I enjoy doing Outlaw True Street with NMRA and Drag Week is intriguing to us,” she added.