By Traci Chapman
Contributing Writer
Mustang will once again be home to a national car show gathering hundreds of participants from across the country – and time is running short for those who want to participate to register.
The Great Mustang Round Up is a Mustang Club of America national show and set for Sept. 3 – 5 at Town Center, Oklahoma Mustang Club President Allen King said Sunday. As of press time, about 300 cars were registered for the event with owners from 35 states so far. The event has a cap of 500 participants, he said.
Time is running short for those wishing to participate in the show, however, King said. Aug. 10 is the registration deadline and can be accomplished by going online to https://greatmustangroundup.com.
Those participants would be treated to something almost unheard of among competitions – featured banquet speaker Jack Roush, known as a living legend in Mustang circles.
“This is the first national show Mr. Roush has spoken at as far as I know,” King said. “He’s really the star of the show.”
Roush began his career in 1964 as Ford Motor Company engine development engineer. Forming his own racing team in 1970, he would go on to form Roush Performance Engineering. The company is renowned for upfitted Ford Mustangs
Over the years, Roush teams have won numerous championships in multiple racing venues, as the innovator continued through the years to create several technological and safety developments. Roush was in 2006 inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame; inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2017 and in 2019 into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
While Roush would be a major draw, the event would also be a beacon to anyone who loves Mustang, King said – and with an event encompassing the entire weekend, it would mean some shuffling at Town Center and at the city’s largest and busiest park.
“Town Center, including Wild Horse Park and all parking areas, will be closed for these activities beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 2 and re-open on Tuesday, Sept. 7,” City Manager Tim Rooney said last week.
While City Hall would be open Friday, the city manager advised residents having business there to do so before that day; staff members and anyone needing to access that building would be required to park in the soccer field parking lot and be shuttled to City Hall at no cost, Rooney said.
Mustang’s Sept. 2 municipal court was canceled to accommodate organizers, the city manager said.
Oklahoma Mustang Club has formed a strong partnership with the city that bears the name of members’ favorite vehicle. In fact, show proceeds would go to Mustang nonprofits, King said; club members were in the city Saturday as co-sponsor of Endless Summer I, a Thursday Night Cruisers show held to benefit Mustang Police Department.
The club has also long been a major presence with a crowd favorite car show at Mustang Western Days; King said the group began holding its meetings at Town Center in 2014, moving from Del City. The club president credited Justin Battles, Mustang assistant city manager, for the strong affiliation between the club and city.
“Justin was instrumental in us making that change,” King said. “We have been very lucky in our dealings with the city of Mustang, the chamber and just Mustang in general.”
OMC previously hosted the national Mustang show at Town Center in 1994, 2007, 2010 and 2012 but as interest in classic vehicles has grown through the years, so too has that in competitions held throughout the country. The endeavor is a major one not only due to the popularity of an event that can gather thousands of people to it but also the complexities of judging vehicles entered into the competition.
“There’s the matter of judging – while some of these can be judged relatively quickly, classic vehicles can take hours,” King said. “I was recently in Kansas City where it took five judges two hours to judge a first generation (Mustang).”
Those vehicles are not Mustangs driven by their owners but rather held in reserve for shows and utilizing original parts. Some classes require a lift so judges may look at the car’s undercarriage. As of press time, King said he expected up to about 90 of those trailered vehicles.
More information concerning the Great Mustang Round Up may be found on the event website, located at https://greatmustangroundup.com/ or by calling show chair Christine Scannelli at 405-664-1193.
