Stephen Cox Archives - Sopwith Motorsports

2026 Racing Schedule Announced

. Indianapolis racing driver Stephen Cox has announced an eleven-race schedule over seven weekends for the 2026 season, mixing endurance road racing with high-speed straight-line testing aboard Blue Thunder, his 1980 Fox body Mustang. Cox is sponsored by Sopwith Watch Company, Geezzup Collector Cars and Cars-n-Convos.com. The season opens April 11th with the 14 Hours of Daytona, one of the marquee events on the Champcar Endurance Series calendar. Cox returns to the legendary Florida circuit with Allen Martin’s Ford team after competing in multiple endurance events throughout 2024 and 2025, including a national championship run with Wittenauer Racing. From there, Read More

Revitalizing a Legend: Blue Thunder’s Interior Overhaul

. Restoring a classic Fox Body Mustang is more than a mechanical project; it is an exercise in preserving automotive history while infusing it with modern performance. Our project car, a 1980 Mustang nicknamed “Blue Thunder,” is currently undergoing a complete interior transformation. This week, we shifted our focus from the engine bay to the cabin, aiming to create a cohesive environment that honors its Ford heritage while adding contemporary comforts. A Fresh Foundation: Dash and Electronics The centerpiece of the new interior is a freshly installed dash pad. Original Fox Body dashboards are notorious for cracking after decades of Read More

STA-BIL BMW Finishes 2nd at Gingerman

Competing against one of the deepest fields in the Champcar Endurance Series, the STA-BIL Brand Fuel Stabilizer/JR Fastener/Gorilla Sticker BMW 328i managed a runner-up finish in C class and 3rd overall at Michigan’s Gingerman Raceway on April 12th. Driver Stephen Cox’s endurance racing record at Gingerman has been stellar, posting a win, two second places and one fourth place finish in four tries at the 11-turn, 2.1-mile course. “I love the driving style that this track demands,” Cox said after the race. “It’s filled with sweeping corners and double apex turns and really suites me and (teammates) Barry, Joe and Read More

Wittenauer, Cox Win National Championship in Rain

Wittenauer Racing and Sopwith Motorsports achieved a remarkable feat by securing the national title in the 15-hour championship race of the ChampCar Endurance Series’ F Class division. The event took place at NCM Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, March 15-16, 2025. The team’s experienced roster of drivers included Lee Helpingstine, Ron Morris III, Adrian Willoughby, Dylan Wittenauer, and Stephen Cox who collectively ran the full weekend without putting a tire off course. Wittenauer Racing led every lap in F Class competition and maintained a position within the top three overall during much of the weekend. Despite a lightning storm Read More

Stephen Cox Chases National Championship, March 15-16

Indianapolis driver Stephen Cox is poised for a share of the amateur endurance racing national championship next month with two different teams in the Champcar Endurance Series. In 2024, Cox served as a reserve driver for both ATL Speedwerks in C class and Wittenauer Racing in F class. Remarkably, both teams have qualified for the national championship event scheduled for March 15-16 at NCM Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Cox emphasized his limited role with each team, having participated in four events in the 2024 season. “Both of these teams would have been in the title chase with or Read More

Birth of the Fox Mustang

. They won’t get any cheaper than they are right now. Ford’s famous Fox Mustangs, built from 1979 through 1993, are moving up from the bottom of their value curve. The Fox Mustangs derived their nickname from the 1978 Ford Fairmont, which had been internally designated as the “Fox Project” within Ford’s management and design teams. Since the Mustang borrowed the Fairmont’s platform, the “Fox” name was naturally adopted for the 79-93 Mustangs within Ford and eventually by the public as well. Ford president Lee Iacocca had overseen the design of the original Mustang in 1964 as well as its Read More

Cox Gets Sneak Preview of Spectacular Mustang Collection

. “The Kenny and Marilyn Newcombe Mustang Collection is one of the finest collections of Fox body Ford Mustangs I’ve ever seen,” Mecum co-host Stephen Cox said after reviewing the cars last week in Atlanta. “Leave it to the Mecum crew to consign a historic collection of this importance. They’ve found something pretty special.” Ford manufactured what is now called the “Fox body” Mustang from 1979 through 1993, making it the longest running generation of Mustang to ever grace the roads. The Euro styling appealed to early 1980’s car buyers, and the powerful 235 horsepower 5 liter engine appealed to Read More

Podium for Cox and AOA Racing at 14 Hours of Road Atlanta

After TravelCamp Racing’s EC class Mustang broke a transmission in the opening laps of last weekend’s 14 Hours of Road Atlanta sportscar endurance race, Indianapolis racing driver Stephen Cox was left without a ride. By lunch time he had another one. Road Atlanta is the home track of Kennesaw, Georgia’s AOA Racing and the team put together a spontaneous deal to have Cox join as the fifth driver in their Mazda MX-5. Nine hours and two transmissions later, the team scored a third place finish in EC class to earn a spot on the Champcar podium. “I didn’t know anyone Read More

What I Learned From a Chassis Bracing System

. Rebuilding My Totally-Not-Collectible Mustang, Part VIII The Stephen Cox Blog is Presented by National Parts Depot Guess what I just learned after 40 years of driving Mustangs? The stock suspension on an early Fox body Mustang actually isn’t that bad. It’s certainly not great, but I was shocked to learn that it’s actually somewhat serviceable as far as 1980’s technology goes. Known as Blue Thunder, my 1980 Mustang has never had anything other than factory-recommended springs and struts. I’ve found them perpetually unsatisfactory with too much body roll, poor turn-in on corner entry and insufficient insulation from the bumps Read More

15-Hour Sports Car Race Next for Cox

After spending the late summer entirely on ovals, Indianapolis driver Stephen Cox will return to a road course this weekend for Champcar’s 15-hour sports car endurance race at Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville, Georgia. Cox is the most recent addition to the Jacksonville-based Ford Mustang team of Dwayne “Tater” Kelley, teaming up with former dirt drivers Kenny Blair and John Warren under the supervision of crew chief Pat Smith. In his first outing with the team, Cox will be seeking his 8th top ten finish and second win of the 2021 season. The team’s SN-95 generation Ford Mustang features a Read More

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