2000 Lightning Tears Up Texas Mile in Record Time!

Team DosFrios puts its ‘average’ Ford truck to the test and wows with 163.8 mph run.

For speed junkies, the Texas Mile is perhaps the ultimate venue for testing their powerful rides. Since 2003, purveyors of speed have rolled in to test their vehicles on the one-and-a-half-mile track twice a year. And this event isn’t just open to race cars — there are classes for everything from motorcycles to land speed racers.

The Texas Mile is a jolly good time for drivers and spectators alike. It provides the kind of thrill that you simply can’t get on public roads, at least not legally. The airport runway provides a safe place to test your vehicles limits, as well as your own.

DosFrios’ truck is a real testament to how easy it is to squeeze
some serious speed out of a Lightning without too much work.

And the rides that show up in Texas are pretty amazing as well. Quite a few have eclipsed 200 miles per hour in the standing mile, which is straight up fast no matter what you’re driving. And for us Ford truck fans, there’s plenty of eye candy as well.

One such example is this 2000 Ford Lightning, which ran at the most recent Texas Mile event in October. Piloted by Monty Weeks of team DosFrios, it’s a street-legal truck with a single turbo and no nitrous or methanol injection.

Despite that, Monty’s Lightning ripped off a 163.8 mile per hour run in Texas. That’s a pretty amazing number when you look at the truck and consider the modifications (or lack thereof). This looks like any old average Lightning that you might see at your local grocery store.

It even rides on stock wheels, albeit at a lower than stock ride height. Team DosFrios’ truck is a real testament to how easy it is to squeeze some serious speed out of a Lightning without too much work. This might have been a 147 mph truck from the factory, but it took a lot more than a mile to reach that number.

So, if you’re ever in Victoria, be sure and look up the Texas Mile. Whether you want to see what your truck is capable of or just go to scope out some cool rides, it’s well worth the price of admission.

Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.