CENTER LINE, Mich. -- Team Mopar driver and owner Shaun Carlson was named as one of the Top Ten Innovators of All Time of the sport compact and drifting scene in the September issue of Super Street, available on newsstands now. The honor was bestowed as part of a celebration of the magazine’s tenth anniversary.

Carlson was recognized for the trailblazing innovations coming out of his California-based fabrication shop, NuFormz Racing, in the mid-1990s. As president and founder of NuFormz, Carlson was recognized as an expert engine builder and a FWD performance guru. With Stephen Papadakis, Carlson made sport compact history building the first front-wheel-drive tube-frame chassis drag car. That car became the first FWD tube-chassis car to complete 9-second passes, later bettering that mark with 8-second passes.

As a driver, Carlson joined Team Mopar in 2003, driving a FWD Dodge SRT4 on the NHRA Sport Compact circuit. He grabbed his first NHRA victory in May 2003 at Gainesville, where he set front-wheel-drive records for ET and speed with a pass of 8.22 seconds at 181.70 mph. He later posted a career-best pass of 7.50 seconds at 194.25 mph. Carlson grabbed another Sport Compact win in his SRT4 in 2005 at the Palm Beach NHRA Sport Compact Nationals.

In 2006, Carlson jumped to the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Pro Stock circuit, driving for Team Mopar and Don Schumacher Racing. As an owner, Carlson and NuFormz Racing maintained the Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10 Samuel Hubinette campaigned to a runner-up finish last year in the Formula D Drift Series; Hubinette is currently first in the 2006 Formula D points series. Carlson and NuFormz Racing are also putting the finishing touches on Hubinette’s new ride, the Mopar Dodge Charger SRT8.

“To be named as one of the Top Ten Innovators by Super Street is awesome,” said Carlson. “The recognition means a lot to me, and I’m flattered to be considered as someone who helped blaze a trail for all the enthusiasts out there. They’re what really matters. ”

“Mopar is proud of Shaun Carlson and of our ongoing association with him and NuFormz Racing,” said Mopar’s Chris Cortez, Vice President of Global Service & Parts. “He’s one of the people who have played an important role in growing the sport compact scene and the sport of drifting. We at Mopar look forward to working with Shaun in continuing to mold how enthusiasts think about their cars.”

For more info on Carlson, Mopar or Super Street, log on to www.moparspeed.com, www.mopar.com or www.superstreetonline.com.

Mopar is based in Center Line, Mich., and is the exclusive original equipment supplier of parts and accessories for Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep® vehicles.