The emotion of the moment got the best of the kid.

When Kyle Koretsky exited his Lucas Oil-sponsored Camaro after successfully beating his team leader and horsepower supplier Greg Anderson to win the DeWalt NHRA Carolina Nationals, he went through his list of sponsors and concluded the top-end interview by holding up his trophy and saying, "This one's for my Dad."

Koretsky, the son of longtime Pro Stock racer Kenny Koretsky, described his dad's sacrifices so he could be the first drag racer in the family to win an NHRA Pro Stock national event. 

"I'm going to try not to cry here," Koretsky said. "He worked his whole life, and it gave me the opportunity to do it."

Koretsky's first NHRA victory came in his 21st start, and before the monumental victory, he'd reached the final round three times.

"I'm out here, living my dream," Koretsky said. "KB supplies me the best power out there. Our team just works flawlessly. I raced [teammate] Dallas Glenn, I think eight times this year already or throughout my career, and we go head to head. Once he lost, he jumped right on my car. Everyone's a big team and we get along. Yeah, this is huge. This is what I wanted my whole life."

And to hear the second-generation Pro Stock driver tell it, it's a hard-earned achievement when one wins a national event in the class. 

"Pro Stock is the most competitive class out there, I think in NHRA," Koretsky said. 

The final round was a high-stakes affair, especially for a lesser experienced driver facing a seasoned veteran on the cusp of becoming the winningest driver in NHRA Pro Stock. Anderson needed one more win to raise his total to 98 career victories.

"I needed to get this done," Koretsky said of the final round match against Anderson. "That guy's unbelievable. He's the hardest-working guy I ever met, and he's non-stop. We’ve been racing back to back, and he's been in the shop 18 hours a day. He's a machine, and he's the best.

"I try to race every round and pretend like it’s a time shot. I just beat Greg Anderson, a driver going for the title of the winningest driver. I feel bad. But I feel great."

Koretsky leaves Charlotte in third place of the Pro Stock championship standings, just 91 points behind Anderson with five races left in the season. He's not knocking on the door of the lead, but he's definitely in the hunt. 

"To win a championship, to be honest, I’m not even really looking at that right now," Koretsky admitted. "I'm just gonna take every race one round at a time. I think I focus a little better that way of looking at it. But hey, would I like to get one of them white hats? A hundred percent."