Competition Plus’ Water-Cooler Topics From IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series finale in Dunn, NC.
1 – WORSHAM’S DOMINATION CONTINUES – Former IHRA Funny Car champion Del Worsham capped off a commanding season by winning Saturday’s IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series finale at Darana Motorsports Park in Dunn, North Carolina.
Worsham reached the final round in all five IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series events this season, winning three of them — at Columbus, Milan, and now Dunn. His latest victory came after eliminating John Smith in the quarterfinals, Jacob McNeal in the semifinals, and Bobby Bode in the final round.
In the final, Bode’s car lost traction early, opening the door for Worsham’s consistent performance to seal the win. Worsham crossed the line in 3.319 seconds at 265.27 mph to close out one of the strongest Funny Car campaigns of 2025.
The 1992 IHRA Funny Car champion said the night’s conditions were nearly identical to previous outings where his team struggled to find traction, but steady progress paid off when it mattered most. “It was dark and very similar conditions to last night, which we didn’t get down the track,” Worsham said. “The last three events at IHRA, we haven’t made that nighttime run. So a little concerned about that, but we seem to be getting better as the days go on.”
Facing Bobby Bode in the final round carried personal meaning for Worsham, who has spent much of his career mentoring young racers. “I got to race my buddy Bobby Bode, who’s driven for me this year and even ran Junior Dragsters for me,” Worsham said. “He’s like part of our family, just a great family, great guys. We thought we had a setup that should get us down there, and it was enough to get it done.”
The victory continued a season defined by adaptability and precision. “We’ve had some races where we qualified number one and dominated, and others where we just did what we had to do,” he said. “This weekend was kind of that way, but we got it done and got the win.”
For Worsham, the 2025 campaign marked a return to the driver’s seat after years focused on tuning and team management. The three-race cross-country tour effectively delayed his Hall of Fame eligibility by another five years — something he’s not losing sleep over. “I really appreciate everything IHRA and everybody’s done for us because it’s been great, it’s been a fun year,” he said.
Had a formal championship been awarded, Worsham’s near-perfect record would have earned him a fourth IHRA title. Instead, the 2025 season stands as proof that even decades into his career, Del Worsham’s dominance — and passion for nitro racing — remain untouched
2 – FIRST TOP FUEL WIN – Kyle Satenstein turned a turbulent few weeks into triumph, capturing his first Top Fuel victory in Saturday’s IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series finale at Darana Motorsports Park in Dunn, North Carolina. His 3.137-second pass at 273.83 mph defeated No. 1 qualifier Lex Joon, who trailed at 3.473 seconds and 187.83 mph.
Satenstein’s win capped a run through Bernie Plourd in the quarterfinals and Cameron Ferre in the semifinals, sealing a breakthrough moment in his young nitro career. The win earned him the $50,000 Top Fuel purse and the IHRA Ironman trophy, solidifying his name among the series’ rising stars.
The victory carried extra meaning considering the chaos leading up to the weekend.
“A couple weeks ago, the truck and trailer on the way home from the race in Dallas had an accident,” Satenstein said. “The car got a little hurt, the trailer got hurt, the truck got totaled. So just to get to this point here, what the team owner had to do to do that, while I was at home sitting on my ass doing nothing, they were putting in a lot of work.”
Even after arriving in Dunn, things didn’t go smoothly. “The first run I went to make, I went to back up the car and the front wheel was basically hanging off,” Satenstein recalled. “In the car, I’m like, ‘Oh, this is not good.’ So we were able to fix that luckily, and apparently it went straight enough.”
Qualifying was uneven, but the team’s persistence paid off. “We just knew as long as you keep giving us more shots at the track, a third shot at it, we’d figure it out,” Satenstein said. “We woke up this morning, I found out I had a bye. That was the best news I could hear. We basically had a free shot at the track.”
By eliminations, Satenstein’s car was dialed in and consistent. “Right around 100 feet, 200 feet, I was just sort of thinking to myself, waiting for tire shake or waiting for it to spin or just something to go wrong,” he said. “And it just kept pulling. Once I made it about 300 feet, I was like, ‘This shit is over. We’re going to win.’”
3 – IS THAT A FERRIS WHEEL? – When the lights came on over Darana Motorsports Park during the IHRA season finale, fans didn’t just see nitro flames — they saw a Ferris wheel spinning against the Carolina night sky. It wasn’t a gimmick. It was a signal that the International Hot Rod Association, under Scott Woodruff’s guidance, is serious about redefining what a drag race weekend can be.
Woodruff, one of the organization’s key visionaries, has made it clear that the new IHRA isn’t just about horsepower and elapsed times. It’s about atmosphere, families, and creating a place where racing shares the stage with laughter and music.
“Well, first and foremost, we’re in the entertainment business,” Woodruff said. “So it’s all about having more entertainment for people at the track and having different things that interest them and bringing that all together at one facility.”
The Ferris wheel, now the most photographed attraction of the weekend, was born from a spur-of-the-moment idea in a planning meeting.
“I think the Ferris wheel, I can’t remember who brought it up, whether it was D’Arcy or Darrell,” Woodruff said. “And then when we started talking about it, I think Darrell just said, ‘Hey, make it happen.’” That phrase — make it happen — has become something of an IHRA mantra. Within days, the team sourced the ride, handled logistics, and turned it into a glowing centerpiece.
By Saturday night, the midway pulsed with life. Families gathered around food vendors, veterans were honored on stage, and jet cars lit up the track as children pointed from their seats atop the wheel. “It’s a great visual at night,” Woodruff said. “It just kind of sets a visual tone and it’s a reminder that we’re here to do things differently.”
What could have been a novelty turned into a message. The IHRA isn’t interested in just surviving — it’s interested in thriving, by giving fans something they can’t find anywhere else. Woodruff calls it painting on a blank canvas. “A racetrack is nothing but a blank canvas,” he said. “And how you decide to paint it is 100% up to you.”
When the Ferris wheel stopped spinning that night, the crowd still lingered — proof that for one weekend, IHRA’s vision worked. “At the end of the day, it’s about making people smile,” Woodruff said. “You do that — and everything else takes care of itself.”
4 – STEDING WINS IN PRO MOD DEBUT – Ethan Steding made the most of his first appearance in Pro Modified competition, powering to victory over veteran Kevin McCurdy in Saturday’s IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series finale at Darana Motorsports Park in Dunn, North Carolina. His 3.568-second pass at 209.49 mph was enough to hold off McCurdy’s 3.687 at 200.35 mph.
Steding gained a slight edge at the starting line with a .063 reaction time to McCurdy’s .073, and he never trailed from there. The win added another accomplishment to a breakout season for the young North Carolina driver, who also captured the 2025 PDRA Pro Street world championship earlier this year.
The 22-year-old called the moment surreal, crediting veteran tuner Todd Tutterow for giving him a car capable of competing with some of the class’s most established names.
“I just kept my head real calm,” Steding said. “It’s what I’ve learned to do in this type of situation. I’m out here racing with the baddest dudes of the baddest and I’m just a young gun in here. I wasn’t expecting this to happen at all, but with the dudes who were behind me and Todd Tutterow, the baddest dude to ever be in this sport, it gives you the best feeling going into the final round.”
Steding said confidence carried the team through the weekend.
“I was very confident in this team all weekend long,” he said. “Every time we go out and race, I’m very confident in these guys, and I just can’t thank them enough.”
That confidence, he explained, was built through years of watching and learning from others. “I’ve always been the type to watch and learn,” Steding said. “Coming out of the Junior Dragster ranks and being around all these great people, you see it all, and it makes you better.”
Steding entered Pro Mod after earning back-to-back PDRA championships in 10.5-inch tire competition, proving his versatility across drag racing’s most demanding classes. “Being a two-time world champion in that, I got the greatest dudes who drag race and they’re the best teachers to teach you,” he said.
The victory was as meaningful to his family as it was to him. “My mom and dad are very proud,” Steding said. “I couldn’t tell you the amount of times my dad was told that he needs to retire and sit back after this weekend, but I love it and I can’t thank both my parents enough for this opportunity.”
5 – POWERS PREVAILS IN CLOSE FINAL – Chris Powers captured his second IHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock victory of the season Saturday at Darana Motorsports Park in Dunn, North Carolina, winning by the narrowest of margins over Jordan Ensslin. Both drivers clocked identical 4.068-second passes, but Powers’ quicker reaction time of .051 to Ensslin’s .061 delivered the win.
The difference was in speed — Ensslin posted a slightly faster 176.65 mph to Powers’ 176.35 mph — but the reaction time advantage made all the difference at the finish line. It was a fitting conclusion for one of the most competitive races of the weekend and continued a remarkable streak for Powers, who has now reached five straight finals after an earlier win this season at Milan, Michigan.
“We just tried to go and make a good run A to B,” Powers said. “Be subtle. The left foot’s been doing its work all day. Car’s run good. We just got a few bugs after the 42 episode when we broke a motor, we were just a little bit behind. But Chuck did a heck of a job tuning and Sonny’s worked day and night trying to get everything put back together.”
The past few weeks have tested the Powers team’s resilience. After suffering a major engine failure at Dragway 42, the group scrambled to rebuild in time for the finale. “I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Powers said. “We’ve done a phenomenal job. The crew worked nonstop trying to get this thing done.”
With another IHRA win on his résumé, Powers continues to cement his place among the series’ most consistent Pro Stock drivers. “This is five straight finals for us, so we’re just blessed,” he said. “We cannot believe it.”
Powers credited his tuner, crew, and the IHRA for making the event a success. “Thanks to IHRA for giving us an opportunity to come over here and race,” he said. “And thanks to all the fans that come out. It was exciting to see so many people here watching and thanks everybody. Hope everybody has a safe trip home.”
6 – SUMMER RETURNS FOR LOVE OF HERITAGE – Annette Summer didn’t haul to Darana Motorsports Park–Galot chasing trophies or time slips. She came to reconnect with the roots that made her one of Pro Street’s original pioneers.
For Summer, the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series finale was about gratitude, not glory. “This is awesome,” she said. “This is like the old days. I mean, this place is freaking packed.”
It had been more than two decades since her last IHRA event. This time, she arrived with “Barney,” the deep-purple 1941 Willys that helped rewrite Pro Modified history.
Built by Tommy Mauney for the 1995 season, “Barney” ended Scotty Cannon’s five-year reign and carried Shannon Jenkins to IHRA championships in 1997 and 1999. “It’s almost around the 30-year anniversary of that car coming out the first time,” Summer said. “This is everybody’s favorite car. It belongs to all of us who lived that time.”
Her first pass back was emotional. “I was a little nervous because the car hadn’t been down a track in 18 years,” she said. “It went left, I brought it back, and finally I just quit with it.”
The run didn’t matter. “I haven’t even looked at the time slip,” she admitted. “I’ve been running around like a crazy woman.”
For Summer, the weekend was more about people than performance. “All this is about is honoring the people that helped me — Shannon, Tommy, Gene, and Ron Santhuff,” she said. “I’m a believer in honoring people before they pass away, not after they pass away. This is what this car is all about. It’s about those people that helped me because I wouldn’t have done nothing without them.”
She parked among grassroots racers, right where she felt most at home. “We’re in the sportsman area because I wasn’t pre-entered,” she said. “I got Super Stock on my left and Top Sportsman on my right. I’m just happy to be here.”
Her last IHRA appearance came in 2002 with a nitrous-powered ’57 Corvette. More than 20 years later, surrounded by familiar names and faces, Summer found peace where it all began.
“This is like the old days,” she said, standing beside the purple Willys. “The crowd, the cars, the people — it’s all here.”
7 – FOLEY WALKS AWAY FROM VIOLENT TOP FUEL CRASH AT DARANA – Veteran Top Fuel driver Doug Foley knows how fast a good run can turn bad. During Friday’s opening round of IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series qualifying at Darana Motorsports Park in Dunn, North Carolina, his dragster lost traction, darted left, and struck the wall hard before grinding to a stop downtrack.
Safety crews reached him within seconds. Foley climbed from the wreckage under his own power — alert, responsive, and visibly shaken. “No, they don’t play around,” Foley said. “If you don’t want us to have a problem, don’t start it.”
He ruled out track conditions as the cause. “The track was great,” he said. “The biggest part I can’t figure out is why did it turn left so quickly? That’s the thing that baffles me.”
Data from the car showed the tires began spinning just before he lifted off the throttle. “You can look at when it started spinning the tire,” Foley said. “You can look when I lifted off the gas. There’s two-tenths of a second difference. The computer will tell you everything you want to know.”
Even after reviewing video frame by frame, the answer wasn’t clear. “There is a possibility that, because you can still see some slight header flames coming out — which even at that point should keep it straight — so why the left turn? I have no idea,” he said. “It is what it is. We just learn as much as we can and go back and do it again.”
Some online suggested he over-drove the car, a claim Foley rejected. “There were some comments that I overdrove it, which I take personally because I’ve been out here for a while,” he said. “Obviously, something went wrong, and I’m the one in the seat, so the responsibility is on me.”
He confirmed the chassis was beyond repair. “Yeah, it’s done,” Foley said bluntly. “You can keep the cockpit in almost any car, but other than that, there’s nothing left of that thing.”
Foley escaped with only soreness and a headache. “I don’t believe it was a concussion,” he said. “If this was 10 years ago, I’d be in bad shape.”
He credited safety expert Trevor Ashline of ESS for updating his belts and restraint system. “The fact that he took the time to help me out probably saved my ass in that car,” Foley said.
By morning, Foley was already planning the rebuild. “I have a brand-new PBRC car in the shop,” he said. “We’ll rebuild. We’ll have two cars in the trailer when we head to testing, and we’ll figure it out.”
8 – CLARK WINS PRO NITROUS FINAL BY .001 SECONDS – Chris Clark edged newly crowned PDRA Pro Nitrous champion Dane Wood in one of the closest finals of the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series season. Clark’s .046 reaction time and 3.698-second pass at 202.73 mph was just enough to overcome Wood’s .054 light and quicker 3.691 at 201.46 mph.
The margin of victory — one thousandth of a second — came after a weekend Clark described as an emotional roller coaster. “We definitely struggled through qualifying and really didn’t know what I was missing,” Clark said. “I was just overlooking something. It slapped me in the face last night — like, this is your problem. It’s still not perfect, but it’s definitely better because it made the trip and it got a little faster.”
Clark admitted that by Friday night, he was close to packing up. “I was ready to go home,” he said. “I’ve been at the bottom of the seat before, and it’s never fun to be at the bottom and not make it down because you have no confidence. You don’t know where you need to be or what’s going to happen.”
Saturday told a different story. As eliminations progressed, Clark kept advancing and refused to overthink the moment. “I really didn’t even try to think because I feel like the more I think, the more I do wrong,” he said. “So I just was on the radio talking junk — like we weren’t even at the racetrack.”
He said his approach was about staying calm and keeping perspective. “The more I think about it, I get in my own head and I’ll mess up,” Clark said. “So I just sat there and talked about whatever in the car because if I think too much, that’s scary. I just let it happen. When I start the car, that’s when it’s serious time.”
The final was a friendly showdown between two racers who share deep respect. “Dane’s my really good friend, and either one of us could win,” Clark said. “I would have been just as happy if he won. It didn’t matter to me, which is cool.”
In the end, it was Clark’s turn to celebrate — and Wood’s turn to congratulate.
9 – MOUNTAIN MOTOR PRO STOCK DELIVERS – Galot produced the highest concentration of Mountain Motor Pro Stockers in one event, regardless of series. There were 23 entries with a No. 1 to No. 16 bump spot of less than .08.
10 – THE BEST OF THE REST – Brandon Weatherford closed out his season in Outlaw Pro Mod the same way he started it — in the winner’s circle. After pocketing $125,000 at the IHRA Outlaw Pro Mod Nationals in August, Weatherford scored his first national-event victory Saturday. He used a .026 holeshot advantage over Frankie Taylor’s .075 to win with a 3.566 at 211 mph to Taylor’s 3.651 at 202.09 mph.
Ricky Peery became the first back-to-back IHRA Top Fuel Harley winner since Jay Turner in 2016. Peery also set a new national record with a 4.088-second run at 207.56 mph. Top qualifier Chris Smith experienced mechanical issues and coasted to a 6.406 at 89.35 mph.
In Top Alcohol Dragster, No. 1 qualifier Tom Fox Jr. capped a dominant weekend with a final-round victory after Shane Conway red-lighted. Fox still laid down an impressive 3.563 at 214.14 mph to officially seal the win.
Top Alcohol Funny Car saw another familiar matchup between Phil Esz and Tony Bogolo. For the second consecutive event, Esz emerged victorious, running a 3.629 at 210.80 mph after Bogolo fouled at the start. The win marked Esz’s fourth of the season.
Outlaw Snowmobile racer Mini powered to the winner’s circle after qualifying third. He defeated Courtney Moeller in the final with a 4.403 at 162.37 mph to Moeller’s 4.801 at 145.02. Mini advanced through Travis Neyssen, Mitchell Moeller, and Rob Lowe to earn the spot in the final.
In Fuel Altered, Miller wrapped up the weekend with a 3.725-second pass at 205.54 mph for the win. Pete Dove finished runner-up for the second straight event after encountering issues halfway down the track.
