Yes, that was “Kid Chaos” Kyle Koretsky racing at the U.S. Nationals earlier this month.
Koretsky was competing in the NHRA’s new Factory X division, an advanced version of the Factory Stock Showdown.
Koretsky, was driving Rob Smith’s COPO Camaro, and he was upended by eventual race winner Aaron Stanfield in the first round.
Stanfield clocked a 7.186-second time at 191.43 mph to defeat Koretsky who came across the finish line at 7.388 seconds at 185.61 mph.
“It was cool,” Koretsky said. “Indy is a big race, so it is a good one to be at. The car is new to me, so I still have a learning curve. There is a lot going on with that class and that car and we are all learning as a team, but we are moving forward. We picked up a bunch and we keep getting better and better every time.”
Smith is a longtime Competition Eliminator participant and a pioneer in the Factory X division. Crew chief, tuner, and team manager Ken Justice was the one who reached out to Koretsky when the team decided to move forward with bringing their Factory X car back out this year.
“It was something different,” Koretsky said. “I got the opportunity with Rob Smith Racing, and Ken Justice and Tom Martino. They asked if I was interested in driving the car for them and doing some testing and try and build his program up and it kind of went from there. We have a new Martino motor for this weekend at the NHRA race and we are hoping to go to St. Louis, Dallas and Vegas.”
The race this weekend is the Pep Boys Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., which has been owned by the Koretsky family since 2022.
Koretsky is no stranger to NHRA success. The second-generation driver fell in love with Pro Stock growing up and watching his dad, Kenny “Captain Chaos” Koretsky, compete in the class.
The younger Koretsky cut his teeth bracket racing and in Comp, and he stepped into Pro Stock in 2020 behind the wheel of a KB Racing (now KB Titan Racing) Chevrolet Camaro. The Pennsylvania native claimed his first win in the category at the fall race in Charlotte, N.C., in 2022, and he also made five additional Pro Stock final rounds and one Comp Eliminator final in 2009.
What’s more, he has four No. 1 Pro Stock qualifiers on his resume. He finished a career-best fourth in the points standings in 2021.
“(Driving) the Factory X (Camaro) is totally different in that it doesn’t shoot you out of a cannon like a Pro Stock car,” Koretsky said. “This one is a little slower off the line and then it kind of gets going so it is a different feeling and shifting is a little different. It is not as quick so you kind of have to slow your mind down a little bit.
“We are going to continue (doing this) and as long as Rob wants me to drive, and everything is going smooth. We are trying to learn as a whole group and trying to make it better.”
This weekend at the historic track – Maple Grove Raceway – owned by his family Koretsky has plenty on his plate besides driving.
“The race this weekend is definitely a little tricky,” Kyle said. “The guys are working on the car and they have it going and between me running around selling chicken fingers and making sure people are getting parked quick enough I will be doing a bunch of different stuff this weekend.”
“It is crazy that my family has owned Maple Grove since 2022. Time has gone by fast and every year we get better and better to give the fans the experience they deserve, and I feel like we are doing a really good job as a team, and I feel we have the best track on the circuit.”
