The 16-car Pro Stock field at the second annual SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout in Bradenton, Fla., Feb. 6-8, was littered with NHRA world champions and national event winners.
Cory Reed wasn’t either of those.
Reed, a lifetime motorcross and Pro Stock Motorcycle racer obtained his NHRA Pro Stock driver’s license last July and competed in the final 10 national events of the season.
His lack of experience in the class didn’t show in Bradenton.
He qualified No. 1 in the star-studded field in his KB Titan Racing Camaro and advanced to the final round before losing to Troy Coughlin Jr., when he had a redlight start.
Although Reed came up just short of taking home the trophy, he was upbeat about his effort.
“Yeah, man, that’s another step in the right direction, that’s for sure,” Reed said. “I just wish we could have closed the deal. I got a little antsy, I think, in the car, and I just didn’t want to go .100 and get drug and lose that way. So, I don’t know, maybe thinking a little too much in there that last one. Lightened up on the foot and it kicked off, cheated it, pressured back on me and car wasn’t settled because of it. I went early because of it, so it’s what it is.”
Reed made it to finals by knocking off Mason McGaha, Jeg Coughlin Jr., and Greg Stanfield before losing to Troy Coughlin Jr.
“It was a great weekend. Overall, honestly, even though it was red (in the finals), it was still within a window of .020, so it’s still actually a pretty tight window,” Reed said. “For all four rounds, I was .017, .019, .020, and .017 or whatever. So technically, that’s a tight range, and the car’s good. I feel like (I’m) driving good. It’s just, I don’t know, dude, a good start to the year overall, so I’m not mad or upset by any means.”
In qualifying, Reed stunned his fellow competitors in Bradenton with a 6.494-second run in the final session to capture the No. 1 spot in front of reigning NHRA world champion and his teammate Greg Anderson’s 6.498-second lap.
“No. 1 for a split second, and Greg’s behind you. So, I automatically thought, ‘Yeah, Greg’s going to drag my ass,’ and he didn’t. So, it’s cool, and it’s different. I don’t know. I was telling Joey (Gladstone, Reed’s best friend and transmission and clutch guy on his Camaro), ‘Never in my wildest dreams have I ever thought that I would’ve been a No. 1 qualifier.’ We wanted to do it on the (Pro Stock Motorcycle) but never did. I never was. Joey was once, and I never thought I’d ever do it in a car, ever. I didn’t even think I’d be driving a car, man. Yeah, it’s (expletive) crazy.”
Reed, who made his Pro Stock Motorcycle debut in the fall of 2015 with George and Jackie Bryce’s Star Racing team, competed in 60-plus career PSM races. He ran 11 races in 2021 prior to having a horrific wreck in the second round of the Charlotte, N.C., 2021 fall race. He wrecked into his teammate Gladstone’s motorcycle after the finish line and injured his leg.
With motorcycle racing in the rear-view mirror, Reed’s focus is Pro Stock.
“It’s going well. I’ll tell you that right now. I got a good team, and it’s a giant help. It’s a cheat code, and I’m happy to use it,” Reed said. “So, they deserve it too, man. They proved that they could make an old race car, a new race car, one that sucked at the beginning of the week, come back around and be really good. It’s all of them, really. I just get to drive the thing and it’s fun, but they make all the decisions.”
When Reed arrives at racetracks, he isn’t lacking confidence, and he knows that’s the approach he needs to take if wants to succeed in the ultra-competitive Pro Stock class.
“I don’t know if I need any more confidence. I don’t try to be cocky or arrogant by any means, any shape or form, but I just try to believe in myself,” Reed said. “I don’t ever want to think I’m not able to do it because then I wouldn’t even show up. So, I’m always confident. What this shows me… It’s going to make me want to strive to be No. 1 (qualifier) more often. I didn’t really give a s*** beforehand. Now it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s possible, and it doesn’t matter. It is possible.’
“When I went and did well in the first two races last year that we went to, that made it go from me wanting to just go and have fun and drive the car to like, ‘Oh, I want to win the race.’ Now I feel like, I’m going to want to be No. 1 qualifier and win a race. So, it’s just building and building. It’s just step-by-step.”
Reed will take aim at a No. 1 qualifying spot and a Wally when he competes in the season-opening AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., March 6-9.
