John DeFlorian drove his Total Seal Chevy Camaro to victory Sunday in Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Mountain Motor Pro Stock competition, defeating defending champion Johnny Pluchino in the final round at the NHRA Nationals in Norwalk.
DeFlorian recorded a 6.630-second pass at 221.23 mph to claim his second win of the season and first career victory over Pluchino, who clocked a quicker 6.405 at 218.94 mph but was unable to overcome a slower reaction time.
“There are so many people I have to thank—my crew, my wife Liann, Jason Petzold, Jeff Graber, Tony Strobl and Lump, the best crew chief,” DeFlorian said. “They’ve given me a killer car. They are unbelievable. We had tricky conditions out here this weekend and they got us through it.”
DeFlorian credited longtime supporters and partners, including Total Seal and Eric Latino, for making the win possible.
“There’s a lot of people to thank who have been with us for a long time. We appreciate all our supporters,” he said. “Norwalk, Bill Bader, thank you for the Ice Cream Scoop Trophy. That is just too cool. Big Wally to go with the ice cream scooper. We honestly couldn’t be any happier with where we currently are at this point in the season.”
DeFlorian qualified No. 2 with a 6.380-second run at 221.23 mph. In the opening round of eliminations, he faced Vincent Nobile, who got the starting line advantage but spun the tires and coasted to a 21.229-second pass. DeFlorian stayed clean with a 6.361 at 220.30 for the win.
In the semifinals, DeFlorian met John Montecalvo and posted the event’s quickest run at 6.343 seconds and 222.25 mph. Montecalvo followed closely with a 6.369 at 222.14, but it wasn’t enough to advance.
Pluchino, the No. 1 qualifier with a 6.362 at 220.13, reached his seventh career final round by defeating Elijah Morton and Brad Waddle in the earlier rounds. Against Morton, Pluchino ran a 6.380 at 220.62 to Morton’s 6.423 at 219.58. He followed with a 6.357 at 221.60 to hold off Waddle’s 6.429 at 220.62.
The win moves DeFlorian to the top of the JHG Mountain Motor Pro Stock standings at the halfway point of the 2025 season. It also marks a significant breakthrough, as he had previously gone 0-4 against Pluchino in head-to-head matchups.
The next event for the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Mountain Motor Pro Stock Series is the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, scheduled for August 14-17 in Brainerd, Minnesota.
