After years of establishing his name in NHRA’s Pro Stock division, seasoned veteran Mark Pawuk has found his groove in another style of factory hot rod.

Pawuk clinched his first victory in the NMCA’s Holley EFI Factory Super Cars class a week after establishing a new World Record in the NHRA’s Factory Stock Showdown. As a result of his success, Pawuk became the first to claim the new Direct Connection Contingency Program that pays $10,000 to a Drag Pak driver that wins in the NHRA Factory Stock Showdown or NMCA Factory Super Cars categories. The $10,000 purse is the largest available contingency award from a manufacturer in either class.

“We’ve worked hard all winter, and the crew has done a great job trying to figure out what these Dodge Challenger Drag Paks want and how to make them go fast, and we’re gaining on it,” said Pawuk. “We weren’t the fastest at Bradenton; we got a couple of breaks, the driver did his job when he needed to, and it’s kind of a boost for me after red lighting by two-thousands in the second elimination round at Gainesville after we set the national record for the class. 

“It’s a great way to come into the second race of the year with a victory, and I’m looking forward to a really good year as we have a great team together and a real fast hot rod. I’m very excited about the future here with Don Schumacher Racing, along with all of the great sponsors, and I can’t wait until our next race at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte next month.”

The NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem win was no walk in the park. With 19 competitors entered in the Factory Super Cars class, Pawuk laid down a solid qualifying effort with a 7.898-second run at over 178 mph to land him in the number six qualifying spot. With the field set for eliminations, Pawuk’s Challenger mowed down the competition with a string of consistent passes on his way to the finals to face opponent, Jeff Bragg. At the flash of the tree, Pawuk’s Challenger Drag Pak left first and never looked backed as he ran a mind-numbing 7.80-second pass at 177.67 mph in the heat of the day to Bragg’s losing 8.20-second run.

Pawuk’s run of fortune is headlined by DSR Drag Pak crew chiefs A.J. Berge and Kevin Helms. They have made huge strides in the consistent performance of the DSR Drag Paks during off-season testing, and it’s paying off. 
 
“Kevin (Helms) and I have been banging our heads together all winter, collaborating on ways to make these Drag Paks even faster and get them to the top of the field, and it’s starting to pay off. We’re just getting started, and we’re not done yet. Kevin and I are chipping away at it, and the DSR Drag Paks are going faster and faster,” said Berge.
 
“It feels really good to win despite having many struggles this weekend. After coming off a stellar performance from the Gatornationals, we learned more and kept on swinging. We knew the competition would be fast as they set the performance bar this weekend by qualifying one and two at Bradenton, but DSR brought home the trophy. We’re going do some equipment maintenance, reload, and head to the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals next month and see if we can put one of our DSR Drag Paks in the winner’s circle over there,” said Helms.
 
The next stop for Pawuk will be the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, April 29 – May 1. (David Hakim contributed to this report)