Joey Gladstone dropped to his knees on the starting line at Summit Motorsports Park on Sunday, tears in his eyes, as Cory Reed crossed the finish line first, defeating Dallas Glenn for his first career NHRA Pro Stock victory.
The win belonged to Reed, but for Gladstone, it was a shared triumph — the culmination of years of friendship, setbacks, and mutual support.
“Cory’s been there for me and supported me through my racing career, and we had a string of success, and I could tell that he felt like he was on the bike,” Gladstone explained. “I could really feel that. It wasn’t just a facade. You could tell by his emotions when I got my first win and how much it meant to him, and it reinforced to me the kind of person that Cory is. He really is like a brother to me.
Gladstone, emotional after the race, defended Reed’s journey. “And to see him win today, it was pretty incredible. I mean, everybody might think that kid got it f****** easy, but he doesn’t. He’s been through some s***. Excuse my language; I apologize. I’m just emotional.”
Reed’s path to the win has been marked by hardship, including a serious crash during eliminations at the NHRA Carolina Nationals in 2021. Riding in the opposite lane, Gladstone watched as Reed’s bike drifted across the track, collided with his Suzuki, and sent Reed tumbling through the shutdown area.
Reed sustained a compound fracture of his left tibia and fibula and a broken shoulder. Despite the trauma, he made a full recovery. When the decision was made to switch from motorcycles to Pro Stock cars, Gladstone immediately joined Reed’s crew.
Reed debuted in Pro Stock in the summer of 2024, reaching the final round in just his second event at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals — the same track where Gladstone earned his first NHRA national win. Reed, still sidelined from injury, celebrated that win from the starting line.
“Me and Joey have literally been through some of the toughest times,” Reed said. “I think most people actually lived through and get through. And the day I found out my kid had cancer, I called him, and he was actually trading his truck in and a boat for a new truck, and he got up in the finance office and walked out with a pen in his hand. He beat me to my house. I walked in; he was crying at the sink, looking out the window. He was just like, he was a mess.
“For me and him to stick through all that stuff, crash into each other, build all kinds of stuff together, do stupid things together, and I got to watch him have success on the motorcycle thing. And I don’t know, it’s incredible. It’s really nice that I get to share it with somebody.”
Their bond was further cemented when team owner Jim Whiteley proposed moving from motorcycles to cars. The decision came after a frustrating start to the season filled with mechanical failures. Immediately Reed, who would drive the car, was more concerned about Gladstone, and how being out of competition would affect him.
“We were in Gainesville and we were having a really tough start to the season, blowing up crap left and right on our motorcycles,” Reed said. “My dad sat us down and he’s like, ‘Hey boys, we’re about to spend a couple million bucks on this bike crap. You guys want to hop in a car? What do you think of that?
“For me, I was worried about Joey getting off a bike and wanting to race, needing to race, scratching that itch. But I think that I could speak for him that when I’m racing, he feels like he’s racing. I felt that same way when he did good on the motorcycle stuff, when I was there with him, I felt like I was winning too. I didn’t need to be on the bike at that point. I felt like he’s my brother, dude, I don’t know… we share all kinds of things. We work together all the time. Cut down trees together.”
Despite concerns about stepping away from motorcycles, both men embraced the change. Reed knew Gladstone would still feel connected to the sport by working on his car.
“When I’m racing, he feels like he’s racing,” Reed said. “He’s my brother. We work together, we cut down trees together.”
Sunday’s victory in Norwalk, to Gladstone, was like felling the biggest tree of all.
“He’s been through a lot, and he earned this,” Gladstone said. “I’m proud to be a part of it. I’m thankful I could be working on the car he got his first win in. That’s going to stick with me forever.”
Falling to his knees wasn’t about disbelief, Gladstone added — it was about joy, relief, and reflection.
“I think he’s been out here for nine years chasing a Wally,” he said. “He almost lost his life. I was right there. He was there for me when my son passed away. I don’t know what I did to deserve a friend like that, but I’m happy I got him.”
