Competition Plus’ Water-Cooler Topics From The NHRA Norwalk Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio..
1 – CORY REED GETS HIS FIRST – He might have given the appearance of a rugged caveman, but once Pro Stock racer Cory Reed crossed the finish line ahead of Dallas Glenn on Sunday to win his first NHRA national event, the former Pro Stock Motorcycle rider found it perfectly appropriate to cry like a baby.
Who could blame him?
After years of trials and tribulations, Reed now owns his elusive first Wally.
“I had a lot of emotions. I tried not to cry pretty much the whole time right now,” Reed said. “All I know is I got Dallas off the tree, which was a very big accomplishment for myself. I struggled all day with lights, so I was proud of myself for coming around like that. I kind of knew I had to step up against that guy – he’s tough.
“I’ve got a great team behind me and great people. I mean, my buddy Joey (Gladstone), my mom and dad, family, everybody at KB is amazing. They all taught me so much and helping me every day, getting me through personal struggles and all that stuff. It’s incredible.”
To reach the final round, Reed defeated Troy Coughlin Jr., Greg Stanfield, and No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson.
Reed left the starting line with an impressive .012 reaction time, and rolled to the victory with a run of 6.648 at 207.30 in his J&A Service Chevrolet Camaro. Glenn suffered tire shake almost immediately, Reed cruised to the victory in his fourth career final round.
Glenn reached the final round for the seventh time in eight races this year with round wins against Val Smeland, Cody Coughlin, and Matt Hartford, who won Saturday’s GETTRX Pro Stock All-Star Callout. He trails points leader Anderson, who won the GESi No. 1 Qualifier Award this weekend, by 50 points at the halfway mark of the season.
2 – ASHLEY WINS A SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST – Justin Ashley was impressed in seeing the determination of Clay Millican’s Rick Ware Racing team. He watched as his final-round opponent overcame last-minute breakage in their pit area between rounds yet still made it to the starting line.
And how did he treat the driver he believes has the friendliest personality in drag racing?
He strapped an .027 light on him and led him to the stripe, winning at 3.931 seconds, 317.34 mph to edge Millican’s quicker 3.922, 322.34 effort.
“I actually got my Top Fuel license here in Norwalk, and (Millican) was one of the people that signed it,” Ashley revealed. “I spoke about it after the semifinals. He’s got this positive, infectious personality that you just can’t help but love. With that being said, I was happy to see that they made it up to the final.
“No one wants to win a race that way. We would’ve waited as long as they would’ve let us wait to run it heads up. He’s a really tough competitor. He’s a great guy, he’s a great driver. I can continue to learn a lot from him. Being able to get past him was really, really special. They got a great team over there. It was an awesome final round.”
Ashley now has 17 career Top Fuel wins, and the win helps him to check off another bucket-list item. He wanted to win at Norwalk to match what his dad, Mike, accomplished nearly two decades ago in Funny Car.
“Norwalk means a lot to me personally,” Ashley said. “My father won in Funny Car here in 2007, and ever since we started racing in Top Fuel, it was a dream of mine to win right here – and that’s what we did today. It’s special, and the team did a great job all weekend. We qualified No. 1, navigated our way down the racetrack, all race-day long, on a surface that was very slippery and very tricky.
“The people who win these races are the ones that go A to B, and that’s what we did today. I’m just glad it worked out. Really proud of Mike Green and Tommy DeLago, and our whole team. They really deserve this win, and I’m happy they could be along for the ride.”
3 – PROCK KEEPS ROCKETING — There are two ways that defending NHRA Funny Car series champion Austin Prock wins a race. He either, by his actions, makes it clear the rest of the field is racing for second place. Or , alternately, he struggles and claws his way to the winner’s circle.
As he puts it, either way works for him because they are all sweet.
Sunday’s Norwalk win was an interesting combination of the two.
“Anytime you can hold a trophy at the end of the day, it’s the same gratification,” Prock said. “Everyone puts so much effort into this away from the racetrack, at the racetrack, especially in conditions like this where it’s hot. These guys are dying out there bolting this race car together eight times over a weekend. They all taste the same. It’s a feeling, because you never know when you’re going to get another one, and you never want to lose that taste, and we’ve been doing a good job of not losing it.”
Prock ran 4.064 seconds at 318 mph to beat Matt Hagan for his fourth win of 2025 and 16th of his career. His four wins have all been back-to-back on two occasions.
This year’s atmosphere at Summit Motorsports Park was much different than last year’s at the track located in Norwalk, Ohio. Last year’s race was the first following John Force’s horrific crash in Richmond, where Prock’s team owner crashed and suffered a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury).
“The energy was definitely in a better place this year,” Prock said. “Last year, I probably shouldn’t even have been behind the wheel. Some of those runs, my mental state was not in the best capacity, but we still had a fast hot rod and ended up coming short to Bob Tasca in the semis last year. But to get it done with the Force family back in the house, that was a big deal.”
Prock’s road to the final included wins over Dale Creasy Jr., Bob Tasca III, and Ron Capps.
Prock now has 12 wins in 30 races since replacing Robert Hight in 2023.
“Stats like that definitely make you grin, but it just says a lot about the team behind me,” Prock said. “This race car has been phenomenal ever since I sat in it, and it’s given me a great opportunity to learn behind the wheel and get a lot of stabs at the throttle and getting in those pressure situations. It’s definitely shortened my learning curve.”
Hagan advanced to the final round for the first time this season and the 94th time in his career by defeating J.R. Todd, Jack Beckman, and No. 1 qualifier Cruz Pedregon. Prock leads Jack Beckman by 127 points after 10 races.
4 – JOHN HALL GETS HIS WIN – Some things are worth waiting for, and for Pro Stock Motorcycle rider John Hall, it didn’t feel like a 12-year-long drought.
Hall won his third career national event using Matt Smith Racing horsepower to chase down Richard Gadson in the final, stopping the timers in 6.880, 196.67. Gadson got the jump with a .021 reaction time, but Hall had enough power to catch him at the finish line, recording his first victory since the U.S. Nationals at Indy in 2013.
Hall’s trek to the final started from the No. 3 spot, where he then defeated Wesley Wells, Marc Ingwersen, and points leader Gaige Herrera to reach the finals. Herrera, Gadson’s Vance & Hines teammate, had a rare red-light start in the semis.
“It’s special because you never know if you’re going to get another one. I won twice in 2013, including the U.S. Nationals,” Hall said. “You know, 12 years goes by and you just realize how hard it is to get one of these. Matt Smith Racing is one of the hardest-working teams out here, and they get you to the winner’s circle if you do your job.
“I ride the bike and he (Matt Smith) tells me to do my job. I hit the button, cut a good light, and that’s my mindset. But they tune the bike. They’re constantly tuning the bike for the weather, and it paid off.”
Gadson’s road to the finals included wins over Chase Van Sant, Angie Smith, and No. 1 qualifier Matt Smith. Herrera retains the points lead, holding a 96-point advantage over Matt Smith.
5 – A PYRRHIC VICTORY FOR STEWART – Tony Stewart has probably never been so happy to run a 3.908. That’s precisely how many seconds it took to win a second-round match against Steve Torrence on Sunday without blowing the engine to smithereens.
In the first round, against Kyle Wurtzel, Stewart grenaded an engine for the third time of the weekend.
“The reason I wouldn’t do an interview after the first round is that I wouldn’t have a lot of good things to say,” said crew chief Neal Strausbaugh. “It’s been frustrating. We’ve blown the thing up three times, and it’s been three different reasons. Those crew guys headed back to the pits are buried in work.
“They still got their heads up, and they want to win.”
Stewart was upbeat despite the level of carnage.
“This is nitro racing – you are going to get parts bills like that sometimes,” Stewart said. “Like we said back in the trailer, we’ve had a good run on parts attrition up until now. It’s just catching up all in one weekend for us. I guess in times like this is when I appreciate my team. It’s been a hard two weeks for my team.”
5A – THAT LEFT A MARK – Dan Wilkerson had a car to beat this weekend, until he didn’t. An inexplicable foul start in the second round against Funny Car No. 1 qualifier Cruz Pedregon totally took the wind out of Wilkerson’s sails.
“That was by far the biggest mistake I’ve made in my driving career,” Wilkerson said. “This whole team was positive we had the car to beat this weekend, and I let them all down. I’m so disappointed for Scag, Summit, Ford and everyone that has a hand in helping us. We have an excellent machine, and we will be right back at it in Seattle.”
6 – RACING ON THE SURFACE OF THE SUN – The temperature of the racing surface kept ramping up until it reached its peak in final round. The E2 round was 38 degrees, up by 20 degrees from the opening session. By the semifinals, it was 144. By the time the final round rolled around, it crested close to 150.
7 – YOU AGAIN? – Opposites attract, but not like Justin Ashley and Shawn Langdon. Last weekend, the two met in the Virginia NHRA Nationals finals of Top Fuel. Langdon took the win light, but NHRA later disqualified his run because of a tech violation, and Ashley was awarded the victory.
“I don’t know it is about our teams, they cannot seem to escape one another,” Ashley said ahead of Sunday’s semifinal match. “He’s tough”
Ashley beat Langdon in their meeting back in 2020, during the first race in the pandemic-ravaged season.
They have since raced 27 times, with Langdon holding a one-round advantage over Ashley.
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8 – PAWUK GETS HIS OHIO WIN – Veteran drag racer Mark Pawuk captured an emotional victory at his home track Sunday, capturing the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown during the NHRA Summit Nationals for his second national-event win in a row.
Pawuk, who began racing at the facility in the 1970s, qualified No. 2 and drove his Empaco Dodge Challenger Drag Pak to four round wins. He collected the coveted Wally trophy and a commemorative ice cream scoop he said had long been a goal to obtain as a Norwalk victor.
“I’ve wanted this ice cream scoop all my life, since I started racing,” Pawuk said. “It was on my bucket list. I got it done.”
Pawuk credited longtime supporters and track operators for the win and reflected on the significance of the moment.
“I loved Bill Bader Sr. dearly, and I love Bill Jr., and Bobbie,” he said. “They have the best facility in the country. I have so many friends and family rooting us on.”
After failing to qualify until the final session Saturday, Pawuk jumped from No. 19 to No. 2 with the first pass down the track in a delayed evening run. He compared the comeback to a similar scenario from his Pro Stock career.
“We got moved about four times, and the track started going away. I was very concerned I wasn’t going to get in,” Pawuk said. “In Columbus, in 2000 when I was racing Pro Stock, we weren’t in going into the last session, and we qualified ninth and won the race. We kind of did the same thing today.”
On Sunday, Pawuk opened eliminations by defeating David Davies II with a 7.833-second run at 175.98 mph. He advanced past Kevin Skinner in Round Two with a nearly identical 7.848-second pass at 176.30 mph. In the semifinals, Pawuk outran Lee Hartman with a 7.826-second pass, earning lane choice for the final against Scott Libersher.
The final proved to be the most competitive round of the day. Libersher posted a .034-second reaction time to Pawuk’s .050, but overpowered the track and spun the tires. Pawuk stayed hooked up and crossed the stripe for a clean win.
“Last year I made it to the final, and I did a big wheel stand against Stephen Bell and lost the race,” Pawuk said. “I have so many sponsors from this area to thank. … I am just so lucky.”
The victory extended Pawuk’s round-win streak to eight and ensured the Flexjet bounty placed on his head will double to $2,000 at the U.S. Nationals. He praised his team and engine builders for the recent momentum.
“I have to thank Ray Barton and David Barton for tuning our car,” he said. “It’s just awesome that I can represent a brand like Dodge.”
Pawuk, the reigning series champion, said the Norwalk win ranks among the most meaningful of his Hall of Fame career. His next target is a long-sought victory at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, scheduled for Labor Day weekend.
9 – DEFLORIAN IS DE-MAN – The Mountain Motor Pro Stock final-round came down to a battle of the large-displacement titans.
The class, which was once a staple at IHRA races, was won by John DeFlorian running a 6.360, 221.23 run, beating Johnny Pluchino’s 6.405.
The victory moved DeForlian into the championship point lead.
10 – McKENNA’S BOLD SPORTSMAN VICTORY – NHRA crowned a full complement of Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series champions on Sunday.
McKenna Bold, who qualified No. 1 on Saturday, added her name to the list of drivers who have won a national event under the tutelage of Randy Meyer. She led the quickest blown alcohol dragster driver in the world, Shawn Cowie, from start to finish, recording a 5.313, 271.57.
Shane Westerfield beat defending Top Alcohol Funny Car champion Sean Bellemeur off of the starting line, but it was nowhere enough to fend off the Bartone Funny Car as it ran a 5.544 elapsed time at 261.93 miles per hour. It marked career win No. 46 for Bellemeur.
In the final round of the high-winding, stick-shifting Factory X division, Connor Statler drove to a 7.118, 193.24 pass, and outran Lenny Lottig’s 7.140, 193.71. Sunday’s win was the second of Statler’s career with the other coming in Stock.
Defending Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown champion Mark Pawuk quickly overcame a Scott Libersher holeshot as he thundered to a 7.86 to pick up the win. Libersher coasted to a 10.802 when he spun the tires at the hit.
Second-generation Comp racer Dave Duppes, who had only won in Super Stock up to this point, took home the title beating John Frech in the final round. Duppes ran an 8.127, 165.01, to run down Frech’s 8.023, 162.04. The margin of victory was .013.
Sportsman veteran Kevin Helms ran a 9.502, 131.33, to fend off the top-end charge of Peter D’Agnola in the Super Stock title. The victory was the 29th of Helms’ career.
Joe Santangelo ran a 10,593, 107.86, to fend off the stick-shift Pontiac of Caleb McFarland in the Stock final. It was the second consecutive win for Santangelo, who also won last week’s Super Stock title in Richmond.
Two of NHRA Division 3’s heavy-hitters, Jeremy Mason and Devin Isenhower, met in the Super Comp final, but it was over at the hit. Isenhower went .003 on the red side to hand the win to Mason.
Jake Elrod won his fifth career NHRA national event crown, running a 9.91 to win Super Gas over Jim Repka. The key for Elrod was a .0019 reaction time.
Former NHRA Pro Comp racer turned Top Dragster competitor Al Kenny scored the automatic victory when Tony Elrod turned on the red light.
In a show of sportsmanship, Top Sportsman racer Chris Osborn waited on Keith Castle to fix his car when it wouldn’t start. Osborn remained on the good side of his dial-in while Castle broke out.
Damien Hazelton picked up the Super Street title, winning his second NHRA national event title in as many finals. He ran a 10.937 at 128.60 miles per hour to beat Carl Saari, who turned in a losing 10.962, 115.24.
