INDIANAPOLIS – Second generation Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series racer Taylor Dietsch captured his first victory in the ultra-competitive factory stock class. Today Dietsch battled through five rounds of racing over two days as the No. 5 qualifier raced to his first final round and first win. Dietsch drove his Ford Mustang Cobra Jet past Raymond Nash and his Dodge Challenger Drag Pak in the final.

“To win the U.S. Nationals is absolutely amazing,” said Dietsch. “We look forward to this race all year. This is the one everyone wants to win. I want to thank my dad for letting me have this opportunity. It’s so fun to go out here and race with all these super strong competitors. This class is so tight, and you have to be on it all the time to take home the win. I want to thank all the guys back at KSR, they all built a rocket of a race car. I have to thank my sister and my mom.”

Dietsch’s best finish previously was a semifinal effort in Chicago at the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 Nationals when he lost to his father Jason, who went on to win the race. The father and son have a combined three Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown wins in 2025. Continue reading →

INDIANAPOLIS – Lenny Lottig drove his Chevrolet Camaro to the No.1 qualifier spot at the biggest drag race of the year, the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals. The veteran driver from Meyersdale, Pa., posted the quickest time of over 20 factory stock showdown cars competing in the ultra-competitive Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series.

Lottig’s best time came in the third qualifying session on Saturday when he blasted down the track at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in 7.688 seconds at 177.67 mph. The three-time Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series national event winner is bullish on his chances to win his first U.S. Nationals title.

“We’re in the yellow hat, and that always makes you have a little bit better feeling going into race day than when you don’t have it,” said Lottig, who has won twice from the No. 1 spot. “Anything can happen. We’ll just take it one at a time. When you come to Indy, you’re typically with the best of the best in the country, and there’s 20 cars here in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series. The showdown is what got me back into drag racing five years ago.” Continue reading →

INDIANAPOLIS – Heading into the biggest race of the NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series Mark Pawuk and the Empaco Dodge Challenger are carrying a two-race winning streak. The Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals has a way of derailing momentum.  Pawuk has the points lead but with three races left in the season Jason Dietsch and Lee Hartman are hot on his rear bumper. Last year Kevin Skinner picked up his first career win at the U.S. Nationals and he will be back looking to make his own history chasing back-to-back wins at the biggest race of the year.

“It really hasn’t sunk it but it gets more real the closer this weekend gets,” said Skinner. “It was cool to win the U.S. Nationals last year with my family at the race. We always try and race together so to have my dad, my wife and my son at the track for such a big win was special. I don’t feel a lot of extra stress coming back as the reigning U.S. Nationals champion but there is some pressure to want to do well again. I am just going to try and take it day by day. Last year was an amazing weekend for sure.”

Pawuk most recently secured an emotional win at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio. It was the hometown win the Ohioan had been chasing for decades. Prior to Norwalk Pawuk won at historic Bristol Dragway checking off another bucket list win. The iconic U.S. Nationals is the last signature win for the driver chasing a Hall of Fame career. Pawuk has come close scoring runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2020 in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series. Continue reading →

NORWALK, OH – Mark Pawuk checked off a bucket list item that the veteran drag racer has been chasing since the mid-1970s. Today he won at Summit Motorsports Park, his life-long hometown track, capturing the Wally and a one-of-a-kind commemorative ice cream scoop for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. Pawuk started the day as the No. 2 qualifier, a position he earned in the final qualifying session and raced to his second consecutive Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown win of the season and fourth of his career.

“This is my home track, I started here in 70s, racing, believe it or not,” said an emotional Pawuk, in front of the packed grandstands. “I loved (track owner) Bill Bader Sr. dearly and I love Bill Jr., and Bobbie. They have the best facility in the country. I have so many friends and family rooting us on. We came into yesterday afternoon, and we weren’t in the show. We got in and wound up winning the race. I’ve wanted this ice cream scoop all my life, since I started racing. It was on my bucket list. I got it done. If you look at the scoreboards here you see Ohio CAT and Summit, two of my original sponsors going back to when I was racing Pro Stock. They are still with me and this is so great.” Continue reading →

NORWALK, OH – The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown No. 2 driver in points, Jason Dietsch, showed no signs of slowing down grabbing the No. 1 qualifier today at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. The two-time 2025 national event winner posted a 7.856 second, 174.91 mph run right off the trailer in the first qualifying session on Friday to grab his second No. 1 qualifier of the season. The strength of that run held the top spot through two more qualifying sessions and Dietsch will face No. 16 qualifier Josh Hart in the opening round of eliminations.

“This would be a good weekend to get the yellow hat and hopefully get the black hat (presented to the race winner),” said Dietsch, who won the Gatornationals and Route 66 Nationals earlier this season. “The weather has been really challenging with track conditions and everything else. We put a soft launch on our first run, and we got down the track with a good time. On the second run, we went out with the same exact set-up and we spun the tires.”

After two qualifying sessions Dietsch was sitting No. 1 with his Ford Mustang Cobra Jet followed by Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals winner Jason Allegrucci, 7.894 seconds, also in a Cobra Jet and Scott Libersher wheeled his COPO Camaro to a 7.895 second run. Raymond Nash had the highest qualified Dodge after two sessions, sitting No. 4 with a time of 7.919 seconds. Continue reading →

BRISTOL, TN – For reigning 2024 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown world champion Mark Pawuk Bristol Dragway has been a tough place to race for over three decades. Today at the 24th Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Pawuk, the No. 2 qualifier, raced to his first win of the season and moved into the Flexjet points lead. Pawuk, racing in his ninth career Flexjet Factory Stock final round, took his fourth win light of the day when Jim Betz re-lit in the final round leaving the starting line early.

“I started racing here in the 80s. I’ve always struggled at this racetrack. I ran here through my Pro Stock days. Last year we really struggled in qualifying. This year we came out and we made a great run in the first session. We were number one till two pairs of cars, Saturday afternoon and I got bumped to No. 2. I guess everything happens for a reason, and we never got down. But once we got back to the left lane, we kept lane choice all day.”

“I’m really happy for Jim Betz. The guy’s been out here,” said Pawuk. “He’s gone back and forth between NMCA and some other classes. I’m really happy to see both him and Kim Shirley go to the semifinals. That’s great for the class. It’s great for the sport. I have to thank Mike Valerio, my son, Kyle, Frank Madonia, David Barton and his whole team. They just did a great job getting this car to ready to run down the racetrack.” Continue reading →

BRISTOL, TN – Championship contending driver Lee Hartman took advantage of an early start in the final qualifying session today at the 24th Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals to run to the No. 1 qualifier position in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series. Hartman’s pass, a 7.885 second run at 174.46 mph, moved him around provisional No. 1 qualifier Mark Pawuk and secured his second No. 1 qualifier of the season.

“When you pull up next to Mark Pawuk, you better have your A game on,” said Hartman. “When we left, I thought, ‘Okay, my car is strong.’ I know that we had it on that pass. I was looking for a run like that, and that’s what we did. We put one on the board.”

The Flexjet Factory Stock Series drivers waited all day for their final qualifying run as sporadic showers shuffled the racing schedule at Bristol Dragway. The nearly two dozen teams of Dodges, Chevrolets and Fords filled the staging lanes for one more qualifying run when after two pairs of cars rain forced the cancellation of the final session and the field was set. Track conditions played a critical role Friday and today as Hartman and the rest of the field battled atmospheric conditions as well as the altitude of Bristol Dragway to create horsepower for their factory stock race cars. Continue reading →

BRISTOL, TN – Jason Dietsch started racing in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series in 2018 and over the years the owner of Jason Dietsch Trailer Sales built his racing program at a steady pace. Three weeks ago, at the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 Nationals Dietsch accomplished a rare double win capturing the postponed Gatornationals win on Saturday and the Route 66 Nationals win on Sunday in Chicago. On the way to his second win in 24 hours Dietsch had to outrun his son Taylor in the semifinals. Heading into the 12th Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals the father and son combo from Edgerton, Ohio will be back on track and looking to keep the family winning streak alive.

“(The wins) have sunk in a little, but it is about to get real in a couple days when we get to Bristol,” said Jason Dietsch, driver of the Dietsch Trailer Sales Mustang Cobra Jet. “We haven’t raced at Bristol Dragway, but I have been to the circle track a couple times. I think I will be not more relaxed but just more focused on everything because I won’t be focused on getting that first win. I think I will be able to drive better and just have more fun.”

The pressure of balancing a growing trailer business and also racing in the highly competitive Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown class keeps the elder Dietsch focused. The fact that he gets to spend quality time with his son Taylor at the track as well as a solid group competitors and friends makes the hours spent at the shop worth it. Continue reading →

CHICAGO – Jason Dietsch came to Chicago and the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals looking for his first career Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown national event win. Dietsch was one of four drivers competing this weekend in the rain delayed Gatornationals and there were 20 drivers competing for the Route 66 Nationals Wally. Yesterday Dietsch won the Gatornationals and today he went back-to-back winning for the second time in less than 24 hours. He outran Lee Hartman in the final round today winning the 25th Route 66 Nationals and taking over the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown points lead.

Dietsch entered race day as the No. 3 qualifier and had to dispatch Josh Hart in the opening round. In the quarterfinals Dietsch took out David Janac with a strong run posting a winning time of 7.730 seconds against Janac’s 7.770 second pass.

“I was focusing on just getting the first one this weekend,” said Dietsch. “We’re excited and this day just went so smoothly. To win both races is unbelievable. This special 25th anniversary silver Wally is really cool. I got four trophies this weekend, and that’s awesome.” Continue reading →

CHICAGO, IL – Last year Lee Hartman ran to the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown No. 1 qualifier at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals and a runner-up finish. Today, the veteran driver posted the quickest run of the class with a blistering 7.642 second pass in the first of two qualifiers today. The run held up through the afternoon session and Hartman will carry the No. 1 qualifier into eliminations and a first round match up with No. 16 qualifier David Davies II.

“Getting the three qualifiers definitely helped,” said Hartman. “We had to step it up in Q2 just to make sure we were headed in the right direction. We made a great run and it does help knowing where you’re headed in the right direction. It would be awesome to get the win in Chicago. We are close to home and the track is great. The fans have been great. You really can’t beat it.”

Hartman has scored three career No. 1 qualifiers and he is looking for his first Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series win. He was part of a quartet of drivers who were racing for the win of the rain delayed NHRA Gatornationals as part of the qualifying sessions. Hartman lost in the semis, which was contested in the first qualifying session today, but he took the run in stride. He used the runs to keep his focus on winning either the Gatornationals or the Route 66 Nationals. Continue reading →