CHICAGO – It took 70 days, but Jason Dietsch, of Edgerton, Ohio, won the Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals today at Route 66 Raceway during the final day of qualifying. Severe weather forced the postponement of the historic Gatornationals to the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals. Four drivers had to wait over two months, and it was Dietsch securing the win, his first of the season, over Lenny Lottig in the final round after semifinalists Lee Hartman and Doug Hamp exited earlier in the day.

“The wait was forever,” said Dietsch, with regards to the delay to conclude the Gatornationals. “I just wanted to go run it and get it over with. I sat in my car worried sick, but I knew we could do it.”

Dietsch captured his first career Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown win in his fifteenth national event. This was also his first final round in the highly competitive factory stock class populated with Dodge Drag Paks, Chevrolet COPO Camaros and Ford Cobra Jets. He defeated Conner Statler and David Davies II in Gainesville, Florida before outrunning Doug Hamp and 4-time winner Lenny Lottig today in Chicago. Dietsch raced to the win with an impressive 7.742 second, 178.68 mph run. Continue reading →

CHICAGO – Fans of factory stock hot rods will be treated to a unique two-for-one event at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK with this weekend’s NHRA national event featuring the usual three exciting days of Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown racing action as well as the conclusion of the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals. Twenty competitors will be racing their Ford Cobra Jets, Dodge Drag Packs and Chevrolet COPO Camaros for the iconic Wally trophy presented to the Route 66 Nationals winner and included in that group will be four drivers still in action attempting to win the Gatornationals Wally. Lee Hartman, Doug Hamp, Jason Dietsch and Lenny Lottig will be racing for two trophies when qualifying action begins this Friday at Route 66 Raceway outside of Chicago.

“Gainesville was a lucky weekend for us, to be honest,” said Hamp. “We had a no show and a red light against us. I don’t think the COPOs got much for the Fords and the Dodges, but we’re in the semis and we’re excited to get the race wrapped up in Chicago. We didn’t think we’d get this far, but it’s one of those deals where you realize everyone needs a little bit of luck to win a race, and I hope I didn’t waste all my luck. Hopefully, we’ll still have some this weekend.” Continue reading →

CONCORD, NC – For first time Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown winner Jonathan Allegrucci, of Scott Township, Pa., today’s victory was a coronation a decade in the making. Allegrucci was one of the original eight factory stock showdown exhibition race competitors. The veteran driver powered his Ford Cobra Jet to the winner’s circle when he outran 2024 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown world champion Mark Pawuk, Tony Scott Jr. and Raymond Nash in the final quad of the American Rebel Light NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway.

“This is unreal. It’s a dream come true,” said Allegrucci. “I don’t know what to say. It’s been 10 years. We’ve been trying this since 2015. We were one of the first eight in Gainesville in 2015 and we haven’t forgotten about it since then.”

Allegrucci entered race day as the No. 4 qualifier and in a 17-car field the unique four-wide format provided a rare opportunity for the first round to essentially equate to a bye run. His Ford Cobra Jet posted a strong 7.863 second, 176.35 mph run beside Rouven Dawson. Continue reading →

CONCORD, NC – Jason Dietsch, of Edgerton, Ohio, powered his Ford Cobra Jet to the No. 1 qualifier at the American Rebel Light NHRA 4-Wide Nationals. The veteran driver posted the quickest time on Friday and held off tough competitors through two more rounds of qualifying at zMax Dragway today outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. This is Dietsch’s third career No. 1 qualifier in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series.

Dietsch is looking for his first career Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown national event win and will have to go through a veteran field of drivers that includes 2024 NHRA Flexjet world champion Mark Pawuk, Gatornationals No. 1 qualifier David Janac and a quartet of semifinalist from the yet to be concluded Gatornationals that includes himself, Lee Hartman, Doug Hamp, and Lenny Lottig.

“As competitive as this class is you have be on your game,” said Dietsch. “It’s great, you know, get these Blue Ovals out there in front. We will have to be ready when eliminations start. You can make a small mistake and go to the next round with four-wide racing, but you can’t make a big mistake.” Continue reading →

CONCORD, NC – After a six-week break in the action following the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals in March, Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown competitors will be back in action this weekend at the American Rebel Light Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway outside of Charlotte, N. C. Drivers wheeling Ford Cobra Jets, Chevrolet COPO Camaros and Dodge Challenger Drag Paks will race four-wide in one of the most exciting drag racing events in the country. Returning to the state-of-the-art zMax Dragway, known as the “Bellagio of Drag Strips” reigning world champion Mark Pawuk will be looking to pick up his first four-wide victory.

“I have raced in all the four-wide nationals going back to 2022,” said Pawuk. “The last two four-wide national events I made it to the final quad, but this year I am looking to get the win light. There is a lot going on at the starting line and you really have to keep your focus.”

The first time the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series raced four-wide Bill Skillman won at zMax Dragway in 2022. The next year it was Lenny Lottig outrunning Factory Stock Showdown veterans Aaron Stanfield, Stephen Bell and Pawuk for the victory. Last year the four-wide national event was contested at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Ricky Hord winning his first Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown national event getting to the finish line first in front of David Janac, Scott Libersher and Pawuk. Continue reading →

GAINESVILLE, FL – Mother Nature was the big winner at the 56th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals forcing some of the toughest factory stock competitors back to their haulers throughout the three-day national event. Today at Gainesville Raceway the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series was able to begin but just prior to the semifinal round, rain returned and forced the sanctioning body to postpone the race to a future event. The exact date for competitors Lee Hartman, Doug Hamp, Jason Dietsch and Lenny Lottig to conclude the event will be announced later this week.

Hartman is looking for his first Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown national event win. In the first round Hartman, the No. 15 qualifier, upset Scott Libersher, the No. 2 qualifier and a 2024 championship contender. In the second round he outran No. 10 qualifier Raymond Nash with his quickest run of the weekend, a solid 7.816 second run leading to a match-up with Lottig.

“That last pass in the second round, the car took off and it was a second and a half in the air, and it was driving,” said Hartman. “It was on the wheelie bars, just driving through there. And that is an awesome feeling. It just slams you in the seat, and you’re looking at the sky a little bit. All with a nine-inch tire. We had some tricky track conditions out there so we’re just trying to figure out the lane that we were in and luckily, we were able to keep going fast where we could have lane choice. We’re going to continue to do that when we finish this thing up.” Continue reading →

GAINESVILLE, FL – The start of the 2025 NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series will take off at the historic Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, March 6-9 with Ford, Dodge and Chevy competitors battling it out over eight races for the championship trophy. Last year, Mark Pawuk won a long-awaited championship in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown after opening the season with a win at the Gatornationals. Now, he has the challenge of defending a title.

It took more than three decades for Mark Pawuk to earn the title of NHRA world champion, but if he has his way, it will take less than a year to become a two-time champion. The path will not be easy for the Ohio-based driver with veteran and new drivers eager to take the top spot.

Mark Pawuk (foreground) raced to victory at the 2024 Gatornationals on the way to his first world championship, photo credit Auto Imagery
“I am excited to get the season started,” said Pawuk. “I looked at the entry list and to see all the Ford, Chevys and Dodges coming to this race is awesome. This reminds me of my early days in Pro Stock when all three manufacturers were so involved. The competitiveness of this class is off the charts, and I am so happy to have the No. 1 on the side of my race car. That is something I dreamed about. The one thing I know is now everyone will be giving me their best and I am looking forward to the challenge.” Continue reading →

ST LOUIS – The final race of the 2024 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series featured a fierce world championship battle and the opportunity for a COPO Camaro, Dodge Drag Pak of Ford Mustang Cobra Jet driver to win the tenth race of the season. Rain washed away the first day of qualifying when storms blew through the St. Louis area forcing NHRA officials to cancel racing action on Friday. On race day it was Mark Pawuk dominating the field winning for the second time this season outrunning No. 1 qualifier Jonathan Allegrucci in the final.

“I wanted to win this race so no matter what we could say we started the season and ended the season with a win,” said Pawuk, a three-time finalist in 2024. “We won the Gatornationals to start the season and we got the last win of the season. I am so proud of this team.”

After Saturday’s qualifying sessions Allegrucci and his 2019 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet stood atop the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown field as the No. 1 qualifier. It was Allegrucci’s first career No. 1 and for the driver from Scott Township, Pennsylvania, it was a rush of emotion at the end of the day. Continue reading →