NORWALK, OH – For the third time this season Stephen Bell drove his bright red Chevrolet COPO Camaro to a Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown national event win extending his point lead over a stacked field of Camaros, Dodge Drag Paks and Ford Cobra Jets. Today at Summit Motorsports Park Bell, the No. 1 qualifier outran Mike Clark, Lee Hartman, David Janac and Mark Pawuk on the way to his way to victory. This was Bell’s second consecutive win at “America’s Racetrack.”

“I’m just the luckiest guy in the world and so blessed to be doing this,” said Bell. “My family allows me to do this, and they support it. My engine guys Greg and Aaron Stanfield and my crew guys Dean and Dylan did an amazing job. We just have so much fun at the races and we get along. We’re all checking and double checking everything on the car. We’re just in a groove right now and I want to keep it going.”

In the semifinals Bell matched up with the most recent Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown winner of the Thunder Valley Nationals David Janac. Bell got to the finish line stripe first turning on the win light and collecting the $1,000 Flexjet bounty. This was the first time Bell has collected the bounty in 2024. Continue reading →

NORWALK, OH – Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series point leader Stephen Bell posted the quickest qualifying run for the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals to earn his first No. 1 qualifier of the 2024 season. The businessman and accomplished driver made a strong 7.806 second pass at 178.35 mph in the opening qualifying session on Friday. The run held up through the second session and rain today washed out the final qualifying session securing Bell and his Chevrolet COPO Camaro the top spot in the 16-car qualified field.

“I wanted to get a good run in and be close to the top,” said Bell. “You don’t want to be in the middle of the field because the competition is so tough. Even as the No. 1 qualifier I am not looking past Mike Clark. Every driver out here can win. These races come down to the performance of the cars and the driver behind the wheel. I am looking forward to getting into eliminations.”

Bell outran a solid field of Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Dodge Drag Paks, and Ford Cobra Jets to head into eliminations as the quickest factory stock car on the property. This is Bell’s third career No. 1 qualifier, and he is the fourth different Flexjet Factory Stock driver to score a No. 1 qualifier this season. Bell will face Mike Clark in the first round. Continue reading →

NORWALK, OH – The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series made the halfway turn on the 2024 season three weeks ago at the Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals in Bristol, Tenn. As the series heads to Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, a handful of drivers are in contention for the world championship. Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals is one of the premier events on the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series schedule drawing the top drivers from across the country including point leader Stephen Bell, most recent winner David Janac, Ohioan Mark Pawuk and over a dozen Chevrolet COPO Camaro, Ford Cobra Jet and Dodge Drag Pak racers.

Qualifying will begin on Friday, June 28 with two sessions, and for point leader and two-time winner in 2024 Bell, the action will heat up as soon as the cars are pulled out of the race trailers. Bell has raced in four final rounds including the previous two leading up to this weekend but his point lead over Janac is barely over three rounds.

“We have had a great season, but so have a lot of other guys,” said Bell, a businessman from Shreveport, La. “You would think with four final rounds and two wins we would have a big lead, but everyone is racing so well we haven’t really pulled away and that is fine. I like racing all these guys and they are my friends. It keeps it interesting for these last four races of the season. I was thrilled to see David (Janac) get his first win in Bristol even if it meant I didn’t get the victory.” Continue reading →

BRISTOL, TN – David Janac won for the first time in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series today at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. The veteran driver powered his Janac Brothers Chevrolet COPO Camaro to victory from the No, 4 qualifier position outrunning point leader Stephen Bell in the final round.

In the final Janac grabbed a starting line advantage and never trailed in the race when Bell overpowered the track coming off the starting line. Janac’s winning elapsed time of 8.037 seconds was an improvement over his semifinal winning time. As Janac crossed the finish line the weight of the achievement hit the veteran driver.

“I started getting excited about the win when I crossed the finish line and I didn’t see Stephen,” said Janac. “That’s when I knew I won, and I couldn’t believe it. I can’t describe the feeling. It’s beyond words. This is an unreal feeling.” Continue reading →

Bristol, TN – For the first time this season the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series recorded back-to-back No. 1 qualifiers when Lee Hartman posted the quickest run of the weekend in his Hartman Racing Chevrolet COPO Camaro today at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Hartman amazed the capacity crowd on hand at Bristol Dragway with a blistering run in the heat of 7.897 seconds at 174.21 mph. This was Hartman’s second career No. 1 qualifier on the heels of posting the quickest qualifying time at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals outside of Chicago, two weeks ago. Hartman raced to the final round at that race losing the win to point leader Stephen Bell. Today, Hartman was excited with the surge in performance going into eliminations.

“I was just telling my guys when I came back, I wish I could make a pass like that every time,” said Hartman. “There is nothing like seeing the sky when you do a wheel stand and your Camaro’s nose is in the air. You’re looking at your peripheral vision making sure the car is still going straight. As long as we’re running good, we’ll keep this thing going.”

Hartman was sitting No. 6 going into the final round of qualifying. The jump in the qualifying standings was something Hartman’s team was working towards throughout the sessions. Continue reading →

BRISTOL, TN – The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series will return to one of the most historic drag strips in the country this weekend, Bristol Dragway, nestled in the Tennessee mountains and known as one of the quickest racing surfaces in the country. For the high-performance Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Dodge Drag Paks and Ford Cobra Jets that make up the factory-backed class it will be an intense weekend of high horsepower and low elapsed times as drivers from across the country try to reel in point leader and two-time 2024 winner Stephen Bell from Shreveport, La.

“We are off to a good start for sure, but we want to keep turning on those win lights,” said Bell, the most recent winner at the Route 66 Nationals. “We got a great win in Chicago and we would like to make it two races in a row but the competition is so tough I don’t know if we can do that. We are sure going to try in Bristol this weekend.”

Bell was the series runner-up in 2023 to Aaron Stanfield, who is the defending Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Flexjet winner. Stanfield is not entered to defend his title, so the door is open for Bell or one of the other top Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown competitors to pick up the win. Bell will have to fend off the charge from veteran driver and Gatornationals winner Mark Pawuk as well as Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals winner Ricky Hord. Another driver to watch out for is Winternationals runner-up David Davies II driving the Mission 22 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak. Davies has continued to improve his operation and is a favorite to earn his first Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series win this season. Continue reading →

CHICAGO, IL – For the fourth time this season the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series qualifying ended with a new racer as the No. 1 qualifier. Today at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway outside of Chicago, Ill., Lee Hartman scored his first career No. 1, driving his Hartman Racing Chevrolet COPO Camaro. His class quickest time of 7.781 seconds at 170.26 mph was able to stay in front of a tough field of Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Ford Cobra Jets and Dodge Drag Paks through three rounds of qualifying.

“Chicago is a nice place and a nice track,” said Hartman. “We were fighting the weather and track conditions. Every round seems to be a different animal here. We are still working on it going into the first round. So far this Stanfield prepared COPO is running really well. We are really thankful to be here.”

Hartman posted his quick time in the first qualifying session on Friday and his time was equaled by David Janac. The tiebreaker went to Hartman who recorded a speed of 170.26 mph while Janac’s scoreboard showed 34.15 mph due to a scoreboard malfunction that was correct in the following session. The elapsed times stayed true and Hartman will face No. 16 qualifier Michael Lloyd in the first round. Continue reading →

CHICAGO – The popularity of the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series has been on a steady rise since the launch of the multi-manufacturer backed door-slammer class in 2017. The heated competition between Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Ford Mustang Cobra Jets and Dodge Mopar Challenger Drag Paks will be front and center this weekend at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Ill. A full field of Chevrolets, Fords and Dodges will be racing for the coveted Wally winner’s trophy as well as points for the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown world championship. Mark Pawuk and his Dodge Drag Pak sit No. 1 atop a stacked list of competitors heading into the fourth race of the 2024 season.

“We picked up the win at the Gatornationals and raced to the semifinals at Winternationals,” said Pawuk, driver of the Empaco Dodge. “This will be a special weekend celebrating the life of my friend Don Schumacher. We have been honoring him on our race car all season. He was a giant in drag racing as a driver and team owner. I would love to put on a good show in his memory.” Continue reading →