Greg Jacobsmeyer Racing 2025 US131 Funny Car Nationals Race Report
ST LOUIS – Hello race fans! Jake and the team returned to the US131 Motorsports Park, Martin, Michigan on Saturday 6 September 
attending the 21st Annual US131 Funny Car Nationals presented by Honor Credit Union. This was the 4th race of the season for the team and the first event in the fuel altered configuration. Yep, we were invited to run the altered configuration at the Funny Car Nationals. Fine with us, as we were itching to run at least one event as the fuel altered. This event combined a points race for the Mid-West Drag Racing Association Championship Racing Series as well as a pro-nitro show which packed the stands with an estimated attendance of over 5,000 race fans. The weather and track conditions were near perfect for low elapsed times and a great show with ambient temps in the low 70’s during the afternoon and mid 60’s in the evening.
Scheduled for two exhibition style runs Saturday evening, our first call to the staging lanes was at 6PM. We were paired up against Tom Motry’s Drastic Plastic fuel altered and chose the right lane for the first round.
Jake ran a solid 5.51s / 252 mph on his first pass. So close to a record breaker missing it by only 0.002 seconds and the fastest run yet in the altered configuration. The track was so tacky that Mark stepped right out of his shoe at the starting line and it threatened to pull his sock off. The car left the line hard and went the first 60 ft in less than a second at 0.94 seconds. This increment is as good as the big show 11,000 horsepower NHRA funny cars when they leave the line. Jake passed the 330 ft mark at 2.44 seconds and at 3.64 seconds Jake passed the 660 ft mark (1/8th mile) at 208.24 mph! At 1000 ft down the track Jake continued to accelerate crossing that mark in just 4.65 seconds and finished the ¼ mile (1320 ft) run crossing the finish line at 5.51s at 232 mph. A great run and one that we’d been looking for all season long. The top speed was off a little and we believe that was due to a nitro percentage that was slightly off the mark.
A video of our first run taken by Brenda Hutchison. Turn up the volume to hear the horsepower at work. Notice Mark losing his shoe as he staged Jake in the lights. I had to laugh.
As you saw, the run was solid and a compression check on each cylinder and post-run maintenance showed no indication of damage. An oil change, new spark plugs, rocker arm adjustment, clutch adjustment, fuel, tire pressure check and a parachute repack was all that was needed and we were ready for the scheduled for 9PM call to the staging lanes by 8PM. As I’ve said before, hurry up and wait is normal in this business. As nightfall occurred, temperatures fell into the mid to low 60’s requiring Jake to closely monitor atmospheric conditions up to the last minute and make the final call on nitro percentage before heading to the lanes. The density altitude continued to fall which dictated adding more alcohol to the fuel to reduce the nitro percentage to ensure a “safe” and proper ratio.
Our second run had us again paired up against the Drastic Plastic fuel altered. Not quite an even pairing as the Drastic Plastic car is equipped with a larger volume fuel pump which flows more fuel to the engine as compared to our set up. Not untypical when you are participating in exhibition style racing. We won the race in the first round as Drastic Plastic broke a blower belt a mid-track causing significant power loss. Jake and the crew were focused on our run and our execution. It’s always possible for the other team to lose traction and give us the “win” but we were in the left lane which indications were that traction was going away with the cooler temps.
After a nice crowd-pleasing burnout by both cars, Jake staged the car and smashed the loud pedal. The car reacted by immediately losing traction. Jake’s 60ft time was a dismal 1.65 sec and it went down hill from there. Jake quickly pedaled the throttle in attempt to regain traction but didn’t wait long enough and it broke loose again. It finally settled down at the 330 ft mark and Jake held it at full throttle crossing finish line 9.21 s after the launch but at an impressive 232 mph. At the 1/8th mile his speed was 161 mph. When this car grabs the track, its got great acceleration. Not a good run for us and it appear the Drastic Plastic car had similar problems running only 6.4 s at 145 mph. The first run reinforced our confidence demonstrating what we are capable of when the track is favorable. As the fuel altered configuration is lighter that the funny car configuration, we know this car is capable of running in the 5.40’s. We are looking forward to next season to prove it.
If you’ve followed us this season you have undoubtably seen that we struggled to get a hold of the tracks we’ve raced on and thus it has not been our best year. But ending to our 2025 season with a run that was so close to setting a new personal best record provides optimism for 2026. Again, much thanks and appreciation go out to the US131 Funny Car Nationals event organizers and sponsors. This is a top-notch facility and operation and we thoroughly enjoy racing here. Most importantly, none of this would be possible without the generosity and support of our great sponsors: AllStar Dodge Chrysler Jeep, AMT Racing Engines, Hot Rod Grillers, Vital Signs, Kodiak Equipment, Vinyl Images, and Nu-Way Construction. We’ll keep you updated on happenings during our off season and thank you for being a follower and fan of our team.
