Race Wrap — Mickey Thompson NMCA All-American Nationals

Written by Mary Lendzion
Photos by Rudy Rouweyha

Norwalk, OH – When rain fell with force and flooded the Summit Motorsports Park grounds in Norwalk, Ohio, the day before the 22nd Annual Mickey Thompson NMCA All-American Nationals presented by Sick the Mag, August 25-27, the panic was palpable.

Racers and race fans wondered whether this second-to-last event on the series’ annual tour might be canceled, but officials from the series and the track put their heads together and plotted a path forward.

Because of their extreme effort, racers from across the country pulled into America’s Racetrack and served up some of the most compelling competition thus far during the 2023 season.

“After all of the adversity our teams faced at the beginning of the week, it was gratifying to see the first pair of cars stage on our starting line,” said Evan Bader, Summit Motorsports Park Track Manager. “Our teams wanted, more than anything, to be able to produce this event for the racers, despite the downpours we had the day before, and pass after pass, we were grateful we were able to do that.”

In the eye-popping and exhilarating world of VP Racing Lubricants Xtreme Pro Mod, Scott Wildgust flat-footed to a head-turning 3.64 in his Camaro to set the pace among his fellow racers in qualifying. He made it to the final round of eliminations to take on points leader Ty Tutterow, who took the trip to the NMCA Winner’s Circle with a 3.66 over Wildgust’s 4.56.

Mark Pawuk piloted his Challenger to a commendable 7.66 to top the list of qualified racers in Holley EFI Factory Super Cars, and the Ohio-based racer went all the way to the win with a stout 7.67 and a slightly quicker reaction time against AJ Berge, who is holding down third-place in points and posted a 7.66 in his equally impressive Challenger. For his exceptional efforts, Pawuk is taking home an extra $10,000 thanks to the Direct Connection Contingency Program, whch is available to Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak racers.

ARP Nitrous Pro Street points leader David Fallon Jr. tripped the timers at 4.23 in his Camaro to see his name at the top of the qualifying sheet, and he kept sailing from there to meet fellow Michiganian Nicole Liberty in the final round of eliminations. Fallon Jr., with a .017 reaction time and a 4.28, earned a slight holeshot win over Liberty, who stopped the clocks at 4.26.

Racers with nitrous, turbos, and superchargers set sail in Edelbrock Xtreme Street, and Martin Connelley of Salyersville, Kentucky, who is currently leading points in the category, clocked a 4.56 to claim the lead qualifying spot in his Mustang. All eyes were on him and Robert Cook to see who would collect the win in the final round of eliminations, and the board flashed 4.71 and the win light in Connelley’s lane while Cook went through at 4.88.

In Dart NA 10.5, where awe-inspiring naturally aspirated engines are celebrated, Pennsylvanian John Langer pushed to a 7.72 in his classic Trans Am to lead 15 of his fellow racers in qualifying. But his fellow Pennsylvanian, Richie Nye, who is in third place in points behind tough competitors Joe Clemente and Dwight Ausmus, arrived in the final round of eliminations with Ed Brady. Nye took flight with a 7.20 after Brady timed out on the starting line.

Charlie Booze Jr., known for piloting a Ford-powered car, was in the cockpit of the Duncan Family’s Camaro for Chevrolet Performance Stock presented by Scoggin Dickey Parts Center competition at this event. He made himself feel at home by hauling to a 9.79 to lead qualifying. Booze Jr. stayed in the game and got to the final round of eliminations, where he raced points leader Kevin Lumsden. Booze Jr. beat Lumsden with a 9.84 to Lumsden’s 9.87.

As the 2022 Micro Strategies Stock Eliminator champion, Dave Swanson knows that focus is essential, from start to finish, at every race. He showed that ability at the 22nd Annual Mickey Thompson NMCA All-American Nationals presented by Sick the Mag, where he led qualifying with a 7.94 on a 9.40. However, Scott Libersher and Mike Pustelny pushed to the final round of eliminations, and Libersher won with a 9.34 on a 9.36 after Pustelny went red.

Jeff Myers jetted to an 8.84 on a 10.05 to lead qualifying in Micro Strategies Super Stock Eliminator, but holding on all weekend and winding up in the final round of eliminations were Randall Running and Brad Ross. Running won with a 9.41 on a 9.39 to Ross’ 10.47 on a 10.45.

Tennessean Ron Tiller parked his Coronet on a 9.503 on a 9.50 to lead qualifying in Quick Fuel Technology Nostalgia Super Stock, and four rounds later, he faced David Horton, who turned on the red light but won as Tiller ran into trouble and wasn’t able to complete his pass.

Cool classic cars commanded attention in Erson Cams Nostalgia Muscle, where Geary Bates ran right on his 11.00 index to lead qualifying. In the fifth and final round of eliminations, Dan Sisson secured the event win with a 10.28 on a 10.25 over Noah Winters, who was 10.78 on a 10.75.

Nearly 60 racers signed up for MagnaFuel Open Comp, and they all knew that every racer would be incredibly competitive on the tree and the top end of the track. Among them was Jim Johnson, whose .002 reaction time landed him in the lead spot in qualifying in his Mustang. However, after five rounds, Dennis Corn and Dale Boyer were in the final round of eliminations, and Corn won and wheeled to a 9.12 after Boyer rolled the beams.

There is no doubt that Brian McHattie came to this race dialed in, as he dashed to a 10.001 on a 10.00 to lead qualifying in LME Street King presented by Chevrolet Performance, but the final round belonged to Kurt Anderson and current class champion Cody Poston. It was anyone’s race on the starting line, but Poston picked up the win with an 8.98 on a 9.00 against Anderson, who broke out by more with a 10.45 on a 10.50.

Neil Goin gunned to a 12.01 on a 12.00 to lead qualifying in Proform Rumble presented by Chevrolet Performance, but Nicholas Massengale and Emily Forgey went all the way to the final round of eliminations. There, Massengale muscled to the win with a 14.31 when Forgey broke out.

There was an especially enviable mix of cars in NMCA TorqStorm Superchargers True Street, and that was apparent as racers headed out of the track for their 30-mile cruise and blasted down-track on three back-to-back passes. Dan Sharp secured the overall win with a 7.82 average in his Chevy II, while Adam Kemmer was the runner-up with a 9.25 average in his Nova SS. Other notable performances came from winners Kimberly Walter (9-second), Dominik Post (10-second), Chad Schwemley (11-second), Steve Hanson (12-second), Seth Lindner (13-second), Tyler Thornburg (14-second), and Mike Baker (15-second)

Drivers of Chargers, Challengers, and other fast fan-favorite cars came together for the Dodge // Mopar HEMI Shootout, which grows at each event. At Summit Motorsports Park, Thomas Falk, who made the journey from Virginia, was the winner with an 8.73 average, and Jon Sipple was the runner-up with an 8.85 average. Jess Richards earned the 9-second win, Gordon Paden pushed to the 10-second win and Trevor Hilbert traveled to the 11-second win. Other standouts were Josie Roush-McClenaghan, a multi-time winner who was victorious again with the 12-second win, as well as Rich Sprinzl, the 13-second winner, Dana Baker, the 14-second winner, and Brandon Ross, the 15-second winner.

The eight quickest drivers in the Dodge // Mopar HEMI Shootout earned entry into the exciting HHP Racing HEMI Quick 8 on Sunday, and among them were Thomas Falk and Mike England. The racers were close on the tree, but Falk picked up the win with an 8.56 on an 8.55 in his Challenger and England was the runner-up with a 9.65 on a 9.55 in his Hellcat.

The COPO Camaro Shootout presented by COPO Parts Direct was a popular feature in Norwalk. In the COPO Parts Direct COPO Battle, Clarence Harding, who was .039 on the starting line and 9.42 on a 9.38 at the finish line, defeated Matt Butter, who broke out with a 9.62 on a 9.63. And, in the Scoggin Dickey Parts Center COPO NA, Rich Rinkie bettered Cliff Hynson with a 9.13 to Hynson’s 9.22

The Watson Racing Cobra Jet Showdown always brings out some of the most beautiful and well-built cars in the country, and among them at this event were those belonging to Richard Rodgers and Jason Dietsch. Rodgers, from Michigan, and Dietsch, from Ohio, met in the final round of eliminations. There Rodgers raced to the win with an 8.74 on an 8.67 over Dietsch and his 9.01 on an 8.95.

The NMCA vs. Buckeye Stock/Super Stock All-Stars class was a 32-car class made up of the top points leaders in the NMCA Micro Strategies Stock Eliminator and Super Stock, and Buckeye Stock/Super Stock Drag Racing classes. Standout racers Doug Duell and Randy Eakins found themselves in the final round of eliminations, and Duell defeated Eakins with a 10.42 on a 10.41 to Eakins’ 10.24 on a 10.19.

Gabe Gunion and Rod Lenhart were the last pair of competitors in Bracket Open, and Gunion, in his cool green Fairmont wagon, wrapped up the win with a good reaction time and a lifting 8.15 on an 8.06 over Lenhart, who broke out with a 6.98 on a 7.02 in his classic Mustang.

Tom Bailey’s Sick the Mag Drive & Drive Invitational presented by Gear Vendors was a fast and fun feature of this event. It saw eight select racers compete against each other in a random chip draw, four-round shootout. The two racers with the most wins out of four rounds were Kyle Bemount and Chuck Stefanski in their turbocharged Trans Ams. In their race, Bemount blasted to a 4.92 and the win over Stefanski and his 5.23. Also, a huge hit was Tom Bailey’s brand-new Durango, which debuted at a racetrack this weekend.

Jaden Dietsch and Sydnie Turner met for the final round of eliminations in Dietsch Trailer Sales Jr. Street, and while Turner had the better reaction time, Dietsch won the double-breakout race with a 9.29 on a 9.35 to Turner’s 9.53 on a 9.61.

In addition to all of the racing action, guests were able to see some commanding cars in the car show and impressive items in the manufacturers’ midway.

The NMCA heartily congratulates the winners, and thanks race fans and sponsors for their continued support.

The chase to the championships in the Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car Nationals series will heat up even more at the last event of the year, the 22nd Annual NMCA World Street Finals presented by Chevrolet Performance, September 21-24 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in Indiana.

For stories, photos, results, and more content throughout the year, check out NMCADigital.com and RacePagesDigital.com.