NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Aaron Stanfield is still chasing his first Pro Stock victory, but the 25-year old third-generation prodigy has now got a win in the SAM Tech.edu Factory Stock Showdown to go along with his previous victories in Super Stock and Top Dragster presented by Vortech Superchargers. Stanfield joined his father, Greg, as an Indy winner when he stopped former Pro Stock racer Mark Pawuk in the final, held under the lights at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

In the Dodge vs. Chevy final, Stanfield gave up a two-hundredths advantage at the starting line, but quickly made up the difference and drove the Janac Bros. COPO Camaro to a 7.918 to secure the title over Pawuk’s 7.979.

Earlier in the day, Stanfield red-lighted against Jason Line in the opening round of Pro Stock, but he quickly shook off the loss and drove to his first Factory Stock final after wins against Stephen Bell, Waldemar Rodriguez, and Jesse Alexandra, as well as a bye run in the semifinals.

In a class where power management is critical to success Stanfield, never missed the mark. He was the low qualifier in the 24-car field with a 7.874, and never ran slower than 7.96 on race day. Stanfield’s toughest battle came in the third round where he squared off against Jesse Alexandria’s COPO Camaro and came away with a 7.921 to 7.975 victory.

Pawuk, who earned six wins during his successful Pro Stock career, is enjoying a resurgence more than two decades removed from his last win at the 2011 Fall Las Vegas race. A teammate to current Top Fuel racer Leah Pruett on the Don Schumacher Racing Factory Dodge team, Pawuk defeated Kim Shirley, John Cerbone, Richard Bierie and Daniel Condon to earn a spot in his third Factory Stock final. Like Stanfield, Pawuk was also solidly in the 7s with his Drag Pak Challenger, which is tuned by four-time NHRA Stock champ Kevin Helms. Pawuk was incredibly consistent with five runs between 7.957 and 7.979, but in the final, he couldn’t muster enough power to get past Stanfield.

Pawuk has appeared in three previous final rounds at the U.S. Nationals. He was a runner-up in Super Gas in 1981, and also lost to Warren Johnson in the 1994 Pro Stock final. More recently, Pawuk was a runner-up to teammate Pruett in the all-Dodge final in 2018.