NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

After nine NHRA national events and nearly 100 elimination rounds of drag racing, the Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown world championship will come down to one race: the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Four drivers are in the championship hunt with David Janac, winner of the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, holding a slim lead over four-time winner Stephen Bell and NHRA Gatornationals winner Mark Pawuk. Most recent winner from the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, Scott Libersher, inserted his name into the championship chase, winning two of the last three national events. Qualifying will begin on Friday at the world-class facility located just outside St. Louis, and all four veteran drivers wheeling two COPO Camaros, Dodge Drag Paks, and Ford Mustang Cobra Jets will be ready to run for the championship.

“This is going to be an exciting weekend,” said Pawuk, who started the season with a win at the Gatornationals. “I just need to do a good job driving. We were running good in Reading, and I just need to stay sharp this weekend. It is amazing that after 10 races we are coming down to the final race with four guys going for the championship. It doesn’t get much better than that. I am an ultra-competitive guy, and I am going to do my best and then let the chips fall where they may.”

Pawuk has been in the championship mix all season long, driving his Empaco-sponsored Dodge with a memorial to drag racing Hall of Famer Don Schumacher on the side of his factory stock race car. Pawuk also has a runner-up finish at his hometown race, the Norwalk national event, to his credit in 2024. The former Pro Stock racer is looking for his first world championship this weekend.

Throughout the season, Bell has been the leading championship contender, picking up three wins and scoring three runner-up finishes. He sits just 26 points off the top spot held by Janac. Bell’s bright-red COPO Camaro has powered the car dealership owner from Louisiana to multiple wins and has him on the cusp of his first championship as well. Bell raced to a runner-up finish at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals to close the gap on Janac.

“I will tell you honestly, I like all the guys I am competing with for this championship, but whoever is in the lane next to me better bring a lunch, because I am going to be racing hard for this championship,” said Bell, leading up to the NHRA Midwest Nationals.

Libersher scored his first career win in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd just over a month ago and followed it up with a win two weeks ago at Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania. The businessman from Wilmington, Ill., is thrilled to be in the championship hunt, racing from the No. 4 spot in the points. He will need some help but is still very much in the championship conversation.
 
“I kept it pretty low-key all season, just working on our tune-up and my driving,” said Libersher. “We got that win in Brainerd, and that just gave us a big lift. I drove with a lot of confidence at Maple Grove Raceway. I can’t wait to get to the Midwest Nationals. Anything can happen, and I just need to do my usual routine.”

All three drivers are in pursuit of Janac, a veteran racer who won for the first time in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown in Bristol, outrunning Bell for the Thunder Valley Nationals title. Since that run, Janac has been consistent and was the beneficiary of a points adjustment that altered the standings following the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals. With one race left, Janac knows that all eyes will be on his Ford Mustang going into the Midwest Nationals.
 
“I am not thinking too much about the championship,” said Janac. “I am just going to try and take it one round at a time. Hopefully, the end results will get me there. It is exciting to have four guys in the hunt. For whoever wins, it won’t have been an easy task, that’s for sure. You are going to have to earn it.”
 
Qualifying for the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown will begin on Friday, Sept. 27 and continue Saturday, Sept. 28. The Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown champion will be crowned during eliminations as each of the four drivers in contention work their way through the 16-car field of eliminations.