NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The popular Summit E.T. Racing Series welcomed four new world champions at the Dodge NHRA Nevada Nationals powered by Direct Connection as Matt Witkowski, Michael Fornwalt, Gage Wilson, and Michael Schmalle scored victories in Super Pro, Pro E.T., Sportsman, and Sportsman Motorcycle respectively.

Additionally, the team from the Northeast Division won the inaugural team championship, securing the title on the final run of the event.

Witkowski led the way for the Northeast Division team, winning the Super Pro final round against Talon Farmer of Division 4.  Witkowski, who earned the right to attend the Las Vegas event by winning the Division1 Summit Finals race in Reading, left first with a .006 reaction time and won with a 6.691against his 6.68 dial in. Farmer was also very competitive with a package that included a .016 light and a 4.595 on his 4.58 prediction in the eighth-mile race.

Fornwalt also represented the Northeast Division team with his win in Pro E.T. over Brian McGinnis of Division 6. Fornwalt left first in the final, .010 to .041, and nearly matched his 9.22 dial with a 9.232 to score what was easily the biggest win of his career.

In Sportsman, a class reserved primarily for street legal vehicles, Wilson, of Division 4, turned on the win light after a final round win against Devin Froud of Division 6. Wilson gained a four-hundredths edge off the starting line and ran an 11.944 on his 11.93 prediction to beat Froud’s 12.181 breakout run.

The final win light went to Schmalle, who won the Sportsman Motorcycle class for the Division 3 crew after a win against Robert Sanders of Division 4. Schmalle was in a bit of trouble off the starting line due to Sanders .007 reaction time, but rallied for the win with a 9.043 against his 8.98 dial after Sanders slowed.

Each of the Summit E.T. Racing Series champions not only earned the right to carry the No. 1 on their vehicles next season, but also claimed $6,000 and the team champions split an additional $2,000 courtesy of Summit Racing Equipment.  

The Summit E.T. Racing Series is a staple of the NHRA Member Track network. Racers from across North America compete at their local tracks for a chance to compete in the Summit E.T. Finals held in each of the seven NHRA divisions. Those winners earn the right to come to Las Vegas and race for national championships in the penultimate NHRA national event of the season.