There was an abundance of action across the acres at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, for the Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels NMCA All-American Nationals & Xtreme Sports Festival over the weekend of August 22-25, 2024.
In addition to compelling championship competition, the fifth of six events on the annual Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car Nationals tour featured exciting extra elements including the Cobra Jet Showdown, COPO Stock/Super Stock presented by Scoggin Dickey Parts Center, COPO Bracket Battle presented by Chevrolet Performance and the NMCA vs Buckeye Stock/Super Stock All-Stars presented by A&A Transmission, and more.
The event’s Xtreme Sports Festival on Saturday was electrifying with BIGFOOT Car Crushes and fearless performers putting on a show in FMX Motocross, BMX, and Skateboard exhibitions. The Win Free Stuff Fan Experience, Hemmings.com Car Show, and manufacturers midway fueled the fun even further.
“The teams at the Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car Nationals and Summit Motorsports Park were committed to making this a wonderful and well-attended event, and months of close communication and precise planning were part of the process,” said Bill Bader, Summit Motorsports Park president. “With perfect weather, the event was presented to eager racers and enthusiastic race fans, and by all accounts, memories were made on the track and throughout the pit area.”
In the wicked-fast world of VP Racing Lubricants Xtreme Pro Mod, racers routinely run in the 3s at over 200 mph in the eighth-mile. Among them is Randy Adler of Tinley Park, Illinois, who trapped a 3.63 and 207 mph to set the pace in qualifying at this event in the Buckeye State. But the final round of eliminations saw points leader Bob Glenn of Pinellas Park, Florida, and David Monday of Maryville, Tennessee, pull to the starting line. Glenn has been in the winner’s circle this year, and Monday has not, so both of the hardcore drivers were hungry to illuminate the win light in their lane. Their passes proved that Monday stopped the clocks at 3.715 with Glenn right there with a 3.718.
Tony Scott of Greenville, Kentucky, came to this event holding down second place in points in Holley EFI Factory Super Cars and made it known early in the weekend that he was seeking even more success. After leading qualifying with a 7.70 in his COPO Camaro early in the weekend, he met up with Jason Dietsch of Edgerton, Ohio, later in the final round of eliminations. Scott took the win when Dietsch turned on the red light in his Mustang Cobra Jet.
Leonard Grawburg and Kyle Salminen came to this race in first place and second place, respectively, in ARP Nitrous Pro Street points, and with both of them standing out in competition this year, it was going to be anyone’s race when they faced each other for the final round of eliminations. Grawburg, of Bradenton, Florida, stepped off the starting line slightly quicker than Salminen, of Port Charlotte, Florida, and Grawburg got the win with a 4.19 in his Camaro over Salminen’s 4.43 in his Cavalier.
The NMCA Edelbrock Xtreme Street final round of eliminations put the spotlight on Dave Fiscus and Jessie Coulter, and Fiscus, of Batavia, Ohio, flew to a 4.65 and the win in his Buick-powered Mustang while Coulter, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, struck the tires in his unconventional Gen III Hemi-powered Mustang Cobra.
Dwight Ausmus of LaFollette, Tennessee, who is currently in third place in Dart NA 10.5 points, set the pace with a 7.70 in qualifying but frustratingly went -.005 red when he went after the tree in the first round of eliminations. Later, multi-time class champion Leonard Long of Annville, Pennsylvania, landed the win in his Mustang after Vince Khoury of Chesterfield, Michigan, had issues and wasn’t able to make his pass in his Mustang.
In Scoggin Dickey Parts Center Street Warrior 10.10 presented by Chevrolet Performance, Keith Vaughn of Nashville, Tennessee, traveled to a 10.14 in his Chevrolet Corvette to take the victory over James Meredith of Carrollton, Georgia, who was not quite as close to the index with a 10.20 in his Mercury Capri.
In Micro Strategies Stock Eliminator, Dave Swanson of DePere, Wisconsin, took the win on the starting line in his Ford Mustang Cobra Jet when Bruce Boyle of Manhattan, Illinois, turned on the red light in his Chevrolet Camaro.
Zack Running of Lapeer, Michigan, and Augustus Adkins of Ravenswood, West Virginia, made it to the final round of eliminations in Micro Strategies Super Stock Eliminator, and with the better reaction time and a 9.63 in his Calais, Running took the win over Adkins who arrived at a 9.12 in his AMX.
Doug Duell of Newburgh, Indiana, was behind the wheel of his Plymouth Fury wagon while Rick Rondy of Galloway, Ohio was belted into his Belvedere for Nostalgia Super Stock, and Duell drove to the win with a 9.23 over Rondy’s 11.36.
Bryan Parker and Shawn Houde, both of Centerburg, Ohio, made it to the final round of eliminations in Erson Cams Nostalgia Muscle presented by World Products, and Parker, piloting his Mustang, won when Houde, in his Ford Falcon, turned on the dreaded red light.
As always, racers were ready on the tree and top end of the track in MagnaFuel Open Comp, and after several hard-fought rounds, Larry Geddes of Barnesville, Ohio, defeated Tom Hoffman of Dexter, Michigan, in an all-Mustang bout with an 11.16 to Hoffman’s 9.70.
The table was set for Logan Day of Port Saint Lucie, Florida and Tim Flanders of Battle Creek Michigan to strap in for the final round of eliminations in SunCoast Performance 8.60 Street Race. When the dust settled on the top end of the track, they showed just how well they have their Mustangs dialed in as Day, who had a slightly better reaction time than Flanders, locked up the win with an 8.602 over Flanders’s 8.601.
In LME Street King presented by Chevrolet Performance, Steve Satchell of Collerville, Tennessee, was ready on the tree and that helped him push to the win with a 9.86 on a 9.75 in his Corvette over multi-time champion Cody Poston of Roundhill, Kentucky, who clicked it at 9.05 on a 9.00 in his Camaro.
Proform Rumble presented by Chevrolet Performance points leader Tim Poston of Roundhill, Kentucky and Dewayne Massengale of Petal, Mississippi, recorded nearly identical reaction times in the final round of eliminations, but Poston picked up the win with a 10.04 on a 10.00 over Massengale’s 12.33 on a 12.25.
Drivers in Circle D Specialties NMCA True Street went for a 30-mile ride on the streets around Summit Motorsports Park before returning to make three back-to-back passes down track. Michael Long of Medina, Ohio, muscled to the overall win with an 8.20 average in his Pontiac Trans Am while Bryant Goldstone of Osceola, Alabama, arrived at the runner-up finish with an 8.92 average in his Chevelle. Other racers standing out were Davey Hopper of Monroe, Michigan (9-second winner in his Mustang), Steve Field of Upper Sandusky, Ohio (10-second winner in his Nova), Rick Mettie of Luna Pier, Michigan (11-second winner in his Mustang), David Larue of Muncie, Indiana (12-second winner in his Mustang GT), Bob Huyser of Jenison, Michigan (13-second winner in his Camaro SS), Adam Retford of Farmington Hills, Michigan (14-second winner in his Focus) and Mike Baker of Chesapeake, Virginia (15-second winner in his Mustang GT).
Nearly 50 drivers with Challengers, Durangos, and other cool cars and trucks came together for the Dodge //Direct Connection Shootout. Jack Johnson of Deatsville, Alabama, was the overall winner with an 8.62 average in his Challenger, and Josie Roush McClenaghan of Detroit, Michigan was the 9-second winner in her Hellcat Challenger. Others seeing significant success at this event were Pete Espeut of Gambrills, Maryland (10-second winner in his Demon), Trevor Hillbert of Dalton, Ohio (11-second winner in his Charger Super Bee), Kaleb Kelly of Morgantown, West Virginia (12-second winner in his Challenger), David Brumley of Thorntown, Indiana (13-second winner in his Challenger), Casey Fitzgerald of Curtice, Ohio (14-second winner in a Charger) and Marcus White of Toledo, Ohio (15-second winner in a Durango RT).
The eight quickest drivers in the Dodge // Direct Connection Shootout earned entry into the HHP Racing Quick 8 presented by Scoggin Dickey Parts Center on Sunday. That is where John Johnson of Deatsville, Alabama, arrived at the win with an 8.61 on an 8.50 in his Challenger over Bryce Rohrs of Hicksville, Ohio, who broke out slightly with a 9.05 on a 9.09 in his Challenger.
The Cobra Jet Showdown is another special feature of this event just two hours outside of the Motor City and with nearly 25 entries, it took five rounds to accomplish it, but Tony Jarvis of Mills, Massachusetts, motored to the win with an 8.73 on an 8.72 in his Mustang Cobra Jet over John Calvert, who clocked a 9.09 on an 8.99 in his Mustang Cobra Jet.
The final round of COPO Stock/Super Stock presented by Scoggin Dickey Parts Center eliminations saw John Alonzo III of Lubbock, Texas, and Kevin Widener of Huntersville, North Carolina, battle for the win. Alonzo III pulled it off with a 9.09 over Widener’s 9.23.
In the COPO Bracket Battle presented by Chevrolet Performance, John Simbeck of State College, Pennsylvania, and John Nechiporchik of Grosse Ile, Michigan, pulled their racecars to the ready line. After the tree dropped, Simbeck sailed to the win with an 8.50 on an 8.50 while Nechiporchik ran to a 9.49 on a 9.47.
In the final round of eliminations in National Parts Depot FAST Factory Stock presented by Cor-A-Vent, Scott Pennington of Mishawaa, Indiana, used an 11.14 in his Corvette to defeat Ryan VanDusen of Osceola, Indiana, who turned in a 12.01 in his Corvette.
NMCA vs Buckeye Stock/Super Stock All-Stars presented by A&A Transmission, a 32-car class made up of the top points leaders in NMCA Micro Strategies Stock, NMCA Micro Strategies Super Stock, and Buckeye Stock/Super Stock Drag Racing Series, was another exciting element at this event. After five rounds of competition, Andy Kronebitter was victorious over Craig Maddox. Both ran quicker than their dials, but Kronebitter was closer with a 9.41 on a 9.42 while Maddox posted a 9.04 on a 9.06.
Sick the Mag Drag and Drive Invitational always commands attention, and at this event, Chuck Stefanski of Ashland, Ohio earned the win in his super-cool LeMans wagon over Robert Hess of Norton, Ohio, and his Mustang
In Bracket Open, Cameron Bowles of Madisonville, Kentucky won with a 6.08 in his Maverick over Cory Blackford of Toledo, Ohio, who turned in a 6.07 in his Colt.
The NMCA sincerely congratulates the winners on their success and thanks race fans and sponsors for their support.
The chase to the 2024 NMCA championships is sure to have compelling conclusions at the 23rd Annual NMCA World Street Finals presented by Chevrolet Performance, September 19-22, 2024 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis, Indiana. Then we look forward to celebrating our racing family at the Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car Nationals Awards Ceremony on Friday, December 13 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis!
This story was originally published on August 26, 2024.
The post NMCA All-American Nationals & Xtreme Sports Festival Takes Over Summit Motorsports Park first appeared on Drag Illustrated.