{"id":93630,"date":"2024-05-28T21:19:19","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T21:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/five-takeaways-from-no-prep-kings-at-flying-h-drag-strip\/"},"modified":"2024-05-28T21:19:19","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T21:19:19","slug":"five-takeaways-from-no-prep-kings-at-flying-h-drag-strip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/five-takeaways-from-no-prep-kings-at-flying-h-drag-strip\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Takeaways from \u2018No Prep Kings\u2019 at Flying H Drag Strip"},"content":{"rendered":"

Huge crowds, beautiful weather, great racing, a fifth different winner \u2013 and oh yeah, fights \u2013 were all on deck at the Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings<\/em> event this past weekend at Flying H Drag Strip in Odessa, Missouri.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before I get to my five key takeaways, I should address what the entire internet is buzzing about from the race \u2013 guessing the light on an instant-green tree. There was more guessing (or perceived guessing) last weekend than I\u2019ve seen in quite a while, leading to multiple shouting matches and at least one straight-up fight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not including this in my takeaways for a couple reasons. First, it\u2019s nothing new. This debate has been going on for years, so even though it garnered a lot of attention, it\u2019s nothing we haven\u2019t seen before. And second, if I were to discuss it, the situation probably warrants a deeper look than just a simple reaction to this one race. Perhaps we\u2019ll dive into the guessing game topic in the near future.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Let me also say that I am grateful Jeff Lutz is okay after a nasty crash in his Mustang during testing Friday evening. The car drifted towards the center near the finish line, taking out multiple cones. It then got up on its side and hit the wall in the shutdown area. Lutz addressed the fans a bit later, saying he was fine, that the car simply got loose, and he\u2019ll be back. Let\u2019s hope he\u2019s able to return sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n

With all that being said, let\u2019s dive right into my five \u201cnon-guessing the tree\u201d takeaways from No Prep Kings<\/em> at Flying H Drag Strip.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Giuseppe Finds Redemption\u00a0<\/h4>\n

Craig Cook photo<\/p>\n

A few weeks ago, Giuseppe Gentile met Ryan Martin in the final round at New England Dragway, with Martin earning his NPK-record 25th Invitational victory. It didn\u2019t take long for the two drivers to meet up again, and at Flying H, Gentile got his revenge. Cutting a great light, Gentile led the entire way while Martin got loose and drifted across the center line at the stripe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe met Ryan in New England and he got the better of us in the finals there,\u201d Gentile said. \u201cThis was our chance to get him back and we were able to pull it off. The car was hauling ass and we made a great run. I saw a little bit of him there at first, and then I just took off. I know he made a hard move behind us and knocked out some cones, but man, what an awesome run for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gentile began the weekend with a massive qualification-round victory over Murder Nova Friday night. He began Saturday in the winner\u2019s bracket, defeating James \u201cBirdman\u201d Finney in round one. Subsequent wins over Bobby Ducote and John Odom propelled him into the final-round rematch against Martin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Craig Cook photo<\/p>\n

Taking home the $30,000 prize, Gentile also moved into a first-place tie with Justin Swanstrom in the point standings with 70 apiece. Martin and Robin Roberts are currently tied for third at 50 points, while Lizzy Musi rounds out the top five with 40.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gentile also became the fifth different winner this season, joining Martin, Swanstrom, Jim Howe, and Murder Nova. According to \u201cStat Guy\u201d Chris LeCloux, this is the first time in NPK history that five different drivers have won the first five races to start a season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe competition this year is insane,\u201d said Gentile. \u201cFive different winners, five different races. Everybody\u2019s stepped up their programs; there\u2019s no easy rounds anymore. You\u2019re going to see more different winners this year, I\u2019m sure. We plan on putting our heads down, keep getting better, and try to win a few more. We\u2019re number one in points right now with Justin, and while the season\u2019s still early, it\u2019s better than not being number one, that\u2019s for sure.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Murder Nova Turns \u2018Setback\u2019 into Second-Chance Win<\/h4>\n

Chris Sears photo<\/p>\n

Shawn Ellington has already won an Invitational this year, and the Murder Nova is consistently one of the quickest cars in the field. Which is why it was a shock to see him end up in the second-chance bracket after a loss in Friday\u2019s qualification round. Granted, it was to eventual event winner Giuseppe Gentile, but it was still surprising not to see him in the winner\u2019s bracket.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe came into this weekend, and every race this season, knowing that we have a championship car,\u201d Ellington said. \u201cI\u2019m gonna take the blame for the loss to Giuseppe on Friday night. I 100% believe we had the faster car on that pass. I made a move going into the beams, it loaded the suspension a little bit wrong, and the car went towards the wall. It just wasn\u2019t happy. After that, we talked about it and said, \u2018You know, every once in a while you\u2019re gonna have a setback.\u2019 So many things have to come together and be perfect for you to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellington and his team made the most of a less than ideal situation, rolling through the \u201closer\u2019s bracket\u201d field on Saturday, defeating James \u201cDoc\u201d Love, Jimmy Taylor, and Jerry Bird. The win pocketed Ellington $5,000 and earned him 12 points to keep him seventh in the standings \u2013 and only eight points away from the top five. I expect Ellington to ride that momentum heading into the next race.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe car\u2019s consistent, the car\u2019s fast, and it does what we tell it to do \u2013 if we tell it what to do right, which we didn\u2019t do Friday night,\u201d said Ellington. \u201cWe fixed all that, made everything good, and went into the second-chance race knowing that to get any type of points, we gotta win today. And that\u2019s what we did. We got our stuff together and made three consistently good passes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Capacity Crowd at Flying H<\/h4>\n

Upshift360 photo<\/p>\n

The Kansas City fans showed up and showed out at Flying H Drag Strip, with an estimated 19,000 attendees over the course of two days. I was told by multiple sources that it was the highest attendance at any NPK event so far this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite traffic getting backed up to the interstate during the afternoon, everyone in the audience appeared to be having a great time. Chris \u201cBoosted GT\u201d Hamilton interacted with the fans all weekend, and other drivers such as Jeff Lutz, Justin Swanstrom, and \u201cDisco Dean\u201d Karns came out and mingled with the crowd as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0The massive turnout was a true testament to the amount of time and effort put in by the entire Flying H team \u2013 at this time last year, the property was nothing but dirt and grass.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cToday was the one-year anniversary of when we put shovels in the ground for Flying H Drag Strip, and it was also the first sellout crowd we\u2019ve ever had,\u201d said track owner Scott Higgs. \u201cThe highway patrol was kind of on us \u2013 I think I got a $1,000 fine for having too many cars out on the street, but it was worth it. The Street Outlaws came in and put on a show like I\u2019ve never seen before. Hopefully everyone enjoyed it today.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brandon Mork Doubles Up<\/h4>\n

Craig Cook photo<\/p>\n

Sometimes lost in the shuffle at NPK events is the Small Tire class, which is a shame, because these drivers consistently deliver a great show. While not a huge turnout, there were around 12 solid contenders competing on both Friday and Saturday.<\/p>\n

While the most recognizable competitor in attendance was probably Joey Hiykel in his infamous Beater Bomb Mustang, he didn\u2019t take home the money either day. That distinction went to Brandon Mork, who traveled down from Chicago and put on an absolute clinic both days, doubling up as Small Tire champion.<\/p>\n

By the time I visited their pits after Saturday\u2019s win, Mork and his team were already busy loading up for the drive home. When I asked for his thoughts about the double up, he kept it short and sweet.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they can\u2019t cheat us, they can\u2019t beat us,\u201d Mork said.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be honest \u2013 I don\u2019t know who or what exactly he was referring to. However, it was clear by his demeanor that he was out to prove a point, and his performance all weekend did just that.<\/p>\n

Nate Sayler Raises the Bar<\/h4>\n

Chris Sears photo<\/p>\n

Even before all the guessing games started last weekend, drama was at the forefront \u2013 in fact, it started during the very first race of the qualification round on Friday night between Nate Sayler and Jerry Bird.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

As Sayler\u2019s team was lining him up after the burnout, one crew member quickly crawled underneath the car. Watching from the top of the tower, it was hard for me to discern exactly what was going on until I realized the wheelie bar was no longer attached. Sayler had a similar experience inside the car.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no idea what was going on back there at first,\u201d admitted Sayler. \u201cI was sitting up there idling, thinking, \u2018Man, what is taking so long?\u2019 Then I could hear the wheelie bar drop and hit the ground, and panic settled in. I can\u2019t go without a wheelie bar. I mean, I was gonna run it without one, but you\u2019re not supposed to.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last week, I praised Paige Coughlin and her team for allowing Lizzy Musi all the time<\/a> she needed to fix her car on the starting line. It also cost her when Lizzy ended up winning the matchup. Perhaps not wanting to risk the same result, Bird immediately put Sayler on the two-minute clock. Everyone waited anxiously as four different crew members thrashed under the back of the car to reattach the wheelie bar in time. As Boosted GT counted down the final couple seconds and Bird moved in to pre-stage, Sayler fired up his car and quickly pulled into the beams. After turning on the win light, Sayler was both visibly annoyed with the situation and elated with his team\u2019s performance.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPaige let Lizzy (have time last week), Scott Taylor gave Paige time\u2026they give everybody time. Of course, he can\u2019t beat us, so his only way to beat me was to put me on the clock. We just made it; I don\u2019t even think we had a second to spare. But we made a monster pass and got the win.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Next Up:<\/strong> No Prep Kings<\/em> heads to National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio this weekend for the third points race of the season.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published on May 28, 2024. <\/p>\n

The post Five Takeaways from \u2018No Prep Kings\u2019 at Flying H Drag Strip<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Huge crowds, beautiful weather, great racing, a fifth different winner \u2013 and oh yeah, fights \u2013 were all on deck at the Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings event this past weekend at Flying H Drag Strip in Odessa, Missouri.\u00a0 Before I get to my five key takeaways, I should address what the entire internet is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93630\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}