This past Sunday at the 55th annual NHRA Gatornationals, Mark “The Cowboy” Pawuk and his Dodge Challenger Mopar® Drag Pak rounded up the competition and claimed victory in the Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) class. He put his 1,500-horsepower HEMI® engine-powered machine to good use in roping up the COPO Camaro and Cobra Jet Mustang racers and sending them packing down the trail. Pawuk, a veteran Pro Stock racer, had never won at the Gatornats before winning the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series season opener while taking advantage of solid qualifying run sessions to enter race day as the No. 3 qualifier. In the finals, Pawuk defeated Stephen Bell’s Camaro to claim the Flexjet $1,000 bounty. What made this win even more special was Pawuk’s Challenger Drag Pak was painted and wrapped like Don Schumacher’s 1970 Barracuda Funny Car as a special memorial to NHRA Hall of Famer Don Schumacher, who passed away last December and was a close friend to Mark Pawuk.
“Don and I were very close, and I reached out to his stepdaughter Megan and asked if I could do a car in his memory,” said an emotional Pawuk in the staging lanes after his win. “We are going to celebrate him at a couple of races and it’s just so cool. I’ve always wanted to win the Gatornationals. This has always been one of my most favorite races and to do it with my wife and daughter here and all the people helping me. Unfortunately, Kyle, my son, had to leave to get a flight home, so he left right before the semis. It was not the same without him on the starting line. I’m glad I could do this for Don every round.” Pawuk had to take on three tough Chevrolet COPO Camaro competitors every round except for a bye run in the semifinals. Throughout the day, Pawuk was up to the task leaving the starting line on time and hitting his shift points.
“I drove good all day,” said Pawuk, who has won eight “Wallys” in his illustrious racing career, including two in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series. “I was a tad late in the final. Look at the parity between the three classes. You had cars running 7.79 (ETs) and a couple of 7.80s (ETs) so all three brands, Dodge, Ford and Chevy, all ran right together. I think they did a great job of standardizing everything and getting us all so we can be competitive again. I want to thank all my sponsors. I want to thank Ohio CAT and CAT Reynolds storage and Mr. Heater, Heat Star, and Summit came back on my car with Red Line Oil, Dodge, and all my associates like VP Fuels, Mickey Thompson Tires and the group at Diamond Pistons.”
In the first round, Pawuk took on Lee Hartman and it was one of the best races of the day with both drivers leaving the starting line together and then swapping the lead down the track. Hartman was ahead for the first 400 feet and then Pawuk moved around him to take the win. The elapsed times at the finish line favored Pawuk, 7.796 seconds to 7.839 seconds. The quarterfinals featured Pawuk facing another Chevrolet COPO Camaro. Anthony Troyer, the No. 6 qualifier, gave Pawuk a run for the money. Pawuk was first off the starting line, but Troyer moved to the lead before the Dodge Drag Pak’s power kicked in and advanced Pawuk to the semifinals. The margin of victory was approximately six feet at the finish line with Pawuk’s 7.784-second run at 176.51 mph getting the win light over Troyer’s slightly slower 7.800-second, 173.41 mph run. “Everybody worked really hard on this program this winter, especially Mike Valeria, who’s been helping me the last couple of years,” said Pawuk. “He really spent a lot of time just finding every little nook and cranny and David Barton with Ray Barton Racing Engines has really improved our engine program and it’s been great. I am driving better than I have in a few years. Hopefully, I can keep that up. It seems like when the car comes around, the driver does better too. I wish I was cutting better reaction times off the line, but my driving really improved this weekend. I’m very happy with how I and the car performed and really appreciate Flexjet being back out here and the support they give us.”
Prior to Pawuk’s run, David Janac and David Davies III squared off with Janac’s Ford Cobra Jet taking the win, but after the finish line, the Ford contacted the guard wall and spun down the track in spectacular fashion. When the racecar came to a stop, Janac exited the vehicle under his own power, but he was unable to return to racing action, affording Mark Pawuk a bye to the final round. Pawuk outran Anthony Troyer in the next pair to ultimately advance to the final round. In the final, Pawuk was facing his final Chevrolet COPO Camaro competitor of the day, Stephen Bell, who carried the Flexjet Bounty as well as the title of series runner-up in 2023. Pawuk was first off the line and Bell spun the tires allowing Pawuk to get a sizeable lead which he took the winner’s circle.
The next race for the FSS class will be in two weeks at the 64th annual NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California. Mark “The Cowboy” Pawuk will be the FSS points leader, carrying the $1,000 bounty, and once again corral his competitors!
I was at the Gatornationals and really enjoyed watching the former Dragway 42 competitor back in the 1980’s. Who knows Mark, maybe I will have to bring my 2023 Hellcat Widebody Redeye Convertible out there to run!