Dubbin Motorsports is set to take on the second event of their 2025 campaign—the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina. Returning for a second time to the unique 4-wide event, the team is looking for more on-track performance after a disappointing rain-plagued season opener in Gainesville. An uncertain race schedule late into Sunday forced the Dubbin Team to withdraw from the Gatornationals, as many on the team work full-time jobs and had to return home.
The 4-wide format at zMAX Dragway can be a problem for some teams, but Kirk Wolf and the team looked like seasoned East Coast racers, performing strongly right out of the trailer in 2024, as if they had raced at the Charlotte track for years. The Dubbin Motorsports A/Fuel Dragster was dominant early, with Kirk Wolf claiming the top spot in the opening qualifying session and securing the fourth qualifying position after consistent low 5.20s runs throughout qualifying. In round one, Wolf’s solid reaction time and a smooth 5.22-second pass at 277 mph led the quad and capped off a strong Saturday.
Confidence was high heading into Sunday’s semi-final, but despite an excellent .038 reaction time, tire spin (or chop) well past the 100′ mark disrupted the run. Wolf recovered well but couldn’t secure a top-two finish to advance. The weekend, which began with dominant runs, ended in frustration as the team struggled to identify the cause of the unexpected tire shake and spin that far into the run—a rare occurrence for the Copeland-built Dragster.
“Our performance at the 4-wide last year gave us a solid foundation, and now I’m looking forward to seeing what our guys can do with that confidence,” said Dean Dubbin, team owner. “Coming off the disappointment of Gainesville, these guys are hungry to put a solid weekend together. We’ve got a great tune-up for this track and these conditions, and we are motivated to match or even surpass the performance the car had last year – and I’m confident we can have even stronger results this weekend than we did last year.”
There is no doubt that Kirk Wolf and the Dubbin Team are hungry and motivated to use last year’s experience to have a breakout weekend at the Charlotte 4-wide.
“We were very strong at Charlotte last year, and there is no reason we can’t repeat those kinds of runs,” said Kirk Wolf. “The 4-wide is a unique experience, with a lot of extra distractions, but to me, if I stay focused on cutting good lights and we run the way we are capable of, the spectacle and noise that surrounds a race like the 4-wide disappears. The team that just goes to work and focuses on their lane, and makes good, clean, consistent runs wins these kinds of races. There is no reason to make it more than it is, whether it’s two cars or four cars; if you get to the finish line first, you win.”
Weekend schedule:
Friday, April 25
2:35 p.m. – Top Alcohol Funny Car and Dragster Qualifying Session 1
5:55 p.m. – Top Alcohol Funny Car and Dragster Qualifying Session 2
Saturday, April 26
10:45 a.m. – Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car Qualifying Session 3
1:45 p.m. – Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car Qualifying Session 4
4:40 p.m. – Top Alcohol Eliminations – Round 1
Sunday, April 27
1:00 p.m. – Top Alcohol Eliminations – Semi-Finals
3:30 p.m. – Top Alcohol Eliminations – Finals
Dubbin Motorsports Is:
Dean Dubbin & Karen Dubbin – Team Owners and Driver (Dean)
Kenny Woods – Owner of KENTEX Roofing Systems – Left Cylinder Head – Bottom end
Clay Copeland – Co-Crew Chief – Tuner
Chase Copeland – Co-Crew Chief – Tuner – Chassis
Kirk Wolf – Driver
Trevor Jelinski – Car Chief – Clutch
Scott Jelinski – Truck Driver – Set Up – Systems Maintenance
Don Nolan – Right Cylinder Head – Bottom End
Brad Hiatt – Bottom End – Where Needed
Stay in touch with Dean Dubbin & the DMP Awnings Team:
Facebook – @DMPAwnings
Instagram – @DMPAwnings_
Twitter – @DMPAwnings
Stay in touch with Driver Kirk Wolf:
Facebook – @KirkWolfRacing
Instagram- @KirkWolf
The Dubbin Motorsports Team Partners that make the 2025 racing season possible:
DMP Awnings | KENTEX Roofing Systems | PS Septics | Central McGowan | NGK Spark Plugs | Aluminum Cabinet Company | Noonan Race Engines | Goodson | Copeland Race Cars | Mile-High Crankshafts.
This story was originally published on April 21, 2025. 
