The penultimate NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series race will be filled with high-stakes competition. Four drivers will be racing to win the rain-postponed Great Lakes Nationals during qualifying and the entire field will be racing to keep points leader Jonathan Allegrucci from clinching his first world championship this weekend at the NAPA Midwest Nationals. Heading into the weekend’s racing action at World Wide Technology Raceway, Great Lake Nationals semifinalists Raymond Nash, David Janac, Lee Hartman and David Davies II will be running elimination rounds and qualifying rounds concurrently on Friday and Saturday.
“This will be a busy weekend for sure,” said Nash, who is currently second in the point standings. “I need to win some rounds and try and catch up to Jonathan (Allegrucci). Racing and qualifying will be tough but you have to deal with the hand that you are dealt. My Dodge has been running really well, and we will just have to see what happens on Friday and Saturday.”
Nash, along with Davies and Hartman, will be racing to try and secure their first career Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series national event wins. Janac will be looking for his second win since he took the hardware at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn., in 2024. A win by Nash would close the gap on Allegrucci and an early exit would open the door for the points leader to possibly clinch his first world championship on Sunday.
If Nash were to pick up his first Wally, it would put him 132 points behind Allegrucci heading into the eliminations rounds of the Midwest Nationals. Qualifying points could tighten or widen that gap slightly. A total of 118 points maximum are awarded for each national event. If Allegrucci can gain a 119-point lead over Nash and the rest of the field during eliminations, then the championship could be wrapped up.
For Allegrucci, who prior to his Michigan first round exit, had raced to five consecutive final rounds with three wins, a long day on Sunday would be a welcome reprieve from his last race. The veteran driver from Scott Township, Penn., has held the points lead most of the season and has been the class of the field in his Ford Mustang Cobra Jet.
“Nothing is guaranteed in this class,” said Allegrucci. “The race cars and the drivers are too good. You look at the last two races. Scott (Libersher) beat me in the U.S. Nationals finals and Taylor (Dietsch) got me in Norwalk. You can’t take any rounds off. I will be ready in St. Louis and it will be an exciting weekend no matter what.”
Qualifying will get underway on Friday for the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series with two sessions on the schedule. On Saturday one more round of qualifying will be contested and the field will be set with the first two rounds of eliminations happening Saturday night. The Fords, Chevrolets, and Dodges will have two rounds of eliminations on Sunday with one fortunate driver hoisting the 75th anniversary diamond Wally at the end of the day. For information on the NHRA NAPA Midwest Nationals visit www.nhra.com.
