Kyle Pawuk was born in December 1996 and made his trackside debut at the NHRA Gatornationals three and a half months later, so he quite literally grew up at the racetrack. The son of Pro Stock racer Mark “The Cowboy” Pawuk, he was fascinated with the sport from a young age and remained engaged even when his father took a 13-year hiatus from driving. The elder Pawuk has been back in full force for the last five years, and he recently secured the NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown world championship with his son serving as one of his key crew members.
[Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #191, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November / December of 2024.]
Kyle and his older sister, Kassandra, who was named to the 2023 DI 30 Under 30 list, spent their summers going to the races with their parents as Mark wrapped up his Pro Stock career. Kyle would help out with the car when possible, and when his dad stepped away from competition, he stayed active by helping former Cleveland Cavaliers NBA star Larry Nance with his “Catch 22” ’68 Camaro at local Pro Mod events in and around Ohio. That experience paid off when Mark announced his return to drag racing in the Factory Stock Showdown class in 2018. Kyle has been at every race since then.
“As time progressed and I’ve gotten older, I’ve done a lot more on the car and I’ve learned a lot from a lot of people,” Pawuk says. “Mike Valerio is the co-crew chief with David [Barton]. Whatever needs done, I’m there, along with trying to run my car. I make sure he’s in the car and ready to go. When he goes to make a run, I set tires, do all that sort of stuff. Then between rounds, I’ll download the Racepak, and whatever needs changed on the car, I’ll help change and do that sort of thing.”
Pawuk, 27, recently started to develop his own driving career. He had driven a few friends’ cars while he was going to college in San Diego, then he started to build his own car when he returned home to Ohio. His dad took him and Kassandra to Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School at their home track, Summit Motorsports Park, where Kyle drove both a Super Comp dragster and Super Gas door car.
“I learned a lot from Frank and everybody there,” Pawuk says. “I learned a lot of mental-type driving stuff that I wouldn’t have learned anywhere else. Just little tricks and tips that have helped me as I’ve been starting to drive more cars and different cars. It helps me adapt to what I’m doing with the different types of driving in index racing versus bracket racing.”
Two months later, Pawuk got a call from Scott Libersher asking about driving one of his entries in the NMCA COPO Shootout at Norwalk. Pawuk ended up reaching the final round in his debut and has since driven the car on multiple occasions. He’s also fielded his sister’s Super Comp dragster, as well as debuted his ’62 Bel Air bubble top in Super Gas.
Pawuk’s biggest career highlight so far has come outside of the driver’s seat, though, as he helped his father win the 2024 NHRA Factory Stock Showdown world championship. It came down to the semifinals in St. Louis, and multiple scenarios had to play out perfectly. The elder Pawuk, who sported a Don Schumacher tribute look on his car in memory of his late longtime friend, has been chasing an NHRA championship since he started racing Super Gas in 1983.
“I didn’t think we’d go into St. Louis and really have a chance,” Kyle says. “It’s one of those things that we’ll always remember. I’m very lucky to be able to do it with my dad and my family. It’s just so rewarding for him to be able to do that before he ends his driving career, to at least have one championship and hopefully have two next year.”
As for his own driving career, Kyle hopes to continue following in his father’s footsteps by competing in and winning in a variety of NHRA classes.
“I’d love to win a Wally,” says Pawuk, thanked his family, girlfriend Kim Benza, mentors like Nance, Libersher, Barton, and Valerio, and sponsors like Red Line Oil and Summit Racing. “I want to just have fun and do the best that I can and learn as much as I can along the way. I’d love to drive a Showdown car one day, or maybe a Factory X car. We’ll just see where life and the racing world take me.”
This story was originally published on February 7, 2025. 
