It took 70 days, but Jason Dietsch, of Edgerton, Ohio, won the Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals today at Route 66 Raceway during the final day of qualifying. Severe weather forced the postponement of the historic Gatornationals to the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals. Four drivers had to wait over two months, and it was Dietsch securing the win, his first of the season, over Lenny Lottig in the final round after semifinalists Lee Hartman and Doug Hamp exited earlier in the day.
“The wait was forever,” said Dietsch, with regards to the delay to conclude the Gatornationals. “I just wanted to go run it and get it over with. I sat in my car worried sick, but I knew we could do it.”
Dietsch captured his first career Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown win in his fifteenth national event. This was also his first final round in the highly competitive factory stock class populated with Dodge Drag Paks, Chevrolet COPO Camaros and Ford Cobra Jets. He defeated Conner Statler and David Davies II in Gainesville, Florida before outrunning Doug Hamp and 4-time winner Lenny Lottig today in Chicago. Dietsch raced to the win with an impressive 7.742 second, 178.68 mph run.
“We’ve been close before with fast cars,” said Dietsch. “I had to do my job, and the team had to do their job today. My crew chief, Kim Mapes, my son Taylor, my buddy Kyle, all these guys have been with me since we started this journey. I have to thank everybody at home that helps us out, especially all the KSR guys. This is awesome. It’s a great feeling.”
In the semifinals earlier today, Lottig won the round over Lee Hartman with a nearly psychic reaction time of .003 versus Hartman’s uncharacteristically slow .189. The starting line advantage for Lottig allowed him to get to the finish line first with a 7.766 second, 177.67 mph pass to Hartman’s 7.642 second, 179.96 mph run. Dietsch dispatched Doug Hamp 7.690 seconds to 7.798 seconds in a classic side-by-side drag race.
“I basically was focused on the race today,” said Dietsch. “I knew I needed to get by the first guy to get to the second guy. That was all I worried about today. Qualifying was what it was, I wanted to get this Wally. It means so much to me.”
Dietsch will be back on track trying to double-up with a win at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals. He’ll enter race day as the No. 3 qualifier and will face Josh Hart in the first round.
This story was originally published on May 17, 2025. 
