King of Columbus No Prep presented by Palmetto State Armory on Saturday, April 12th, was a day of firsts for National Trail Raceway outside Columbus, Ohio. Following extensive offseason work on the track surface, it was the first-ever bare concrete surface race in the 61-year history of the track. It was also the first event as an IHRA facility after the organization announced owner Darryl Cuttell’s official purchase of the historic quarter-mile track.
King of Columbus was a hugely popular event in the mid-to-late 1990s, attracting some of the quickest street cars in the Midwest to National Trail. Triple J Promotions – made up of Jeb Bolyard and brothers Camron and Austin Kardules – revived the event in its current format last year and vowed to make it even bigger this season. They met that mark, as racers from 12 different states rolled into Hebron to compete in the one-day race.
The excitement on track started before racing got underway. Racer Ryan McCoy proposed to his fiancée before hopping in his wheelstanding Mustang later in the day.
With $10,400 on the line, 27 drivers entered the headlining Driveline 1 Small Tire class. Warren, Pennsylvania’s Don Saporito raced to victory in his P2 Contracting “Swamp Zombie” machine after defeating Fishkill, New York’s Frankie Rappa in the final round. Rappa, who earned the United Garage Door $150 Long Haul Award, sported a one-off wing fashioned out of a “borrowed” mile marker sign after his carbon fiber spoiler broke off on the way to the track.
“The car was working really well,” Saporito said in his winner’s circle interview. “It was definitely sketchy. Watching other people tear up their stuff was definitely on my mind, but we all signed up for it. It’s like the spirit of the sport. We weren’t backing out – we were running it until the end. What an awesome win. Really awesome place, great facility.
“This is a win for everybody,” Saporito continued as he thanked his team and sponsors. “There’s no ‘I’ in team. This is a big win for us. We’ve been struggling a little bit and we’re starting to get a hold of it.”
The Grahams Auto Resale True Street victory went to Ohio’s own Robert Fairchild. The runner-up was Trevor Taylor, who tied with Jacob Mitchell for the C&M Contracting $500 Best Wheelie Award.
Twenty-three-year-old Josh Frinfrock picked up the win in Hot Shots Secrets Lil’ Gangstas in his Lewisburg, Ohio-based hot rod. He also reached the quarterfinals in Small Tire, where he lost to the eventual winner.
Lil Gangstas runner-up Dave Jones similarly had a long day in a couple classes, as the Logan, West Virginia-based driver also won Tanzillo Automotive Late Model and made it to the semifinals in True Street. Jones’ opponent in the Late Model final round was Jordan Spagnoletti from Hustonville, Kentucky.
Michael McCoy was victorious in JRYAN Sales Stick Shift, defeating Ricky Duncan in the final round.
First-round losers in Small Tire had the opportunity to compete in the Houck Performance Fabrication Second-Chance Race. Houck Performance Fabrications’ own Larry Houck collected the win there over Lesage, West Virginia’s Austin Jeffers.
Winners received commemorative trophies, big “trailer checks,” winner hats, and winner prize boxes from Hot Shot Secrets. Random racers also received two $150 Clear One giveaways and a $400 Neal Chance Racing Converters gift certificate. The 500th spectator through the gates received a Roosters Wings gift basket.
Triple J Promotions will be back at National Trail Raceway on August 2nd for the King of Columbus Backside Battle, a no-prep race contested in the shutdown area.
This story was originally published on April 28, 2025. 
