Last year Lee Hartman ran to the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown No. 1 qualifier at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals and a runner-up finish. Today, the veteran driver posted the quickest run of the class with a blistering 7.642 second pass in the first of two qualifiers today. The run held up through the afternoon session and Hartman will carry the No. 1 qualifier into eliminations and a first round match up with No. 16 qualifier David Davies II.
“Getting the three qualifiers definitely helped,” said Hartman. “We had to step it up in Q2 just to make sure we were headed in the right direction. We made a great run and it does help knowing where you’re headed in the right direction. It would be awesome to get the win in Chicago. We are close to home and the track is great. The fans have been great. You really can’t beat it.”
Hartman has scored three career No. 1 qualifiers and he is looking for his first Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series win. He was part of a quartet of drivers who were racing for the win of the rain delayed NHRA Gatornationals as part of the qualifying sessions. Hartman lost in the semis, which was contested in the first qualifying session today, but he took the run in stride. He used the runs to keep his focus on winning either the Gatornationals or the Route 66 Nationals.
“We were running qualifying and the Gatornationals together,” said Hartman. “It was cool because you don’t have a choice, you have to go up there and run. We went up there trying to win and we made quick runs. We made some other adjustments throughout the day that didn’t work. The track has been great. The track prep by the NHRA has been really good. We’re happy to get another No. 1 here in Chicago.”
Other notable first round match-ups include a No. 8 versus No. 9 match-up between Lenny Lottig, the Gatornationals runner-up and Scott Libersher. Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals winner Jonathan Allegrucci will face Alex Anderson in the first round. Anderson will be the first driver with a shot to win the $1,000 Flexjet bounty for defeating the most recent race winner. Reigning Flexjet world champion Mark Pawuk, the No. 5 qualifier, will race Raymond Nash. Top Fuel and Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown competitor Josh Hart will face Dietsch, the Gatornationals winner in a No. 15 versus No. 2 race.
First Round Match-ups
No. 1 Lee Hartman vs. No. 16 David Davies II
No. 2 Taylor Dietsch vs. No. 15 Joseph Welch
No. 3 Jason Dietsch vs. No. 14 Josh Hart
No. 4 Jonathan Allegrucci vs. No. 13 Alex Anderson
No. 5 Mark Pawuk vs. No. 12 Raymond Nash
No. 6 Tony Scott Jr. vs. No. 11 David Janac
No. 7 James Betz vs. No. 10 Doug Hamp
No. 8 Lenny Lottig vs. No. 9 Scott Libersher
This story was originally published on May 17, 2025. 
