For reigning 2024 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown world champion Mark Pawuk, Bristol Dragway has been a tough place to race for over three decades. Today at the 24th Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Pawuk, the No. 2 qualifier, raced to his first win of the season and moved into the Flexjet points lead. Pawuk, racing in his ninth career Flexjet Factory Stock final round, took his fourth win light of the day when Jim Betz re-lit in the final round leaving the starting line early.
“I started racing here in the 80s. I’ve always struggled at this racetrack. I ran here through my Pro Stock days. Last year we really struggled in qualifying. This year we came out and we made a great run in the first session. We were number one till two pairs of cars, Saturday afternoon and I got bumped to No. 2. I guess everything happens for a reason, and we never got down. But once we got back to the left lane, we kept lane choice all day.”
“I’m really happy for Jim Betz. The guy’s been out here,” said Pawuk. “He’s gone back and forth between NMCA and some other classes. I’m really happy to see both him and Kim Shirley go to the semifinals. That’s great for the class. It’s great for the sport. I have to thank Mike Valerio, my son, Kyle, Frank Madonia, David Barton and his whole team. They just did a great job getting this car to ready to run down the racetrack.”
In the opening round, Pawuk grabbed the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown $1,000 bounty when he defeated Chicago winner Jason Dietsch, who overpowered the track as soon as he left the starting line. Pawuk was first off the line with a .039 second reaction time in front of Dietsch’s .055. He never trailed in the race, crossing the finish line with a strong 7.937-second pass at 175.30 mph.
“Getting the Flexjet bounty was just icing on the cake today,” said Pawuk. “We can pay some bills and also celebrate now that we got the bounty and won the race.”
In the semifinals, Pawuk was facing a tough competitor in David Janac, and he was at the top of his game, leaving the starting line with a .059 reaction time, and he held the lead for the full quarter mile. When the scoreboard lit up his elapsed time of 7.893 seconds at 175.34 mph was the quickest run of the day for the category. The class had agreed to come back for the final round in less than 30 minutes to close out the race day. The quick turnaround energized Pawuk before the final.
“When you are running fast and going rounds, you can stay more focused,” said Pawuk. “For all my sponsors, my company Empaco, all my employees, Ohio Cat, Ray Barton Racing, Mr. Heater and Heat, Star Diamond pistons, Summit Racing Equipment, of course, Flexjet and all my other associates, like Red Line Oil and VP Fuels and Dodge. It’s great to have them all on board as many years as I’ve been out here.”
Prior to that round, Pawuk had his best reaction time of the day, .022 seconds, to get the win over David Davies II, a fellow Dodge competitor. His starting line advantage, matched with his elapsed time of 7.912 seconds, took his second win of the day.
This was Pawuk’s second final round appearance of the 2025 season. Earlier this year he raced to a runner-up finish at the Carolina Four-Wide Nationals, but his last win was the final race of the 2024 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series season. The reigning world champion is optimistic about the health and future of the Factory Stock class.
“This is just awesome. I’m now the old guy in the class, not the young guy,” said Pawuk. “I counted the cars in the second round, I believe there were three Dodges, three Fords and two Chevys. That is really cool. This Flexjet factory Stock program is really popular and the fans got a great show today.”
The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series will be back in action at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, in Norwalk, Ohio, June 27-29.
This story was originally published on June 9, 2025. 
