Story By: ELON WERNER / FLEXJET FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN – BRAINERD, MN – Battling multiple rain delays and tough competition, veteran Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series driver Scott Libersher, from Wilmington, Ill., won for the first time today at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.
The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdowns Series was making its debut at Brainerd International Raceway and the fans enjoyed watching the COPO Camaros, Ford Cobra Jets Mustangs and Dodge Drag Paks go head-to-head over the past three days. Libersher carried the Chevrolet banner to the winner’s circle and the four win lights made all the hard work worth it.
“I’ve put in a lot of time and money into this program,” said Libersher from the top end. “My wife’s been very patient. We drive all over the country and it’s a lot of hard work but it pays off. This is a very competitive class. I like everybody I race with and it’s a great experience. Today was a great day of racing and I have to thank everyone on my team and everyone at Barton Racing Engines.”
Libersher was in the first pair of Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown race cars and in the last pair. He started his day with a win over Chicago Nationals runner-up Lee Hartman. Hartman was first off the starting line but Libersher’s Camaro moved around him at half-track getting the win with a 7.921 second pass over Hartman’s 7.956 second pass.
The quarterfinals and semifinals saw Libersher taking on Las Vegas Nationals winner Ricky Hord and Tony Scott Jr., respectively. It was two more tough round wins. During both rounds the stands were packed as the Brainerd International Raceway faithful stayed in their seats rooting for Libersher and the rest of the Factory Stock class.
“I raced here years ago in Stock, but the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series has never been here,” said Libersher. “I love to travel the country and this is a beautiful area up here. This area has a strong Stock and Super Stock following and there is a passion for Factory Stock too.”
In the final round, it was Libersher taking a wire-to-wire win over Bristol winner David Janac. Libersher’s COPO Camaro was first off the line with a strong .036 second reaction time and he kept the lead the full quarter mile. When the win light came on, Libersher was overcome with emotion following another strong 7.816 second, 172.04 mph run.
“It’s every emotion in your body going through your head and heart and you’re watching the shift light at the same time,” said Libersher. “I was telling myself make sure you get to 1,320 feet covered without doing anything silly. Old guys rule too. Me and Janac are probably some of the oldest guys out here and I was the most relaxed I’ve been in a while during that final, which was wild. We had a lot of battles with the car this weekend. We adjusted some converters and made some rear gear changes. We kind of went blind in the last round. And I was like, let’s see what the racing gods have to say for us.”
Prior to his final round match up with Libersher, Janac, who won for the first time in his Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown career at Bristol Thunder Valley Nationals, won the Flexjet $1,000 bounty. In the first round Janac took the win over Stephen Bell. Janac was first off the line with a .043 reaction time and he held off the quicker Bell getting his Janac Brothers backed Ford Mustang to the finish line stripe with a winning elapsed time of 7.922 seconds at 174.96 mph. This was the second time this season Janac collected the $1,000 bounty with a win over Bell. During the final round of the Thunder Valley Nationals, Janac trailered Bell to take the cash and the national event win.
The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series will be back in action at the 70th annual U.S. Nationals August 30 – September 2 at Lucas Oil Raceway Park outside of Indianapolis.
Flexjet Bounty Program
Gatornationals (Gainesville, Fla.)
$1,000 bounty collected by Mark Pawuk, defeated Stephen Bell (Norwalk winner)
Winternationals (Pomona, Calif.)
$1,000 bounty collected by David Davies II, defeated Mark Pawuk (Gatornationals winner)
Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals (Las Vegas, Nev.)
$1,000 bounty collected by Mark Pawuk, defeated Stephen Bell (Winternationals winner)
Route 66 Nationals (Chicago, Ill.)
$1,000 bounty collected by Lee Hartman, defeated Ricky Hord (Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals)
Thunder Valley Nationals (Bristol, Tenn.)
$1,000 bounty collected by David Janac, defeated Stephen Bell (Route 66 Nationals)
Summit Racing Nationals (Norwalk, Ohio)
$1,000 bounty collected by Stephen Bell, defeated David Janac (Thunder Valley Nationals)
Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals (Brainerd, Minn.)
$1,000 bounty collected by David Janac, defeated Stephen Bell (Summit Racing Nationals)
2024 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Results
Gainesville – Mark Pawuk, winner; Stephen Bell, runner-up
Pomona – Stephen Bell, winner; David Davies II, runner-up
Las Vegas – Ricky Hord, winner; David Janac, runner-up
Chicago – Stephen Bell, winner; Lee Hartman, runner-up
Bristol – David Janac, winner; Stephen Bell, runner-up
Norwalk – Stephen Bell, winner; Mark Pawuk, runner-up
Brainerd – Scott Libersher, winner; David Janac, runner-up
Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Point Standings
1. Stephen Bell 623
2. David Janac 567
3. Mark Pawuk 526
4. Scott Libersher 447
5. Ricky Hord 423
6. Lee Hartman 359
7. Tony Scott Jr. 351
8. Doug Hamp 309
9. Anthony Troyer 296
10. David Davies III 273