Story By: ELON WERNER / FLEXJET FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN – INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Two weeks ago at the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd. Minn., Jason Dietsch recognized a dream of qualifying No. 1 at a Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series national event.
Today he secured the top spot again, this time at the biggest drag race in the country, the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Dietsch and his Ford Mustang ran to the No. 1 spot in the final qualifying session posting a blistering 7.842 second pass at 174.71 mph.
“We were looking at the weather and it was actually really close to what we had in Brainerd,” said Dietsch. “We put the same tune up in our Mustang and took a shot. Just like in Brainerd it went right down the track and to the top of the ladder. That was pretty cool.”
Dietsch is still looking for his first Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series win and he will have five rounds to chase that title. He will race No. 18 qualifier David Davies in the first round. The winner of that match- up will receive a competition bye into the quarterfinals. For the young driver from Edgerton, Ohio, winning the U.S. Nationals would be beyond his wildest dreams.
“To be honest I have raced at the U.S. Nationals a couple times, but we never qualified,” said Dietsch. “This is like the Super Bowl for me. It is already an awesome experience, and we have five rounds of eliminations starting tomorrow.”
Standing between the winner’s circle and Dietsch and his Ford Mustang is Flexjet point leader Stephen Bell and his red COPO Camaro. Bell, who is qualified No. 8, will face Lee Hartman in the first round as he tries to win the U.S. Nationals for the first time. Last year Bell was runner-up in Indianapolis and runner-up for the world championship, this year he has won three times in five final round appearances. The businessman from Shreveport, La., is in control of the points but he wants to add a U.S. Nationals win to his resume.
“I want to win the Flexjet championship, but winning Indy is a close second,” said Bell. “This race is so special, and you can feel it as soon as you pull up to the starting line. There are a lot of tough cars, and you look at how Jason finished the qualifying, you know he will be tough. There are some great Chevys, Fords and Dodges in the field. This race more than any other race is so tough to win because of the competitors and the mystique.”
Most recent winner Scott Libersher will enter eliminations as the No. 10 qualifier and No. 9 qualifier Anthony Troyer will get the first shot at taking the Flexjet $1,000 bounty. Libersher won for the first time in his career in Brainerd and he would like to hold onto the $1,000 bounty leaving Indianapolis.
The first round of eliminations will take place tomorrow at 11 a.m. EST with two more rounds throughout the day. The Semifinals and finals will be contested on Labor Day in front of packed grandstands of drag racing fans enjoying the Labor Day holiday.
First Round Match-ups
No. 1 Jason Dietsch vs. No. 18 David Davies
No. 2 David Janac vs. No. 17 Alan Scruggs
No. 3 Mark Pawuk vs. No. 16 Mike Lloyd
No. 4 Raymond Nash vs. No. 15 Doug Hamp
No. 5 Tony Scott vs. No. 14 Kim Shirley
No. 6 Kevin Skinner vs. No. 13 Peter Gasko
No. 7 Lindsay Wheelock vs. No. 12 Ricky Hord
No. 8 Stephen Bell vs. No. 11 Lee Hartman
No. 9 Anthony Troyer vs. No. 10 Scott Libersher