By: Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 9, 2025) – Mother Nature was the big winner at the 56th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals forcing some of the toughest factory stock competitors back to their haulers throughout the three-day national event. Today at Gainesville Raceway the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series was able to begin but just prior to the semifinal round, rain returned and forced the sanctioning body to postpone the race to a future event. The exact date for competitors Lee Hartman, Doug Hamp, Jason Dietsch and Lenny Lottig to conclude the event will be announced later this week.
Hartman is looking for his first Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown national event win. In the first round Hartman, the No. 15 qualifier, upset Scott Libersher, the No. 2 qualifier and a 2024 championship contender. In the second round he outran No. 10 qualifier Raymond Nash with his quickest run of the weekend, a solid 7.816 second run leading to a match-up with Lottig.
“That last pass in the second round, the car took off and it was a second and a half in the air, and it was driving,” said Hartman. “It was on the wheelie bars, just driving through there. And that is an awesome feeling. It just slams you in the seat, and you’re looking at the sky a little bit. All with a nine-inch tire. We had some tricky track conditions out there so we’re just trying to figure out the lane that we were in and luckily, we were able to keep going fast where we could have lane choice. We’re going to continue to do that when we finish this thing up.”
Hamp was having one of the luckiest days of his racing career. The veteran driver was looking to turn around a disappointing 2024 season with a strong start in 2025. In the first round he benefited from a competition bye and in the quarterfinals his opponent, Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown world championship runner-up David Janac, left the starting line early, handing Hamp his second win light of the day.
“It’s been a lucky weekend for us, to be honest,” said Hamp. “We had a no show and a red light against us. I don’t think the COPOs got much for the Fords and the Dodges, but we’re in the semis. That’s drag racing, and I’m not complaining. We didn’t think we’d get this far, but it’s one of those deals where you realize everyone needs a little bit of luck to win a race, and I don’t want to waste all of my luck.”
In the first round David Davies II captured the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown bounty beating Mark Pawuk in the first round. Davies drove to the win light on a smooth run after Pawuk, the 2024 world champion and the Midwest Nationals winner, lost traction off the starting line. Davies earned $1,000 for the winning effort. In the second round he redlit against Dietsch but the loss did not dampen his enthusiasm for getting the season started.
“It’s always good to race Mark. He’s a good guy. We’re both from Ohio,” said Davies. “It’s always good to take a bounty off him. And I’ve done that twice now. I wasn’t happy with round two. It was a complete driver error. I popped way too early, went red. (Crew chief) Kevin Helms and the crew had a fantastic tune-up in the car.”
There were nearly 20 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series competitors vying for the 16 spots in the qualified field. Davies and the rest of the drivers were excited to see new competitors joining a class that has been very competitive since its inception. Featuring Dodge Drag Paks, Ford Cobra Jets and Chevrolet COPO Camaros the factory stock class is one of the most diverse series in the NHRA.
“We had an excellent field at the Gatornationals” said Davies “It was a large field, for the first race of the season. We’re excited about seeing new faces in it. We’re excited about (Top Fuel driver) Josh (Hart) being in the field. It’s such a tight class, it’s insane. There’s no sheep out there. Doesn’t matter who you’re running, you’re running somebody, and that’s what makes it exciting. There are really no lay-ups.”
The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series will be back in action racing four-wide at zMax Dragway outside of Charlotte, N. C., April 25-27.
Flexjet Bounty Program
Gatornationals (Gainesville, Fla.)
A $1,000 bounty collected by David Davies II, defeated Mark Pawuk (St. Louis winner)
2025 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Schedule
April 25-27 NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Concord, N.C.
May 15-18 Gerber Collision & Repair Route 66 NHRA Nationals, Chicago, Ill.
June 6-8 Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol, Tenn.
June 26-29 Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Norwalk, Ohio
Aug. 27 – Sept. 1 Cornwell Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis, Ind.
Sept. 11-14 Reading NHRA Nationals, Reading, Pa.
Sept. 26-29 NHRA Midwest Nationals, St. Louis, Mo.
