Mark Pawuk Scores Victory at Norwalk in Factory Stock Showdown

In one of the most exciting moments of the NHRA season so far, Ohio native Mark “The Cowboy” Pawuk took a long-awaited and emotional victory at his home track, Summit Motorsports Park, during the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk. Behind the wheel of his Empaco Equipment Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak, Pawuk outran the field to claim the FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown title and extend his points lead in the championship.

The Richfield, Ohio-based driver has been chasing a win at this facility since he began racing in the 1970s. On Sunday, he finally checked it off his bucket list — and in dominant fashion.

“This is a huge win for me at my home track,” said Pawuk. “I love the Bader family, and they have the best drag racing facility in the country. We had many of our friends and family here today and this is a special day. I’ve had winning this race on my bucket list for many years. It’s an honor to race in front of my fans and then bring home the victory.”

Pawuk qualified second after a tricky weekend of changing conditions and weather delays. On Saturday, he went from 19th to 2nd with a clutch performance in the final qualifying session. From there, he went on to win four consecutive elimination rounds on Sunday.

He started the day by beating fellow Dodge racer David Davies II with a 7.833-second pass at 175.98 mph. In round two, he laid down another strong run — 7.848 seconds at 176.30 mph — to take out Kevin Skinner. The semifinal match was a heavyweight showdown against Lee Hartman, another Dodge Drag Pak racer and title contender. Pawuk got the jump at the line and never looked back, running 7.826 seconds to earn lane choice for the final.

The championship round saw Pawuk face off against Scott Libersher in a Chevrolet COPO Camaro. Libersher left the line first with a .034-second reaction time to Pawuk’s .050, but it didn’t matter — the Dodge stayed planted, while Libersher overpowered the track. Pawuk kept it straight and clean to take the win.

“I’ve wanted this ice cream scoop all my life, since I started racing,” Pawuk said, referring to the unique trophy given to winners at the Norwalk event. “It was on my bucket list. I got it done.”

This was Pawuk’s second straight win of the season and fourth career FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown victory. He now holds an 80-point lead in the standings and an eight-round win streak going into the sport’s biggest stage — the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis over Labor Day Weekend.

Adding to the stakes, the $1,000 FlexJet bounty on defeating Pawuk now doubles to $2,000.

“It’s an honor for me to represent Dodge,” said Pawuk. “Last year I ran a tribute to Don Schumacher. I rewrapped the car again this year and this is just a special win. I have to thank Ray Barton and David Barton for tuning our car. It’s just awesome that I can represent a brand like Dodge.”

With Norwalk now off the list, only Indy remains for the veteran racer. Expect Pawuk to be all-in when the FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown Series returns August 29 to September 1 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.