Inclement weather stayed away from the 19th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals but heat sure didn’t. On an extremely hot Sunday race day, survival was key to making it to the finals and coming out ahead of one’s opponent. it was a day when the special ice cream scoop trophy given to race winners by Summit Motorsports Park owner Bill Bader would definitely find immediate use for SCAG Racing’s two-time consecutive 2025 winner Mike Ashley in Top Fuel, reigning Funny Car titleholder Austin Prock from John Force Racing, first-time winner Cory Reed of KB Titan Racing’s Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock team and Matt Smith Racing’s John Hall on his American Rebel Light Pro Stock Motorcycle Buell.
Ashley, who earned the No. 1 seed in Top Fuel, won the 17th race of his career and called the victory “incredibly special to me.” This was his third consecutive final round, sixth of the season as he used a .027-second reaction time to run 3.931 seconds at 317.34 against Clay Millican. Ashley won on a holeshot as Millican had a .089 reaction with a 3.922/322.34 pass in his Rick Ware Racing dragster. Ashley defeated Scott Farley, Josh Hart and Shawn Langdon to reach the final round; Millican beat Dan Mercier, last year’s runner-up and this year’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victor, Doug Kalitta and points leader Tony Stewart to reach the finals.
Justin Ashley’s father, Mike, won this race in Funny Car 18 years ago (2007) and was among the first to make it to top end to congratulate his son with a bear hug. “I’ve always dreamed of winning here in Norwalk,” Ashley said. “I have to thank our entire team; they do such an amazing job and make my job so easy. Mike Green, Tommy DeLago (co-crew chiefs) are amazing individuals. They’re amazing at what they do – we thank you guys!”
Top Fuel points leader Tony Stewart reached his eighth straight semifinal round and retains No. 1 status in the dragster class, followed by Shane Langdon, Ashley, Doug Kalitta, Antron Brown, Brittany Force, Steve Torrence, Clay Millican, Josh Hart and Shawn Reed. There’s only 52 points between Stewart and Langdon, but a gaping 450 point gap to Reed in tenth place.
Also a two-time consecutive winner on this year’s 20-race tour, Austin Prock didn’t race at this track in 2024 after team leader John Force’s Richmond accident; his, John’s and Brittany’s haulers were at the Norwalk race but none of the drivers came. Prock’s disappointment at not being able to race at his sponsor, Cornwell Tools’ home race, was alleviated by his Sunday victory. “It feels amazing,” Prock admitted. “To win back-to-back in this category is so tough. I’m just so proud of my family and this whole Cornwell Tools team. All the dealers out there busting their tails to let us come out here and play – I mean, this is amazing.”
Prock had to use some of his roundy-round skills to make it to the finish line against four-time champ Matt Hagan (in his first 2025 final round) and his Tony Stewart Racing Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. For a guy who came up through quarter-midget and sprint car competition Prock noted, “It left and it went sideways like a sprint car. I just had to wrangler her in there and glad to see that win light down there. Another amazing run by this team.” Prock earned his fourth win of the year and 12th since he switched from Top Fuel to Funny Car at John Force Racing (JFR). He has a total of 16 wins in Mission Foods Drag Racing Series competition, with four of them in a JFR dragster.
Prock has been victorious in 40 percent of his 30 Funny Car races since taking over the ride vacated by former JFR president Robert Hight last year. Defeating Dale Creasy Jr.’s Dodge, Bob Tasca III (Ford Mustang) and three-time champ, Bristol 2025 winner Ron Capps’ Toyota GR Supra to meet Hagan in the final round, Prock had to drive around his final round competitor, who had the better reaction time. Hagan made his way to the finals by defeating Kalitta Motorsports’ J.R. Todd (Toyota GR Supra), Prock’s teammate Jack Beckman’s Chevrolet SS and No. 1 qualifier Cruz Pedregon’s Dodge Charger.
Prock goes into the July 4th break with a 127-point advantage over teammate Beckman, followed by the Dodge of Paul Lee, Capps’ Toyota, Hagan’s Charger, Todd’s Toyota, two-time Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge Funny Car winner Daniel Wilkerson’s Mustang, Pedregon’s Charger, Tasca’s and Chad Green’s Ford Mustangs. The gap from first to tenth place is 393 points, which will all re-set after Labor Day’s U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle had the two most emotional final rounds of the day on Sunday in Norwalk, with a first-time victory for KB Titan Racing’s Cory Reed and a third for John Hall of Matt Smith Racing. Reed’s 2021 Pro Stock Motorcycle accident seriously injured his lower left leg as well as giving him a broken shoulder. He was racing his teammate, Joey Gladstone on identical Vance and Hines Motorsports Suzukis. The duo are still working together today, albeit in Pro Stock with KB Titan Racing, who are the preeminent team – for the moment – in this class.
Reed, who was quick to thank J&A Services for their support in helping him make the transition from two wheels to four, used his two-wheel reaction time mastery to post a .012-second RT in the final round against teammate and recognized Christmas-tree-master Dallas Glenn. Glenn lost traction around the 60-foot mark and had to watch a possible victory go to the right lane. After recovering from his 2021 accident, Reed joined KB Titan last year and earned his props by going rounds, beating Elite Motorsports’ Troy Coughlin Jr. and Greg Stanfield before putting his boss – and points leader – Greg Anderson back in civilian clothes.
“I had a lot of emotions,” Reed said after exiting his Chevrolet Camaro, the acknowledged prime machine in Pro Stock. “I tried not to cry pretty much the whole time. All I know is I got Dallas off the teee, which was a very big accomplishment for myself. I struggled all day with lights, so I was proud of myself for coming around like that. I kind of knew I had to step up against that guy – he’s tough!” Reed lauded his team including Gladstone, who transitioned from riding PSM to being Cory Reed’s crew member, “My mom and dad, family, everybody at KB is amazing. They all taught me so much and helping me every day. Getting me through personal struggles and all that stuff, it’s incredible.”
Greg Anderson continues to lead the points standings in Pro Stock, followed by teammates Dallas Glenn (-50), Matt Hartford (who won Saturday’s GETTRX Pro Stock all-Star Callout, Reed, Eric Latino, Elite Motorsport’s Aaron Stanfield, KB Titan’s Deric Kramer, Elite’s Jeg Coughlin Jr., Mason McGaha and KB Titan’s Cody Coughlin. The balance of Elite’s large team is languishing behind the top 10, with Greg Stanfield, Erica Enderes and Troy Coughlin Jr. in 11th through 13th. There’s a 584-point gap from first to tenth in this class!
Some racers never hold an earned Wally trophy; others have to wait years between victories. John Hall had to ride nearly 12 years between his victories, but he got the job done in Norwalk, defeating Richmond’s first-time winner , Vance and Hines Motorsport’s Richard Gadson in the final round to gain his third victory, one of which came at the U.S. Nationals. Hall qualified third and knocked out Wesley Wells, Marc Ingwersen and points leader/two-time reigning champion from Vance and Hines Motorsports Gaige Herrera to race Herrera’s teammate Gadson, who beat Chase Van Sant (WAR Suzuki) Angie and Matt Smith to reach the final round.
“It’s special because you never know if you’re going to get another one,” Hall acknowledged. “I won twice in 2013 – including the U.S.Nationals. You know 12 years goes by and you realize how hard it is to get one of these. Matt Smith Racing is one of the hardest working teams out here and they get you to the winner’s circle if you do your job. I ride the bike ad he (Matt Smith) tells me to do my ob. I hit the button, cut a good light and that’s my mindset,” Hall revealed. “But they tune the bike. They’re constantly tuning the bike for the weather and it paid off!”
Gaige Herrera continues to lead Matt Smith in Pro Stock Motorcycle points, with a gap of 96 points separating the Suzuki rider from his Buell challenger. Richard Gadson is third, while MSR’s Angie Smith and John Hall complete the top five in the two-wheel class. Chase Van Sant, Steve Johnson (both riding Suzukis), Jianna Evaristo’s MSR Buell, Suzuki rider Chris Bostick ad Buell rider Marc Igwersen complete the top ten in this class with 391 points separating first through tenth place.
In the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday, Doug Kalitta won the Top Fuel prize for the fourth time this season, joined by two-time-consecutive victor Daniel Wilkerson in Funny Car and Gaige Herrera for Pro Stock Motorcycle.
NHRA takes the July 4th weekend off after a very busy June and returns to action with a two-race Western Swing. The first is the uckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals, scheduled for Jul 18-20 at Pacific Raceways in Seattle. All four Mission Foods classes are racing in this Seattle-area contest.
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