Summit Motorsports Park’s vaunted 49th Cornwell Tools Night Under Fire takes place this Saturday, inaugurating the month of August with quarter-mile and 1,000-foot thrills. Fans can access the Norwalk, Ohio track beginning at 8am on August 1; those that can’t attend will, for the first time worldwide, be able to watch via FloRacing’s live stream, as 60 of the fastest racers prep and race under the lights.
The feature of this two-day-long orgy of straight-line racing is the King of Nitro battle, where four Top Fuel dragster and four Funny Cars race for a guaranteed $430,000 purse. The biggest battle is between the winner of the Funny Car competition, who gets to fight the winner of Top Fuel for the King of Nitro title. Once anointed, the celebration is complete with a massive fireworks display to cap the evening.
In addition to the straight-line racing, there’s a Flyby, there will be sky divers, of course there’s an autograph session for all racers, a twin-engine-powered jet truck, two Top Fuel motorcycles, wheel-standers, a 16-car Top Sportsman show, along with Scott rods gassers and that Bader Family Signature fireworks show, which is reportedly a $150,000 endeavor.
So who’s battling for that King of Nitro title? Of course, everyone wants to be king but only one of these eight outstanding racers can earn that honor. From NHRA’s Top Fuel ranks, reigning two-time champion Doug Kalitta represents Kalitta Motorsports, team owner and four-time dragster titleholder Antron Brown is racing, along with Rick Ware Racing’s Clay Millican and rookie driver and 2026 race winner Maddi Gordon, from Ron Capps Motorsports.
On the Funny Car side, look for team owner and three-time champion Ron Capps and his GR Supra, currently leading the NHRA Flopper standings, John Force Racing’s Jordan Vandergriff and his Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet SS, Jim Head Racing’s Spencer Hyde and his Ford Mustang, as well as two-time Funny Car champ Cruz Pedregon, who took his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to the preliminary top spot in Seattle last weekend.
The nitro cars all qualify on Friday night and go through three rounds of eliminations Saturday night before the top dragster and top Flopper challenge one another as King of Nitro. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been there,” Doug Kalitta said of the two-day extravaganza. “You hear about it every year, and to be part of it this year, I’m pretty excited. It’ll be fun, it’s been going on for almost 50 years and Bill Bader (Jr.) does a hell of a job. They have a lot of money on the line, so we’re hoping to be in that race against the Funny Car and do whatever it takes to win that money!”
Vandergriff, appropriately representing both John Force Racing and Night Under Fire sponsor Cornwell Tools, is making his debut in this event as a Funny Car pilot. “I have never attended the Cornwell Tools Night Under Fire, but from everything I’ve heard, it’s quite the spectacle,” Vandergriff acknowledged. “It’s the show that everyone wants to see. The Bader family packs the house, has an unbelievable fireworks show and does a fantastic job with everything else. It’s racing without all the pressure of earning NHRA championship points, and will $430,000 on the line we won’t be holding back. I want to be known as the King of Nitro at the end of Saturday night!”
While NHRA has a midsummer lag before its final two regular season contests, one at Brainerd International Raceway August 20-23 and the Big Go in Indianapolis over Labor Day weekend, two weeks later, there’s news in the Pro Mod series – for next year. In 2027 Elite Motorsports, working with Modern Racing and Mason Wright Racing will place the driving chores squarely in the hands of Shane Gray, former NHRA Pro Stock racer and part of a multi-generational racing family.
Gray is taking over the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Modified Series presented by Elite Motorsports entry formerly wheeled by Mason Wright and currently handled by Pro Stock standout Aaron Stanfield. “We’ve had a long-standing history with the Gray family,” noted Richard Freeman, Elite Motorsports’ owner. “We used to race in Competition Eliminator with him and his brother Johnathon,” he recalled. “We rented Shane motors in 2013 when he was still racing Pro Stock… pretty sure he made it to as handful ofd final rounds that year.
“One thing that has always stayed consistent was our mutual respect for each other. It feels like it’s time for him to come back to NHRA racing with us, and be part of our racing family. It feels right to have him come on board,” Freeman stressed. Gray accumulated a total of 13 national event final rounds and earned five wins in Pro Stock. In 2013 alone, he raced to five final rounds and snatched a win. His last victory occurred in 2017 at the NHRA Gatornationals.
At the close of the 2017 Pro Stock season, Shane Gray retired and allowed son Tanner the opportunity to become 2018 Pro Stock World Champion. Tanner Gray is currently racing in NASCAR’s CRAFTSMAN Truck Series with TRICON Garage. With Tanner’s brother Taylor racing with Joe Gibbs Racing in NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Shane Gray felt this was the right time for him to return to the cockpit.
“Both my boys are to the point where they don’t really need dad anymore,” Shane explained. “So, I’m ready to go racing again! I can’t think of a better opportunity than teaming up with Richard Freeman at Elite and Justin Elkes at Modern Racing. We’ve all always been friends and the Modern Racing shop is 15 minutes from my [North Carolina] house.”Elkes was previously Gray’s crew chief in Pro Stock; they won the prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals in 2014.
When Shane Gray climbs in to test the Pro Mod car at Rockingham later this year, it will be his first pass in a Pro Mod machine. “I’ve never encountered Pro Mod before. I sat in the car, but that’s about it.” Like most drag racers, Shane Gray considered himself “a student of the game. Even at 54 years old, I’m looking forward to the challenge, driving something new, learning something new and having a little fun. I think Pro Mod fits me,” he confirmed.
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