NHRA Gatornationals
Event 3 of 22
Gainesville Raceway
Gainesville, Fla.
March 11-13, 2022
Note: Due to a rain-out on Friday, and unseasonably cold weather on Saturday, the Gatornationals fields were set based on one qualifying session
DSR Qualifying Highlights:
Making his DSR debut, Warren Walcher impressed with a 7.669 E.T. to earn the No. 3 starting position, and David Davies qualified 11th out of a stacked 22-car field
In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher secured a spot on the Sunday elimination ladder by qualifying 14th out of 21 cars.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 12, 2022) – Mark Pawuk reset the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Series national E.T. and speed records during the weekend’s sole qualifying session on Saturday afternoon at the NHRA Gatornationals, the season-opening event for the eight-race series. Pawuk drove his Empaco Equipment Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak to a blistering 7.608-second pass at 183.15-mph to earn the pole position for the third time in his FSS career.
Securing the No. 1 spot was no small feat, as the top eight qualifiers all posted E.T.s that were quicker than the previously-held national record. Included among the top eight was Pawuk’s new teammate, Warren Walcher, who took his machine on a 7.669-second ride to earn the No. 3 starting position at his second FSS event, and first driving for DSR. Rounding out the three-car DSR Factory Stock contingent was David Davies whose 7.787 E.T. secured the No. 11 spot on the elimination ladder out of a stacked 22-car field.
Mark Pawuk Resets Both Ends of Factory Stock National Record at Season-Opening Event
“What a great way to kick-off the 2022 season,” said Pawuk, whose career-best finish was third in 2020. “We worked really hard this winter to get everything ready to put together a solid campaign, and it paid off. A.J. Berge, Kevin Helms, and the guys have been hard at work testing and trying some new components. I was blown away by how fast we ran today. We made a perfect run, and we’re going to try and carry this No. 1 qualified Empaco Equipment/Ohio CAT/Mr. Heater Dodge Drag Pak into the later rounds tomorrow. The car is running well, and hopefully, the driver can do his job.
“What a great start by our whole team to have all three cars in the show, and I’m excited for our new teammate, Warren Walcher, to have such a strong debut with our team. I’m looking forward to race day and the rest of the season.”
Pawuk will have lane choice over No. 16 qualifier Carl Tasca in round one of eliminations on Sunday at the NHRA Gatornationals.
Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Series Results and E1 match-ups:
No. 1 Mark Pawuk (7.608 E.T. at 183.15 MPH) vs. No. 16 C. Tasca
No. 3 Warren Walcher (7.669 E.T. at 180.79 MPH) vs. No. 14 D. Chaisson
No. 11 David Davies (7.787 E.T. at 182.50 MPH) vs. No. 6 R. Hord
NHRA Camping World Series Top Fuel results and E1 match-up:
No. 14 Tony Schumacher (3.983 E.T. at 266.32 MPH) vs. No. 3 S. Torrence
No. 1 Mark Pawuk (7.608 E.T. at 183.15 MPH) vs. No. 16 C. Tasca
No. 3 Warren Walcher (7.669 E.T. at 180.79 MPH) vs. No. 14 D. Chaisson
No. 11 David Davies (7.787 E.T. at 182.50 MPH) vs. No. 6 R. Hord
NHRA Camping World Series Top Fuel results and E1 match-up:
No. 14 Tony Schumacher (3.983 E.T. at 266.32 MPH) vs. No. 3 S. Torrence
About Don Schumacher Racing
Established in 1998, Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) has grown to become the winningest organization in NHRA Drag Racing history, and further cemented its position as one of motorsports’ elite teams when it surpassed the ‘350 wins’ milestone during the 2020 season. DSR owns 19 world championships in three different NHRA categories, and including hall-of-fame team owner Don Schumacher’s five NHRA Funny Car triumphs from the 1970s, DSR has been successful in capturing 366 national event victories overall.Headquartered in Brownsburg, Indiana, DSR campaigns the Maynard Family/Scag Power Equipment Top Fuel dragster in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series with fan-favorite Tony Schumacher at the helm. As an eight-time world champion and 85-time NHRA national event winner, Schumacher is the most decorated Top Fuel driver of all time.
DSR also campaigns three entries in the Factory Stock Showdown Series. The trio of DSR Dodge Drag Paks is piloted by former Pro Stock racer Mark Pawuk, David Davies, who made his NHRA debut with DSR in 2021, and Warren Walcher, who is set to compete in his first full FSS season in 2022.
For more information, visit shoeracing.com, or Follow Us @shoeracing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
