Summit Motorsports Park Powers to Team Championship at NHRA North Central Division Team Finals

Tenacity and the thrill of competition took center stage at the NHRA North Central Division 3 Summit Racing Equipment ET Racing Series Team Finals, Sept. 11-13, 2025 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

The event, held at the venue known as America’s Racetrack for the second year in a row, showcased the skills of racers from Summit Motorsports Park, Byron Dragway, Coles County Dragway, World Wide Technology Raceway, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Wabash Valley Dragway, Wagler Motorsports Park, Beech Bend Raceway Park, Ohio Valley Dragway, Edgewater Sports Park and Fitzgerald Motorsports Park.

They worked hard all season for a spot on their team, and they showed a mix of grit and grace while giving it everything they had among their fellow competitors all weekend.

After several rounds of edge-of-the-seat competition, Summit Motorsports Park ceremoniously earned the NHRA North Central Division Summit ET Racing Series Team Finals Championship, backing up the track’s 2023 and 2024 championships.

The final finish order was Summit Motorsports Park (first-place, 49 points), Edgewater Sports Park (second-place, 42 points), Wabash Valley Dragway (third-place, 37 points), Coles County Dragway (fourth-place, 30 points), Beech Bend Raceway Park (fifth-place, 30 points), Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (sixth-place, 27 points), Ohio Valley Dragway (seventh-place, 19 points), World Wide Technology Raceway (eighth-place, 13 points), Byron Dragway (ninth-place, 8 points), Wagler Motorsports Park (tenth-place, 5 points).

The main races of the NHRA North Central Division 3 Summit Racing Equipment ET Racing Series Team Finals on Saturday were extremely exhilarating. In Super Pro, Bob Cireddu, representing Summit Motorsports Park, was .008 at the hit and 4.94 at the high end to edge out Travis East of Coles County Dragway, who was .021 and 7.00, while in Pro, Austin Tewell of Wabash Valley Dragway traveled to an .022 and 5.80 to take the win over John Bailey of Summit Motorsports Park, who turned on the red light. In Super Pro Bike, Michael Schmalle of Edgewater Sports Park had an .035 and 8.72 package to earn the win over Mike Krueger of Byron Dragway and his .022 and 8.19 package, and in Sportsman, Luke Wiseman of Beech Bend Raceway Park, who put an .014 on the tree and 13.38 on the board, got past Ramona Knoblett of Wabash Valley Dragway when she turned on the red light. As a reward for their extraordinary efforts, Cireddu, Tewell, Schmalle and Wiseman earned trips to the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to race toward a world championship.

“I have been fortunate to win big races before, but winning this one feels different to me,” said Cireddu. “I won my first track championship, my first divisional and my first national event at Norwalk, and now I have won my first Team Finals at Norwalk, and let me tell you, winning at Norwalk is hard week in and week out, but it prepares you for these kinds of events. We were planning a trip to Italy, but that may be on hold now since we are going to Las Vegas to race for a world championship, and that is special.”

Additionally, John Boes of Summit Motorsports Park won over Howard Daniels of Coles County Dragway with a 14.86 to Daniels’ 11.73 in EV; Luke Beach of World Wide Technology Raceway took the win light against Bobby Meyers of World Wide Technology Raceway with an 11.88 after Meyers illuminated the red light in High School; Rahlee Fleenor of Summit Motorsports Park got by Shelby Hall of Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park with a 9.25 to Hall’s 9.33 in Junior Street.

The Track Managers Race was a fun feature, with Freddy Melecio of Wabash Valley Dragway taking the win over Max Orsini of Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park with a 15.73 to Orsini’s 17.85.

The Sunoco Race of Champions was also on the stage. In the Sunoco Super Pro Race of Champions, Cole Knieriem of Ohio Valley Dragway ripped off a .003 and 5.71 to claim the victory over Clayton Patrick of Coles County Dragway, who was .014 and 6.05, while in the Sunoco Pro Race of Champions, Curt McClure of Edgewater Sports Park hit the tree with a .008 and the top end with a 7.76 to defeat Brad Kaemmerer of World Wide Technology Raceway and his 7.79. In the Sunoco Super Pro Bike Race of Champions, Mike Krueger of Byron Dragway motored to an .025 and 8.32 and the win over Seth Walters of Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, who illuminated the red light, and in the Sunoco Sportsman Race of Champions, Brian Hendrickson of Edgewater Sports Park, was ready with a .007 and 12.51 and raced to the win over Blake Hooper Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and his .023 and 11.78.

In the Friday Hughes Performance Super Pro Bonus Race, Brian Harris of Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park was .006 at the hit and hauled to a 4.91 and the win over Tony Virgillo of Wabash Valley Dragway, who was .018 and 4.89, and in the Friday Hughes Performance Pro Bonus Race, Josh Adkins of Summit Motorsports Park reacted with an .019 and raced to a 6.27 and the win over Clayton Clark of Beech Bend Raceway Park, who recorded an .022 and 6.03. The Friday Hughes Performance Super Pro Bike Bonus Race paired Jeremy England of Summit Motorsports Park against Eric Harmon, also of Summit Motorsports Park, and England edged out Harmon with an .021 and 8.08 to Harmon’s close .023 and 7.94, and the Friday Hughes Performance Sportsman Bonus Race featured Larry Williams of Summit Motorsports Park and Curt McClure of Edgewater Sports Park, and Williams wheeled to the win with a .008 and 11.97 to McClure’s .026 and 11.88.

In the Thursday Warm-Up Super Pro Bonus Race, Josh Woods of Beech Bend Raceway Park paired an .033 with a 5.77 to pull past Jason Barnes, also of Beech Bend Raceway Park, who paired an .014 with a 6.07. Adam Cline of Beech Bend Raceway Park and Jamie Stidham of Edgewater Sports Park staged for the Thursday Warm-Up Pro Bonus Race, and Cline captured the win with an .019 and 5.87 to Stidham’s 5.94. The Thursday Warm-Up Super Pro Bike Bonus Race saw Chris DeWitt of Edgewater Sports Park ride to the win with an .023 and 9.76 over Braden Dobbs of Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, who turned in an .048 and 9.02. Chad Isley of Coles County Dragway and Luke Beach of World Wide Technology Raceway Park belted in for the Thursday Warm-Up Sportsman Bonus Race, and Isley, who was .032 and 11.82, won when Beach turned on the red light.

Many beautiful cars, trucks and motorcycles that traversed the track over the weekend deserved Best Appearing Awards, and that certainly included those of award winners Justin Hardy (Super Pro, Summit Motorsports Park), Jordan Wilhelm (Pro, Wabash Valley Dragway), Matt Short (Super Pro Bike, Summit Motorsports Park) and Earl Wyatt (Sportsman, Edgewater Sports Park).

“At every points meet at Summit Motorsports Park, we see how resolved our racers are, and how hard they work to win," said Bill Bader, Summit Motorsports Park president. "We are with them through their ups and downs, and we are proud of the racers who qualified for the NHRA North Central Division 3 Summit Racing Equipment ET Racing Series Team Finals. This year's Team Summit Motorsports Park was exceptional, and we are ecstatic and elated to have earned the team championship for the third year in a row, and to see Bob Cireddu win in Super Pro and go to the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to race toward a world championship. We are also proud of John Boes, Rahlee Fleenor, Josh Adkins, Jeremy England and Larry Williams for winning races, as well as John Bailey and Eric Harmon for their runner-up finishes and Justin Hardy and Matt Short for winning Best Appearing. We thank all of the track teams for joining us and making this an all-around amazing event."

Team spirit at the event was high, and teams decorated their set of grandstands and gathered for parades on the starting line in team shirts and costumes. Hooting and hollering, water balloons and water guns were served with a side of Silly String for Team Spirit Awards. Wabash Valley took first-place, while World Wide Technology Raceway took second-place and Summit Motorsports Park took third-place.

Prior to all of the racing, the event offered a Champions Dinner sponsored by Summit Racing Equipment, ATI Performance Products, Dornan’s Sales & Service and AGIA, with camaraderie as the main course.

“The 47th Annual Summit ET Finals delivered another outstanding experience, highlighted by several exciting new elements,” said William Tharpe, NHRA North Central Division director. “In close partnership with the Summit Motorsports Park team and the Bader Family, we introduced enhancements such as the Team Spirit Parade, Sunoco Race Fuels Race of Champions Introductions and the Parade of Champions, where finalists returned up the track to celebrate with their teams and families. The Champions Dinner on Thursday evening set the tone for a memorable weekend, followed by a spectacular fireworks display on Friday night. Planning is already underway for the 2026 event, and with NHRA celebrating its 75th anniversary, it promises to be an unforgettable occasion that fans and racers alike won’t want to miss.”