7th annual JE Pistons NMCA Muscle Car Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio

NMCA Racers Shoot the Moon

Words and photos by Evan Perkins

The 7th annual JE Pistons NMCA Muscle Car Nationals have come to a close; mark it down in the books as a memorable one. Sunshine and cool air aside, there are a couple of more important words come to mind that sum up the weekend: track-prep and broken records. The weekend’s qualifying and elimination rounds saw a whopping five records broken, two of which were reset twice over during competition. 

Not only were the diehard racers and crews of the NMCA pushing their cars to new heights against the official ledgers, they also laid down some of the narrowest final round victories in NMCA history. The neck-and-neck, won-by-a-nose finishes were a true reminder to fans and racers alike of what makes heads-up drag racing such a nail-bitingly exciting sport to watch.

As the series rolls out of the awesome Summit Motorsports Park facility in Norwalk Ohio, there is but one race left on the event roster. Where did the year go?

Kooks Custom Headers Pro Street

Winner: Steve Summers; Runner Up: Jeff Lutz
Top Qualifier:  Jeff Lutz 5.93 at 252.14

Steve Summers slid under the radar early in the weekend as all eyes were on Jeff Lutz and his record-setting 5.93-second qualifying pass. Summers bid his time, steadily clicking tenths off his passes until the semis where he uncorked the car, shattering the Kooks Custom Headers Pro Street MPH record. The final round saw one of the closest finishes in NMCA Pro Street history with Summers’ taking the tree and running a 6.022 to Lutz’s 6.009.

Mickey Thompson Tires Super Street

Winner: Mark Micke; Runner Up: Willard Kinzer
Top Qualifier:  Mark Micke 6.49 at 230.53

Mickey Thompson Super Street got down and dirty in Norwalk with both the winner and runner up taking a trip into the sand pit. Mark Micke’s parachute failed to open sending his twin-turbo Malibu into the gravel at well over triple digit speeds. This came after a 6.479 at 227 mph, record-breaking pass in Saturday night qualifying. Willard Kinser also had some off-road excursions when his car was unable to stop in the allotted space. Both competitors brushed off the dust and returned for an awesome final round separated by a mere tenth.