Dallas Glenn picked up his second win of 2024, and second straight at Route 66 Raceway. (Photo: Maddie Skidan | The Podium Finish)
JOLIET, Ill. – Dallas Glenn is only getting better in 2024, and it is bad news for the rest of the Pro Stock field. On Sunday, Glenn backed up his 2023 win at Route 66 Raceway with another crown in the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 Nationals.
Glenn’s second win of the season, and 10th of his career, moved him past his Elite Motorsports teammate (and boss) Greg Anderson, by a slim four points in the 2024 standings. Glenn had to beat Anderson in the semi-final round en route to his victory.
“I feel like today felt a little like Pomona,” Glenn said. “I was nice and relaxed, Kind of in my own groove kind of doing my own thing, hitting the tree good. I feel like that’s kind of where you need to be in this class. That’s where the best performances come, that’s when you do your best hitting the tree.”
His performance was right where it needed to be throughout the day. He opened his Route 66 Nationals defense with a win over Eric Latino, who redlit, while Glenn cruised to a 6.566 second pass. In the second round he edged Troy Coughlin Jr in perhaps the race of the day. Glenn cut a 0.13 light, and ran a 6.593, while Coughlin cut a 0.16 light and ran a 6.594. After his win over Anderson he squared off with Aaron Stanfield in the finals, and his 6.567 was enough to outduel Stanfield’s 6.580.
“I was pretty confident, coming into race day, that the number seven spot was not really representative of where the car was, and I think we showed that here on race day,” Glenn added.
Glenn avenges Pro Stock call out loss in second round
After missing out on a $40,000 payday in the Pro Stock Call Out on Saturday, due to a loss to Troy Coughlin Jr., Glenn was ready for the race day rematch when he found out he would have another crack at Coughlin in the second round.
“I was looking forward to that second round with TJ,” Glenn said. “I had to get some redemption from yesterday. He was (.016 reaction time) against me both times on the tree. He got me by 3 thousandths on the first one and I got him by three thousandths on the second one on reaction time. This time I had a little bit more car than him. Last time he had a little more car than me.”
Route 66 Raceway starting to feel like home for Glenn
Despite falling short in the Pro Stock Callout, Glenn entered Sunday confident, knowing he has had his share of success at the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 Nationals. That confidence was validated.
“I definitely like this place,” he said. “I’ve noticed tracks with really good starting lines I tend to have better percentage at, and this is typically one of those that usually has some good teeth to it. Even though it was pretty tricky, and the sun was out and it was hot all weekend, sometimes there’s tracks where the planets align for you, and this is one of these tracks for me.”
Even Glenn’s past success at the track did not guarantee success on Sunday, as hot weather made conditions challenging for drivers and crews. Glenn said he had confidence in his crew’s preparation of the car, and felt like he didn’t have to do anything special or make changes behind the wheel.
“In the car, I kind of feel like I just take things one at a time, even though they happen really fast,” he said. “When the track is tricky like this, I just do the same things I’ve been doing. You just kind of go a little bit numb and let muscle memory take over.”
Dallas Glenn drove his RAD Torque Systems, KB Titan Pro Stock to a round 2 win over Troy Coughlin Jr on Sunday. (Photo: Maddie Skidan | The Podium Finish)
KB Titan vs. Elite Motorsports rivalry heating up with the weather
With a pair of super teams competing in the Pro Stock category, Glenn’s win landed another blow for his KB Titan racing team in its battle with Elite Motorsports. Doing his talking on the track is exactly how Glenn prefers it, despite the rivalry.
“I think (the rivalry) is great for Pro Stock,” Glenn said. “You can look at all forms of motorsports, whenever there’s a good rivalry is when ratings go op. Everybody loves a good hero and a good villain, and everybody’s got their own side. I’m not the front man leading the charge, but I like to sit back and see the comments going back and forth. I prefer to go up there and try to let the car do my talking. It definitely is an extra level and I think it’s only going to ramp up the intensity.”
The sometimes playful, yet sometimes contentious rivalry has started to fall in KB Titan’s favor in recent weeks after a hot start to the season by reigning champion Erica Enders and her Elite Motorsports teammates. Glenn said he was happy to provide KB Titan’s latest victory.
“I think it’s going to get more exciting as we go,” Glenn said. “I still don’t think we’re there yet. I think we still need to get better. They can show they can outrun us when they need to during qualifying and when the track is really good. We’ve definitely figured out how to get down hot, greasy tracks, and coming into the summer months, I think that’s going to be good, but when the tracks cool down and get good again, its definitely going to be a fight. You can never stop in Pro Stock. You have to keep fighting and keep improving, and that’s the only way this is going to be a battle all the way to the end.”
Glenn himself is generally soft-spoken, but he said he thinks the rivalry is good for the sport. Ultimately, however, he just wants the opportunity to drive.
“I just love driving the car,” he said. “Regardless if we’re crushing them, or they’re crushing us. But having this back and forth is great for publicity, it’s great for the fans. It adds another element to it. When you’re up against one of the Elite cars you want to beat them even more. It definitely adds that extra fist pump at the top end when that win light comes on.”
