Aaron Stanfield prepares to launch at Sunday’s Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
NORWALK, Ohio – Aaron Stanfield and his team have found their groove. It took the driver of the Melling/Johnson’s Horsepower Garage Chevrolet nine races to hoist his first Wally of the season, but he wasted no time picking up his second, as he backed up last week’s Pro Stock win in Virginia with another at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals on Sunday afternoon.
“I had a really good car in the pro stock car today,” Stanfield said. “It was bad fast. I didn’t drive as good as I did last weekend, but I guess I drove good enough to get the job done, and hats off to all of my guys.”
Stanfield was the picture of consistency through the first three rounds, putting down three consecutive 6.56 second passes, before upping the ante even more in the final round against point leader Dallas Glenn, and notching a lap of 6.539 at 208 miles per hour, while Glenn spun the tires and faded to a 16.851 elapsed time.
Stanfield credited his team for the uptick in performance over the past two races.
“They’ve really put their heads together and figured out what my car’s been lacking,” he said. “They figured it out around the semi-finals of the last race, and it’s been bad fast ever since. Hopefully we can keep that momentum and keep it rolling.”
Stanfield sent Chris McGaha home in Round One, before knocking out Deric Kramer in Round Two. He took out teammate Christian Cuadra in the semifinals to set up the final round meeting with Glenn.
Stanfield and Glenn Face Off in Third Final of the Season
Stanfield is a soft spoken driver, who does not get too involved in the Elite Motorsports vs. KB Titan Racing rivalry. Both he and Glenn like to do their talking on the track, and whether either driver wants it or not, they have become the focal point of that rivalry in recent weeks, as they faced off in a final round match-up for the third time in the past five races.
“We both kind of come from the same background,” Stanfield said of Glenn. “He’s a tough competitor. It feels good to turn the win light on against him. We’re both hard working people, and we’ve really grinded to get to the position we are. It’s cool to get to race against him. He’s bad to the bone, so I know I’ve got to be at my best to beat him.”
Despite being 2-1 against Glenn in final rounds, Stanfield still finds himself fourth in points, while Glenn sits atop the field. But if he can maintain the momentum he has gathered over the past two weeks when Pro Stock returns to the track for the Northwest Nationals in three weeks, he could continue to close the gap.
“We need to keep going and doing the same thing,” Stanfield said. “I felt like I probably should’ve drove better today, but it was enough. All the drivers are so tough, and the competition is so tight that there’s no gimme rounds. It definitely makes you think that you have to take advantage of the situation.”
Aaron Stanfield does a burnout prior to a pass in Sunday’s Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
Stanfield Narrowly Misses the Double-Up
While Stanfield finished the day with his second straight Pro Stock win, he just missed having an even more special day in Norwalk. Stanfield made it to the final round of the Factory X bracket as well, but he fell just short to Lenny Lottig in the final round
“It’s been a very busy race day,” Stanfield said. “That’s three times I’ve had both cars in the final round this year, and I really wanted to pull off the double with the FX car. It didn’t happen today, but we’ve still got a few more chances to do it.”
Stanfield said that competing in both divisions is not a distraction for him on race day. He is having fun competing, and despite the disappointment of losing the final round in Factory X, he was able to put that aside quickly to get ready for the final round of Pro Stock.
“It doesn’t serve as a distraction,” he said. “I felt like we lost a final round we probably should have won (in Factory X), and it bothers me a little bit, but you’ve got to have a short memory when you’re doing what we’re doing. You have to shake it off and make sure you come away with one of (the wins).”
