TY GAYNOR

doubled at a National Open – a scaled-down version of an NHRA division race – in the Super Pro and Super Quick categories just one year ago. Gaynor also admits that earlier this season, he may have acquired a taste for doubling at the national event level when he was still in on Sunday at the Arizona Nationals in both Super Stock and Top Dragster.

“ Being able to take two entries to later rounds, you know it’ s possible,” says Gaynor.“ I didn’ t think by any means that it was 100 % happening, but after the semifinals in Seattle, once I had both cars into the final round, I was pretty

sure I could do it.”

The Top Dragster final came first, and Gaynor’ s. 005-second reaction time and 7.203 on a 7.18 dial topped Don Sefton’ s. 016 and 6.975( 6.95). He hustled back to the starting line for the Super Stock final, and there Gaynor found himself face-to-face with a driver who had just been announced as one of NHRA’ s Top 50 Sportsman Racers: Brad Burton. Unperturbed, the young gun watched Burton leave on a. 060 light before launching his FGT / D 2008 Cobalt on a. 035, and at the final stripe it mattered.

His 9.150-second pass on a 9.14 dial defeated Burton’ s dead-on 9.359.

The double in Seattle counted as his second and third national event wins after racing to victory at the fall race in Las Vegas last season. The 2024 JEGS Allstar and Northwest Division Rookie of the Year won his first division race in Top Dragster at Firebird Raceway in Boise two months after his 16th birthday. He’ s now a perfect three-for-three in national event finals. It’ s hard to pick what he would consider his greatest accomplishment before the extraordinary outing in Seattle, but when pressed, Gaynor only had to look back two years.

“ I think the biggest accomplishment before this was either winning my first race in the Cobalt at the Boise divisional or winning the division championship at 16 in Super Stock,” said Gaynor.“ That was pretty cool, my first year in a big car. That was a good year, but all of this is very special, and it’ s huge to have the people around me that I do. I know that none of this would be possible without them there to support my dreams, and it gives me even more confidence to have them standing behind me, allowing me to put my best foot forward and be the best racer I can be.”

Gaynor, who will be studying Business Finance with a minor in Entrepreneurship at Montana State as a complement to his racing career, thanked Sun Auto & Tire Service; Jeff Taylor Performance; Lane Cavar of Fast Lane; Hoosier Tire; Swan Island Sheet Metal; Tuff Jug; A-1 Performance and Transmission and Converters; American Race Cars; Phil Mandella Race Cars; Kyle Rizzoli; Justin Lamb; and Andy Morris. He expressed great gratitude toward dad Tommy and stepmom Megan, mom Shannan, sister Lauren, and girlfriend Neely, for their ongoing support. DI

30 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated. com Issue 202