Alan Drinkwater wins big-money Mountain Motor Pro Stock Shootout at Night Under Fire By Nate Van Wagnen

The shootout came together quickly following the IHRA cancellation. Keith Kelling, a local Ohio businessman and crew member and sponsor of multi-series champion Johnny Pluchino, went to Summit Motorsport Park’ s Bill Bader Jr. with the idea of a race-within-a-race for Mountain Motor Pro Stock at Night Under Fire. Though Bader already had a stacked lineup of big-show NHRA nitro cars, jet cars, wheelstanders, and more, the son of former IHRA owner Bill Bader Sr. immediately agreed to add Mountain Motor Pro Stock. On the one hand, he was helping his friends, as the class has raced at Norwalk for more than three decades. It was also a novel addition to the show, with Bader calling Mountain Motor Pro Stock“ a unique flavor in the ice cream chest” – an appropriate analogy.

Kelling went to work rounding up sponsor support and racer participation. He received enthusiastic responses in both departments. Bill Cromling III and Ross Environmental Services signed on as the presenting sponsor, putting up $ 100,000 in prize money, with $ 50,000 of that going to the winner. More than 20 drivers entered the race, with a lineup boasting numerous world champions as well as newcomers to the category.

After one Friday evening qualifying session and another session on Saturday afternoon to set the 16-car ladder, Jerry Tucker and barrier-breaking crew chief Frank Gugliotta earned the No. 1 qualifier spot with a 4.056-second pass. Australia’ s Jason Grima qualified second with a 4.091, Brad Waddle ended up third with a 4.094, 2025 NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock world champion John DeFlorian sat fourth with a 4.103, and two-time PDRA Extreme Pro Stock world champion Chris Powers rounded out the top five with his 4.122.

The driver who went the distance and collected the record $ 50,000 prize, 2023 PDRA Extreme Pro Stock world champion Alan Drinkwater, found himself outside the 16-car field after the first qualifying session. With crew chief Tony Gillig calling the shots remotely and Gillig’ s brother-in-law, noted Mountain Motor crew chief Billy Wagner, working with the team onsite, Drinkwater laid down a 4.138 in the final session to qualify No. 11 in his Kaase-powered Flatout Gaskets Mustang.

“ To drive 20 hours up to Ohio from Florida and you’ re outside the show come Q2, the last qualifier, it’ s a good amount of pressure,” Drinkwater says.“ Especially knowing that there’ s plenty of capable cars out there, so the bump spot could be halfway difficult. It was a big relief once we got in.”

It was the first sign of good karma in Drinkwater’ s favor after he lent his spare engine to fellow Florida-based young gun Jordan Ensslin, who wounded his only engine in testing and was packing up while the driver’ s meeting took place. When Drinkwater caught word, he went over to Ensslin’ s pit and offered his spare bullet. Unfortunately, Ensslin didn’ t qualify, but at least he had a chance.

“ We’ re buddies. We’ ve been racing a long time and we’ re going to continue to race a long time,” Drinkwater says.“ That’ s just what friends do, you know what I mean? We help each other out. I couldn’ t stomach them driving 20 hours back home knowing that I had an engine that they could use. I know they would do the same for us.”

Drinkwater’ s race day was nearly over in the opening round, as No. 6 qualifier Jeremy Huffman grabbed a. 050 advantage out of the gate. But Huffman shook the tires while Drinkwater sailed to a 4.137.

“ Sometimes you just need that lucky round, dude, and that was us first round,” Drinkwater

says.“ I missed the tree. Once we got that momentum and got that out of the way, we pretty much left the starting line first every round from that point on.”

Drinkwater redeemed himself in the second round when he won on a holeshot over Waddle, winning with a 4.115 to Waddle’ s 4.092. He was first off the line again in the semifinals against Pluchino, who shook the tires in his Ross Environmental Services Mustang. Drinkwater posted a 4.124 to move on to the final round. Waiting for him was DeFlorian, who’ d defeated Jesse Alexandra, Cory Voss, and John Montecalvo on his road to the final.

When the tree dropped in the final round, Drinkwater grabbed a visible advantage and never looked back, earning his second holeshot win of the day to bag the $ 50,000 prize. His 4.135 denied DeFlorian and his 4.121.

“ When the boards lit up and I noticed it was a holeshot win, I was in awe,” Drinkwater says.“ That’ s probably the biggest race Mountain Motor’ s ever had in a very long time, if they even have had one that big before. I was speechless in the car. It was a quiet ride all the way down to the top end, then everybody was screaming once I got out of the car and my team got down there. It was just a great time.”

Most of all, Drinkwater was relieved that he could do his job as a driver to deliver a monumental win for his team, which also includes his cousin and hype man, Preston Drinkwater, who, like Gillig, couldn’ t make the race due to prior commitments.

“ I just want to thank God and give Him all the glory,” Drinkwater says.“ Thanks to Preston, Tony Gillig, Billy Wagner, Kenny Floyd, Mike, Scott, Roscoe, and Jay with AED. It takes a team effort to do what we do.” DI

PHOTOGRAPHS BY KRISTA ZIVCIC