Now or Never: Daryl Stewart’s Journey and Success in Mountain Motor Pro Stock
From a young age, Daryl Stewart always dreamed of racing in Pro Stock. For Stewart, the main appeal of the Pro Stock class was the grassroots type of racing that heavily depends on the driver behind the wheel and the setup in the clutch. At 23 years old, Stewart started bracket racing locally, winning one of the prestigious 5-Day Bracket events at the former Moroso Motorsports Park. However, in 1996, he decided to put his love for drag racing on hold to start a family with his wife of 38 years, Kim. The couple were blessed with three children: Collin, Blake, and Emma, while Stewart continued to expand his residential construction business based in Jupiter, Florida.
Ironically, Stewart’s return to drag racing was sparked by a conversation in 2019 with his son, Blake, who had an interest in learning more about his father’s drag racing past. Shortly after that conversation, Blake and his dad explored the RacingJunk.com classifieds to find a race car. Lo and behold, the first car they found is the same red 2012 Chevrolet Camaro they currently race today.
Upon his return, Stewart spent time relearning the ropes in the PDRA Pro 632 class, which didn’t take much time for the top-notch team, which is comprised of crew chief Clayton Murphy, owner of Chassis Engineering; Chris Boudreau, a clutch expert and former crew member for John Force; and Johnny Smith, a veteran truck driver and former crew member for Top Sportsman racer Jeff Pittman.
Throughout the 2022 and 2023 PDRA seasons, Stewart and his team achieved great success, becoming five-time Pro 632 winners with multiple semifinal appearances and consistently qualifying in the top three at nearly every race. However, towards the end of the 2023 season, an idea surfaced to race in NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock and PDRA Extreme Pro Stock. Stewart, now 60 years old, instantly recognized that this was his now-or-never moment.
“I’m just jumping into this [Pro Stock] thing and I’m a little late, but I always knew that if I could ever race something and afford it, that Pro Stock was my life ambition back in the ‘80s and ‘90s. So, I had one last ditch effort to do it,” he said.
While Stewart’s Camaro was set up to easily transition into Pro Stock, it was nearly impossible to get their hands on a motor. Luckily, the team at Jon Kaase Racing Engines was able to build a brand-new 825-cubic-inch, fuel-injected Mountain Motor Pro Stock engine from scratch for Stewart. At that point, everything was finally falling into place.
Stewart ran three PDRA Extreme Pro Stock races at the start of the 2023 season, then switched back to Pro 632 for the final three races. Stewart qualified No. 1 at all three and won the last one, the Brian Olson Memorial World Finals.
The team made their 2024 debut in the Mountain Motor Pro Stock Invitational at the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod in early March. Right out of the gate, the team qualified second with help from former IHRA Pro Stock driver Craig Hankerson, who helped steer them in the right direction to secure their very first round win.
After gaining more confidence, they arrived at the PDRA season opener at GALOT Motorsports Park. The team qualified ninth and won the first round, but unfortunately lost in the second round to the No. 1 qualifier, JR Carr. In the next event at Virginia Motorsports Park, the team qualified 10th but suffered a frustrating first-round loss.
“Pro Stock racing is hard because you can be fast, but if you have a bad light or if you miss your shift points, it can cost you the race,” Stewart said.
Going into the third race of the PDRA season at Summit Motorsports Park, the team planned to use the event as a test session to get ready for the NHRA race in Bristol, Tennessee, the following weekend. The engine, however, was nearing its maximum number of runs recommended by the builder, so they knew they were pushing it. Despite challenging air conditions and a difficult racetrack, the team persevered and still managed to qualify fifth.
Gary Rowe photo
On race day, Stewart defeated fellow Floridians Jordan Ensslin and Dillon Voss during the first and second rounds of eliminations, earning a bye run in the semifinals before meeting heavy hitter Chris Powers in the final round.
With his wife Kim making her first appearance at a racetrack in over 25 years and his daughter Emma experiencing drag racing for the first time, Stewart couldn’t help but feel that the stars were aligning as he entered the waterbox for the final round. When the lights came down, Stewart left first with a .022 reaction time. He drove the Kaase-powered Chassis Engineering Camaro to its best run of eliminations, clocking a 4.138 at 173.85 MPH, and defeating Powers’ quicker 4.12 at 182.97 on a holeshot. The margin of victory was a mere .016 seconds. Just like that, a weekend that started as an uphill battle turned into one that the entire Chassis Engineering team and Stewart family will remember forever.
Gary Rowe photo
“The way it played out, it worked to our advantage, and it was very exciting. My wife and daughter were here for the very first time, so it was just ironic that it all came together,” Stewart said.
Crew chief Clayton Murphy credited the win to finding a balance within the car’s setup that, in turn, allowed Daryl Stewart to feel more confident letting out the clutch.
“Racing is a confidence thing. If the driver knows it’s not going to shake down track, he’s going to have way more confidence in himself on the starting line.” Murphy said. “Daryl is competitive. He is tough on himself and always trying to improve. His shift points kept getting better and so did it his reaction times.”
Both Stewart and Murphy acknowledged Joe Oplawski with Hyperaktive Performance Solutions for playing a huge role as the engine tuner. Further, the Jupiter-based team’s dynamics involve collaboration from a group of friends with the same goal: to win races and have fun while doing it.
“We all work together; we all have our routine. I believe you’ll always perform much better as a team effort than you would as a singular guy who makes calls alone,” Murphy said.
After a victorious whirlwind of a weekend in Ohio, the team had their sights set on NHRA quarter-mile racing in Bristol. The last time Stewart had raced an NHRA event was in the Super Comp class at the 1996 Gatornationals. This was also his first time ever racing at Bristol Dragway. With a fully refreshed engine, the team’s goal was to qualify amongst the fastest Mountain Motor Pro Stock cars in the country. They earned their spot in the field by qualifying eighth, eventually facing off against No. 1 qualifier John Montecalvo, who laid down the quickest E.T. and a .001 reaction against Stewart. Although they took a first-round loss, the team was satisfied that they achieved their initial goal of qualifying in a very competitive field of veteran drivers.
As fate would have it, Stewart is now living his dream of racing on the big stage, shifting gears in a Pro Stock car at over 220 MPH. More importantly, Stewart has returned to the sport he has always loved, having more fun than ever alongside his closest friends and his loving family.
This story was originally published on June 19, 2024.
The post Now or Never: Daryl Stewart’s Journey and Success in Mountain Motor Pro Stock first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
