Five Takeaways from No Prep Kings at Qlispé Raceway Park
No Prep Kings finally returned from its summer hiatus with a new track, new cars, new drivers, and by Saturday night, a new points leader.
For the first time ever, NPK visited Qlispé Raceway Park in Airway Heights, Washington to kick off the second half of the season. The capacity crowd found no shortage of excitement, either, with huge points implications on the line as we get closer to the No Prep Elite playoffs.
Let’s get right into my five key takeaways from No Prep Kings at Qlispé Raceway Park.
Robin Roberts Goes Back-to-Back
After winning in Cordova, Illinois right before the six-week summer break, Robin Roberts picked up right where he left off when No Prep Kings returned to action in Washington. Roberts went back-to-back, defeating Scott Taylor in the final round to take home both $30,000 and the points lead.
The weekend didn’t start out promising for Roberts, with his Pontiac Firebird suffering an oil leak during the burnout on his first test pass, and the trans-brake switch failing on his second. Adding to the drama was the fact that he drew points leader Giuseppe Gentile in the qualification round. The winner of that matchup would have a huge leg up in the points battle.
“I had a premonition that I would draw Gentile,” Roberts said, laughing. “I just felt if we were to have a shot at a championship, you need to run the top guys early and put them out. It’s a double-edged sword. Knock them out or get knocked out, but if the goal is a championship, you don’t go softly at it. You swing the heavy bat and you swing for the fences.”
As it turned out, Gentile had even bigger issues with his car and couldn’t make the call for first round, giving Roberts a bye run into the winner’s bracket. On Saturday, he took out “Daddy Dave” Comstock, Jim Howe, and “Disco Dean” Karns to set up the final round versus Taylor.
In one of the closest races of the entire season, Roberts took the win, putting himself in the proverbial driver’s seat in the fight for the championship. He was quick to credit his team for adjusting immediately after their early misfortunes on Friday, pushing forward instead of giving in.
“I couldn’t be more proud – this team never cracked,” said Roberts. “My Crew Chief, Allen Bruflodt, is from Washington, so his mother and all of his family were there, which was even more pressure. Allen and his wife, Terra; Brian Sauser, one of my best friends since high school; and my wife, Melody. It’s not figuratively family – it’s literally family! They want what is best for me and I want what is best for them. I think that is a differentiator for our team and why we are a top-notch program today.”
Giuseppe Gentile Wins Second-Chance Bracket
David Hilner photo
Going into Washington, Giuseppe Gentile had been the points leader for months. But as fate would have it, he drew Robin Roberts – who was second in points – in Friday night’s qualification round.
Unfortunately, during his test pass earlier that evening, the Gucci Nova broke the crank and pushed some rods out, causing him to miss his matchup with Roberts. With his championship hopes taking a hit, Gentile and his team thrashed all night to swap motors and get ready for Saturday’s loser’s bracket.
Gentile defeated Chuck Seitsinger and Jimmy Taylor on his way to the finals, where he faced James “Birdman” Finney. With the victory, Gentile earned $5,000 and some valuable points to stay within striking distance of Roberts.
“After everything we went through this weekend, we are happy to have won,” Gentile posted on social media. “Got some points and money too.”
Kye Kelley Brings New Camaro to NPK
Tara Bowker photo
Kye Kelley technically debuted his brand-new 3rd-Gen Camaro at the PDRA Northern Nationals a couple weeks ago, where he qualified 13th in Pro Boost with a 3.709 elapsed time. He then scored an upset holeshot victory over veteran Randy Weatherford in round one, before falling to Travis Harvey in the quarterfinals.
However, Qlispé Raceway Park would be Kelley’s first time entering the screw-blown car in NPK competition. The Camaro looked strong all weekend, with Kelley posting wins over Brad “B-Rad” Eglian and Cole Pesz to reach the quarterfinals.
Unfortunately, his run ended there, as he went red against “Disco Dean” Karns. Despite the error, with the performance we’ve seen so far, don’t be surprised if Kelley finds himself in the winner’s circle sooner rather than later.
Cole Pesz Makes NPK Debut
During NPK’s summer break, PJS Racing co-owner and 2023 Drag Illustrated 30 Under 30 recipient Cole Pesz quietly worked behind the scenes to make his series debut. Piloting the gorgeous screw-blown 1967 Mustang owned by Cody Sanders, Pesz went to Washington determined to prove he belongs.
Pesz admitted that some drivers weren’t necessarily happy with him jumping into the Invitational right away, so when he drew long-time veteran James “Doc” Love in Friday night’s qualification round, he relished the opportunity to quiet some of the critics. Pesz made a great pass, scoring his very first NPK round win and advancing to the winner’s bracket.
“I definitely had to let it all out at the finish line,” said Pesz. “I was screaming, crying…just happy. I’m here to show everyone that I’m not just a 23-year-old; I’m not someone you can overlook. And we’d just taken out one of the OG’s, so we definitely belong.”
From there, the competition ramped up as he drew last year’s Individual points champion, Kye Kelley. After entertaining the huge crowd with a minute-long staging duel, Pesz fell to Kelley in a close race.
“In my opinion, Kye is the best driver in No Prep Kings,” Pesz said. “I learned who Kye Kelley was very fast. Obviously I already knew, but he showed me who he was, and that’s a badass racer. We definitely put a show on for the fans.”
Heading into this weekend’s event in Idaho, Pesz is no longer content with just getting a round win here and there. His team has much larger goals in mind, including a hail-mary effort to get into the playoffs.
“Our goal is to make No Prep Elite,” Pesz said. “We know it’s a tall mountain to climb, and realistically we have to win one of the next three races. But we feel like we have the driver, the team – and thanks to Cody, the budget – everything in place to be able to go and do it.”
No Prep Elite
For the first time in months, we have a new points leader – Robin Roberts. With 219 points, Roberts jumped Giuseppe Gentile, who now sits second with 205.
Dean Karns (153) moved into the top five after his semifinal-round finish in Washington. Meanwhile, with his final-round appearance, Scott Taylor vaulted into the top 10 in the eighth spot (110). The battle continued near the No. 16 cutoff spot as well, with Jim Howe jumping back in at 14. His inclusion bumps out Jimmy Taylor, who fell to 17th.
Teams have just three races remaining to claim their spot in No Prep Elite, NPK’s new four-race playoff format. With the No. 13-20 spots all separated by less than three rounds of competition, expect a lot more maneuvering before it’s all over.
Next Up: No Prep Kings heads to Firebird Raceway in Eagle, Idaho this weekend, August 23-24.
This story was originally published on August 20, 2024.
The post Five Takeaways from No Prep Kings at Qlispé Raceway Park first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
