Ashley, Enders among Night Under Fire winners

NORWALK — NHRA standouts Ron Capps, Justin Ashley and Erica Enders lit up the winner's circle at the 48th annual Night Under Fire exhibition at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk. The Funny Car field featured Capps, Daniel Wilkerson, Cruz Pedregon and Dave Richards. In a close final round of eliminations, Capps captured the win with a 3.85 to Pedregon's 3.88. Top Fuel racers Ashley, Antron Brown, Clay Millican, and Josh Hart went all out, and Ashley cleared the strip at 3.71 seconds for the win over Millican, who was forced to pedal on that pass. Pro Stock drivers Enders, Greg Anderson, Dallas Glenn, and Jeg Coughlin Jr. competed, as Enders walked away as the winner with a 6.52 after Coughlin Jr. red-lighted by .005-second. "I have some scoops from winning the National event here, this place obviously means a lot to me," Enders said. "And there is no comparison to the Bader family as far as promotion and execution of a fantastic event. This was our first time here for Night Under Fire. "I hadn't even been here as a spectator, let alone a racer, and I am absolutely blown away. The fireworks were unbelievable, even better than my expectations. I'm super stoked to have been a part of it and lucky to have turned on that win light." Pageantry, powerful cars, entertainers, and pyrotechnics all helped contribute to another popular running of the event. The opening ceremony included a flyover of historic military planes, skydivers, entertainer introductions, a massive American flag unfurling, and the national anthem performed by Chris Biggin. "The Night Under Fire has always been, and always will be, immensely important to my family and our team," said Bill Bader, Summit Motorsports Park president. "It is in our hearts and in our souls, and it means so much to see the enthusiasm and the emotion from everyone from the entertainers to our guests. It certainly fuels our fire for next year. "We sincerely thank everyone who joined us and made this event as special as it was," he added. "The attendance numbers were in the top three of all-time Night Under Fire events, and it appears we had the largest food and merchandise sales day in the event's 48-year history." Chris Foster captured the win with a 5.51 over Cody Krohn's 5.71 in Top Alcohol Funny Car. McKenna Bold and Angelle Sampey made it to the final round of eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster, and Bold posted a 5.28 and the win when Sampey suffered breakage. Pro Mod drivers Mike Janis and Billy Banaka battled for the win, and Janis took it with a 5.76 to Banaka's 6.57. Brian Yanchik blasted to a 4.26 and the win over Jerry Albert and his 4.28 in Top Sportsman. The spotlight was on Mark Pawuk and Raymond Nash in the Factory Stock Showdown final. Pawuk, who was .007 at the hit, powered to a 7.76 and the win against Nash and his 7.74. In Pro Outlaw, Louie Wirbel scored the win with a 4.79 over Courtney Moeller's 4.93. ScottRods Gassers were also in action, and Ed Kasicki edged out Scott Leber, who had a perfect .000 reaction time. Ernie Bogue, Scott Holdridge, Dawn Perdue, and Neil Esposito gunned for a North American Jet Car championship in their 300-mph vehicles. Bogue won in his Beast from the East with a 5.17 and 305 mph over Holdridge and his 50 Cal. The Edelbrock Super Series Elite featured the top 16 racers in Summit Motorsports Park's Edelbrock Super Pro, Super Bike, and Sportsman. They raced for a share of $64,400. In Super Pro, Carter Sherman defeated Jeff Fenn, and in Pro, John Bailey won over Brian Hurst. In Super Bike, Jeremy Hicks defeated Austin Poole, and in Sportsman, Jim Ring won over Dave Widmar. Additionally, the Summit Racing Equipment Jr. Dragster Shootout put the spotlight on the top eight racers in Summit Motorsports Park's advanced, intermediate and novice Jr. dragster programs as of June 1. They raced for cash, trophies, and gift cards. In advanced, Brandon DuPont went to the winner's circle after racing Abigail Baker, while in intermediate, Tyler Jacobs advanced over Kendall Moreland. In Novice, Derek Peters claimed the victory over Bentlee Baehr. The Bader family's signature $150,000 fireworks show were shot from multiple locations over the park to end the evening.