Blackbird X Challenger Becomes First NHRA Factory X Class to Top 200 MPH, Scores Victory at NHRA Midwest Nationals in Illinois
The fourth appearance for the new Factory X class Presented by Holley took place at World Wide Technology Raceway for the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Midwest Nationals this past weekend.
To this point, Greg Stanfield’s Chevrolet Camaro has been the most talked-about car - It was the first to debut at NHRA for exhibition at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, as well as collecting the first two wins in the Factory X class during the US Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Indiana, as well as the Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway in Concord, North Carolina.
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The Ford Mustang contingent of Chris Holbrook and Stephen Bell, as well as the lone Dodge Challenger of Geoff Turk and Allen Johnson as the driver, have been making strides, and it showed at the NHRA Midwest Nationals during qualifying.
Johnson qualified number one with a 7.04 at 198 mph in the Challenger on his final qualifying run, the quickest pass in the class thus far. Johnson also notched a spot in the class history book, becoming the first car into the 200-mph club, clocking a 7.11 at 202 mph on his second qualifying run, earning an extra $10,000 from Jesel for the efforts.
Stanfield’s Chevrolet was second at 7.09 at 192 mph, Holbrook landed third at 7.14 at 193 mph in his Ford Mustang, and Bell, the newest entrant to the class, qualified his Mustang at 7.36 at just 166 mph.
In eliminations, Johnson earned a first-round win over Bell’s Mustang, while Holbrook and Stanfield had a great race, with Holbrook just nipping the Chevy via a 7.07 to 7.09 count.
That put Johnson and Holbrook into their second final round appearances of the season, but it would be the first time they staged opposite each other for a class title. Johnson, a former NHRA Pro Stock world champion, delivered a championship run with a 7.10 at 202 mph, the second 200 mph blast of the weekend, to defeat the slowing 7.76 pass from Holbrook.
The Factory X class, designed to bridge the gap between the NHRA’s current Factory Stock Showdown class and the Pro Stock class, utilizes a Factory Showdown-legal engine and a manual transmission in a lighter car.
It has generated a lot of interest, as several shops have cars under construction currently. The class will make its final appearance of the 2023 season at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the NHRA Nevada Nationals, and will be returning to the NHRA national event schedule for a full season in 2024, as more cars are scheduled to debut next year.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Geoff Turk and Holbrook Racing Engines.
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