Taylor Dietsch Is Best In Factory Stock Showdown

CLERMONT, Ind. — Second generation Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series racer Taylor Dietsch captured his first victory in the ultra-competitive factory stock class.

Dietsch battled through five rounds of racing over two days as the No. 5 qualifier raced to his first final round and first win. Dietsch drove his Ford Mustang Cobra Jet past Raymond Nash and his Dodge Challenger Drag Pak in the final.

“To win the U.S. Nationals is absolutely amazing,” said Dietsch. “We look forward to this race all year. This is the one everyone wants to win. I want to thank my dad for letting me have this opportunity. It’s so fun to go out here and race with all these super strong competitors. This class is so tight, and you have to be on it all the time to take home the win. I want to thank all the guys back at KSR, they all built a rocket of a race car. I have to thank my sister and my mom.”

Dietsch’s best finish previously was a semifinal effort in Chicago at the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 Nationals when he lost to his father Jason, who went on to win the race. The father and son have a combined three Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown wins in 2025.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Jason Dietsch, Taylor’s father and teammate. “I was more nervous for him than when I raced. The kid’s awesome. He’s gonna keep winning. It’s really cool because we’ve had eight races this year and our KSR team has won six races. Our team’s awesome.”

In the final round racing against last year’s U.S. Nationals runner-up Raymond Nash Dietsch was nearly psychic off the starting line with a .015 second reaction time. His Ford Mustang Cobra Jet was straight and true getting to the finish line first with a winning elapsed time of 7.719 seconds at 178.35 mph.

On the way to his first win Dietsch beat David Davies II and Rouven Dawson on Saturday followed by wins today over Doug Hamp, a competition bye in the semis and finally Nash. He moved into fifth place in the Flexjet point standings with his winning effort. This race is recognized as a marathon not a sprint in all the classes but for the Flexjet Factory Stock competitors it takes a toll.

“You never get a moment to rest,” said Dietsch. “You’re always thinking about racing. You almost can’t think about anything else. It’s a mental struggle as much as it is a physical struggle. It really pays off when you see that final win light come on.”

Nash, the No. 6 qualifier, was racing in his second consecutive U.S. Nationals final and he collected the $2,000 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown bounty when he defeated back-to-back winner Mark Pawuk in the semifinals. Dietsch will carry the bounty to St. Louis for the Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway, the penultimate race of the 2025 season.

Mark Pawuk will lead the class into St. Louis as the points leader with a comfortable lead over the elder Dietsch, Lee Hartman and Jason Allergrucci. Once again, the world championship will come down the wire over the final two national events.