The temperatures were soaring, but Small Tire Pro Stock racers stayed the course in the name of competition and camaraderie, July 4-5, 2025 at Milan Dragway in Michigan.

They were joined by the track’s All Motor racers for the third of six Small Tire Pro Stock races scheduled for 2025.

Among the racers focused on winning were David Theisen of Michigan and Joe Clemente of New Jersey.

Theisen set the pace in qualifying with a 7.83 and 176 mph in his Firebird powered by a 500 cubic-inch DRCE engine by Uratchko Racing Engines. For his efforts, he earned the strong as a bull-themed trophy and a $250 top-qualifier bonus sponsored by Dolce and Clemente’s Market and V & J Inc. Theisen then put a 7.84 on the board on a solo pass in the first round of eliminations, followed by a consistent 7.85 to defeat Rob Ingles in the first round of eliminations. In the high heat of the day, Theisen pulled off another 7.84, this time to advance over Dwight Ausmus, who lost traction in his Firebird on the hot track.

David Theisen set the pace in qualifying with a 7.83 and 176 mph in his Firebird powered by a 500 cubic-inch DRCE engine by Uratchko Racing Engines, and he earned the strong as a bull-themed trophy and a $250 top-qualifier bonus sponsored by Dolce and Clemente’s Market and V & J Inc. (Photo credit: Mary Lendzion)

With that, Theisen looked forward to meeting friend and fellow racer Joe Clemente in the final round of eliminations, and was concerned when Clemente came to his pit area to tell him he could not race as he hurt something in his combination during that pass. Theisen broke the beams and took the win, and everyone around knew he would have preferred to race.

“I felt bad for Joe Clemente and his team, and this is not how I wanted to win, so hopefully we will meet in the final round of eliminations at another race,” said Theisen. “It was great to see all of our Small Tire Pro Stock racers from other states come to our home state and home track, and hopefully, a few Milan Dragway All Motor racers will come race with us, too. Even though the track was tricky because of the heat, we had great competition, and I look forward to the next race. I would like to thank my wife, Anna, and Steve Mastalier and Kevin Wright for all of the support over the weekend.”

Clemente, who was dialing in a new 408 cubic-inch Chevrolet built by Martino Race Engines at this event, qualified in the fourth spot with a 7.93 and 170 mph hit from his Mustang. He proceeded to put down a 7.86 to pull off the win over Jeff Ikard in the first round of eliminations, followed by a 7.91 to get by Tony Petrovski, who had an issue on the starting line. Clemente clocked a 7.95 on a solo pass in the semifinal, and it was on that pass that something went amiss with his combination, preventing him from making the call to the lanes for the final round of eliminations.

David Theisen, who competes in Small Tire Pro Stock at various tracks and All Motor at Milan Dragway, was the 2018 NMCA NA 10.5 champion. (Photo credit: Scott Sparrow)

“We are pushing these things to the limit every time we go out there, and this time, we pushed it past the limit, because the top several cars were running within three to four hundredths of each other and we wanted to be right there,” said Clemente, who had support over the weekend from Bruce Blair, Ed Bamond, Dale Cubic and fellow racers. “We are going to take a look at our combination, and our game plan is to be at the next race. I want to congratulate David Theisen and his team for doing a great job, and thank him for saying he would give us time to take care of what we needed to and get back up to the lanes for the final round of eliminations. He is a great competitor and friend, and I appreciate that. I also want to thank everyone who supported Small Tire Pro Stock over the weekend.”

The payout with entry for both classes, Small Tire Pro Stock and All Motor, was $5,000 for the winner, $1,600 for the runner-up, $800 for semifinalists and $450 for quarterfinalists. Individually, 10K Technology-sponsored payouts for Small Tire Pro Stock were $2,500 for the winner, $800 for the runner-up, $400 for semifinalists and $200 for quarterfinalists.

Joe Clemente was dialing in a new 408 cubic-inch Chevrolet built by Martino Race Engines on his way to the runner-up finish. There engine has more in it, and Clemente is looking forward to unleashing it. (Photo credit: Mary Lendzion)

Small Tire Pro Stock is grateful for support from 10K Technology, Pen and Paper Strength App, Dolce and Clemente’s Market, V & J Inc., BES Racing Engines, CFM Carburetors and Exstreme Fab and Beadlocks. With a focus on continued growth, it is actively seeking additional sponsors.

Upcoming races include Aug. 1-2 at Milan Dragway in Michigan, Sept. 26-27 at Cecil County Dragway in Maryland and Aug. 29-30 at Jackson Dragway in Tennessee.