The IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series at Darana Raceway – Hebron dazzled fans with amazing racing. There were first-time winners, a racing legend earning yet another Ironman, and racers gearing up for big things the rest of the 2025 season.

Top Fuel racer Shawn Reed has ridden a rollercoaster of emotions at the track in 2025. Reed kicked off his season with a win at the PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park. He’s shown flashes of brilliance on the track, but a devastating crash in Seattle cost him a finger and kept him out of his dragster for over six weeks.

Reed made his return to driving at the Hebron IHRA event to see if he was ready to chase the NHRA Countdown, and that decision paid off. In the final round, Reed squared off against Top Fuel legend Larry Dixon, and came out victorious, running 3.819 at 327.75 mph to beat Dixon’s 3.855-second pass at 319.83 mph in a tight drag race.

“It was pretty emotional, really, to get back in the car. The crash set me back a ways, and I didn’t really think about that coming into this event. I wanted to be the big tough guy. Let me tell you something, when that car started up for the first time, I thought about the crash. But, I just went hammer down, prayed the tires stayed on, the chutes would come out, and I got more confident each pass I made,” Reed said about his return to the car.

Competing and winning at the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series was just the medicine that Reed and his team needed to push forward with their season. Being back in the seat was just part of the battle for Reed; winning against tough competitors proved his team is prepared for what lies ahead.

“The car’s running good heading into the Countdown, my hand hurts, but it’s manageable. We want to do well in the Countdown, and getting down that track wasn’t easy. Hats off to Dixon and his team, we knew he was going to be tough and throw down a low 80, so we had to push hard to beat them. Rob Wendland and the team did an outstanding job getting the car ready for those tricky conditions, and we won,” Reed says.

Dan Hix and his Funny Car team are the definition of grassroots nitro racing. They’re a band of family and friends that have worked hard to bring their flopper to the track, and they’re starting to make some noise. At the Milan event, the team pulled off a runner-up finish. In Hebron, the hard work paid off, and they landed in the winner’s circle after defeating Del Worsham.

“I still can’t believe we won. I didn’t think I won because he had me by a car, but I just drove it out the back and went ripping by him right in the lights. I rolled around the corner and they waved me to the left, where you get to give the interviews, and I thought ‘no way’, but I asked who won, they said I did, and I couldn’t believe it. I can’t put it into words what this win means for me and this team,” Hix says.

The combo that Hix runs under the body of his funny car is slightly different than most, and that’s what makes his win special. It uses a single magneto and a small fuel pump, but Hix is learning how to get he most out of what these parts can run.

“Aaron Brooks, Rob Flynn, and Donnie Bender have been answering the questions I have about running this thing. I tune this myself, and they’ve been helpful, but at the end of the day, I’m the one making the tuning calls. My brother has been helping out every single race, and we just keep doing what we know, staying within our circle, and making small changes while we learn,” Hix explains.

Rickie Smith is an IHRA legend, and he showed that his story isn’t finished just yet. Smith chewed his way through a tough field if Pro Nitrous cars to pick up another Ironman trophy for his collection. In the final, Smith defeated Tim Molnar with a 3.616 run at 213.75 mph to secure the win.

“It was a good final round. I tune that car too, and I knew he was good on the tree,” Smith said, who last won an Ironman in Pro Mod in 1997. “I had a good light, and it was a really awesome day.”

Outlaw Pro Modified made its IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series debut at Darana Raceway – Hebron. The field featured Outlaw Pro Mod kingpins Frankie Taylor and Bubba Stanton, but in the final round, it was Brandon Pesz defeating Billy Banaka for the win. Pesz laid down a 3.616 run at 213.57 to pick up victory as Banaka rolled the beams.

“[The first win] is something that they can never take away, being the first No. 1 qualifier and winner in Outlaw Pro Mod, and on top of all that, I’ve got low ET and top mile per hour – I checked all of the boxes that you can. It doesn’t happen very often, but I’m going to take it,” Pesz explained.

Craig Sullivan already had a Top Dragster Ironman trophy and added to his collection by picking up he win in Pro Mod. Sullivan laid down a 3.750 at 205.01 mph to beat “Disco Dean” Karns, who experienced a mechanical issue.

“Dean and I bracket raced before. Dean had his antics, but we just went up there and mimicked what we did before. The car actually got a little faster in the middle, and it went fast enough to drive it forward. I didn’t see him to collect myself, so that’s why the slow elapsed time was there. But I got back in it, and that was the fastest mile per hour we’ve had at an IHRA track,” Sullivan says.

Mountain Motor Pro Stock was an absolute dog fight at Darana Raceway – Hebron. Multiple racers lobbed low 4.00-second runs at each other during eliminations. In the final round. Chris Powers locked in his second consecutive Mountain Motor Pro Stock win. Powers ran a 4.059 at 176.47 mph in the final frame, which was just enough to beat Jordan Ensslin’s 4.080 at 175.78 mph run.

“The round before we broke the tranny, so we had to get the motor fixed, and the shifter was loose when I went to do the burnout,” Powers shared. “It was already a stressful moment, but I just relaxed and knew I had to do a good job because Ensslin can cut a good light.”

Top Fuel Harley rider Tracy Kyle had a tough final round opponent in the form of Jay Turner. After the smoke cleared, Kyle had defeated Turner thanks to a 5.419-second pass at 204.45 mph against Turner’s 5.747 seconds at 151.77 mph.

The Alcohol classes showcased some of the best racers in the country. In Top Alcohol Dragster, Jeffer Chatterson’s 5.437-second pass at 262.85 mph was enough to defeat Jared Dreher’s 5.468-second run at 251.54 mph in a close race. Phil Esz qualified number one and beat Raw Drew in the final round for the event win.

Outlaw Snowmobile saw John Jacklitch Jr. defeat Rob Lowe Sr.. Jason Dietsch picked up another Factory Stock win by beating Matt Obernec in the final.

The next stop for the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series is at Dragway 42 in West Salem, Ohio, September 24-27.