Bill Skillman Captures Third NHRA Factory Stock Showdown Win Of 2022

Bill Skillman raced to his third victory of the season and reclaimed the points lead in the process as he drove his Ray Skillman Ford Cobra to the win Sunday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park, the fifth stop on the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown schedule. Skillman also claimed the $1,000 bounty placed on previous winner, David Barton.

Skillman, the No. 1 qualifier, took on No. 2 qualifier David Barton and his Saw Mill Auto Chevy COPO Camaro in the final round. Barton would have the starting line advantage with a .009 reaction time to Skillman’s .067, but Skillman and his Ford Cobra would run down the Barton and his COPO Camaro. Skillman’s 7.810 -second pass at 177.07 mph defeated Barton’s 7.869 at 180.09 with a margin of victory of only .001-seconds.

Photo courtesy Auto Imagery

“The car has been running really well. We are generating a lot of power,” Skillman said. “This team I have has been working hard and I am really proud of them. This was a big win for us.”

The victory sends Skillman around Barton in the Constant Aviation points standings and earns Skillman $1,000 for beating Barton, the most recent event winner, through the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Bounty Program. Skillman will now carry the $1,000 bounty and it will increase until another driver defeats him during eliminations.

“It feels great to get that third win, but the points are still so close with three races left. That final was closer than I wanted it to be, but it was a great final round. A win is a win,” Skillman said. “I got the bounty, so I got a little bit of my money back. I am going to spend that bounty money on race car parts.”

On his way to victory, Skillman took down Lee Hartman, Dan Condon and David Janac before defeating Barton. Barton would get past Alan Scruggs, Ricky Hord and Ohio’s Mark Pawuk before reaching Skillman in the finals.

The ongoing battle between Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Ford Cobra Jets and Dodge Challenger Drag Paks will pick up at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, August 31 – September 05.

Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Top Ten Points Standings:

1. Bill Skillman             435

2. David Barton           427

3. Lenny Lottig             301

4. Aaron Stanfield      258

5. David Janac             253

6. Stephen Bell           237

7. Mark Pawuk            235

8. Dan Condon           225

9. David Davies III       224

10. Anthony Troyer    195

 

About the author

Andrew Wolf

Andrew has been involved in motorsports from a very young age. Over the years, he has photographed several major auto racing events, sports, news journalism, portraiture, and everything in between. After working with the Power Automedia staff for some time on a freelance basis, Andrew joined the team in 2010.
Read My Articles