Empaco Equipment MOPAR Dodge Challenger Drag Pak
Biography
Mark Pawuk
Driver of the Empaco Equipment Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak
Crew chief: Kevin Helms
Co-crew chief: A.J. Berge
NHRA Career:
Factory Stock (first event: Bristol 2018)
Pro Stock (first event: 1985)
By the Numbers:
Factory Stock:
Three final rounds Two No. 1 qualifiers
Pro Stock:
Six national event wins
21 final rounds
Four No. 1 qualifiers
FSS Career Bests:
E.T.: 7.608 seconds, Gainesville 2022
Speed: 183.15 mph, Gainesville 2022
Notable:
• Began his FSS career in 2018 and has maintained a winning record throughout his first four seasons (27/22 W/L)
• Won the 2018 Norwalk, Ohio NMCA event from the pole
• Pawuk’s son, Kyle, is one of his father’s key crew members, and his daughter, Kassandra, DSR’s Social Media Manager, enjoys the unique opportunity of being able to cheer her dad on from the starting line while also capturing footage of his Drag Pak hurtling down the track
Personal:
Birthday: November 17, 1957
Residence: Akron, Ohio
Wife: Bonnie
Children: Kassandra and Kyle
Height/Weight: 6’2”, 205 lbs.
Hobbies: Golf, fitness, old cars
Social Media:
Twitter: @MarkPawuk_FSS
Instagram: MarkPawuk_FSS
BIOGRAPHY
After hanging up his helmet in 2006, former NHRA Pro Stock racer Mark Pawuk, known as ‘The Cowboy,’ returned to the driver’s seat in 2018 to compete in NHRA’s Factory Stock Showdown Series. Pawuk campaigns the Empaco Equipment Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak for Don Schumacher Racing’s two-car championship Sportsman team.
A family effort, Pawuk’s son, Kyle, serves as one of his father’s key crew members, and his daughter, Kassandra, a hospitality staff member at Don Schumacher Racing, never misses an opportunity to cheer her father on from the starting line.
While competing in Pro Stock, Pawuk roped in six victories before stepping out of the seat. Since his return to NHRA competition, the veteran racer has earned two No. 1 qualifiers (Indianapolis, 2019 and St. Louis, 2018) and three final round appearances (Norwalk and the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, 2018 and 2020).
In addition to his runner-up finish at the 2020 U.S. Nationals, Pawuk also recorded two consecutive semifinal finishes in 2020 at the back-to-back October Texas events. Pawuk’s strong and consistent performance allowed him to finish the year ranked third in a class that boasts 30 competitors.
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