Brad Northrop Claims Third Summer Slam Championship Spot
A nice turnout and, finally, two full days of Summer Slam racing this past weekend at Numidia! We were able to complete the entire schedule, including the Golf Cart Race and Practice Tree Races, while crowning our third Championship Contender of the season.
Saturday kicked off with Junior Dragsters, where Seth Kershner claimed the first Summer Slam Mini Belt of the weekend by defeating Gavin Hill in the final.
After his runner-up finish in Juniors, Gavin jumped into a big car and continued his impressive day, eventually meeting Jeff Pasquariello Jr. in the Pro final. Gavin was .010 on the tree and took .011 at the finish line to claim the Pro victory — his first-ever win in a big car!
In Super Pro, it was an all-Northrop final. Our first Summer Slam Championship Contender from the opening race of the series, Jon Northrop, lined up against his brother Brad Northrop. Jon went -.003 red in the left lane, while Brad was .014, handing Brad the $5K Super Pro victory.
That set up the Mini Belt runoff between Pro winner Gavin Hill and Super Pro winner Brad Northrop, with more than just the belt on the line. The winner would officially lock into the four-car Gauntlet at the end of the series, where the overall 2026 Summer Slam Champion will be crowned.
Gavin lined up in the left lane dialed 7.59, while Brad took the right lane with a 6.08 dial. Brad was .009 on the tree and ran 6.090, taking just .006 at the stripe. Gavin was .017 up front and ran 7.598.
With the win, Brad Northrop became our third Summer Slam Championship Contender, joining the field for the four-car, end-of-series Gauntlet. The eventual champion will take home the Big Belt and the 2027 Summer Slam Gold Card!
Saturday night moved into the Rec Center, where Nick Force picked up a big Practice Tree Race victory, defeating Peter Biondo in the final.
After some early-morning track drying following overnight rain, Sunday turned into a beautiful day and the racing continued without a hitch. In Junior Dragsters, Lexi Hoover took the win over Seth Kershner, who capped off a strong weekend by reaching his second final.
Over in Pro, Nolan Eckert put together an outstanding final-round lap in his truck. Nolan was .008 on the starting line and dead-on-three at the finish for an .011 total package, locking out Chris Gonier, who was .015 on the tree.
To close out the weekend, Matt Bonocore claimed the $5K Super Pro victory over Jon Northrop, who also reached his second final of the weekend. Just .005 separated the pair on the starting line, with Bonocore ultimately taking .003 at the finish to seal the win.
Once again, thank you to everyone who came out and supported Big Bobby’s Summer Slam Series. We finally got two complete days of racing, crowned another Championship Contender, and continued building toward what should be an exciting finish to the season.
Three spots are filled. One remains.
Spread the word — THE BATTLE FOR THE BELT CONTINUES!
SATURDAY RESULTS
JUNIOR DRAGSTER WINNER — SETH KERSHNER
Runner Up — Gavin Hill
PRO WINNER — GAVIN HILL
Runner Up — Jeff Pasquariello Jr.
SUPER PRO WINNER — BRAD NORTHROP
Runner Up — Jon Northrop
CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER NAMED — BRAD NORTHROP
SUNDAY RESULTS
JUNIOR DRAGSTER WINNER — LEXI HOOVER
Runner Up - Seth Kershner
PRO WINNER — NOLAN ECKERT
Runner Up — Chris Gonier
SUPER PRO WINNER — MATT BONOCORE
Runner Up — Jon Northrop
