PHIL HUTCHISON DRAG RACING ACTION ONLINE 

IMAGES DAVID SMITH AND BOB REED

The NHRA Northeast Division held the fourth and fifth race of their seven event schedule at Numida Dragway. The racetrack in Central Pennsylvania has been a racer favorite for years with the DiMino family, led by Bob and Vinny DiMino one of the best management teams in the sport.

With a NHRA Lucas double, the racers took advantage of the one tow, two race availability. Unlike the double fest at Maryland International, there were no winners at Numidia cashing in for a second time during the weekend.

 

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR

 Further extending his points in both National and Northeast Division standings was Ashaway R.I racer Joe Carnasciale. Carnasciale driving his I/SM Cavalier defeated former 2022 NHRA Super Stock champ Peter D’Agnolo in the finals.

 D’Agnolo from Rochester N.Y. had the better light in his E/SMA Cobalt, but Carnasciale had the better ET winning with a -0.623 under 8.857 for his 15th Lucas Oil Wally and the team’s fourth division win of the season.

 D’Agnolo ran a -0.509 under 8.351 in the loss

“Another good weekend for us, with a little bit of luck and good weather we pulled off the win Friday,” Carnasciale said after his win.  “It didn’t come without penalty. I had an ok light in the final against Pete, who you know is going to be .020 or better every time! I had to run it a little deeper than anticipated and took .02 CIC on my already beat up index for the win.”

“After all that this win makes it four for four divisional races this year and a pretty good position in points standings Got to thank these people again, Paul Volpe at East Coast Surfaces, Nats Racing Engines Slawco Cylinder Heads Tom Martino, Captain Glenn Ahern and my dad and my wife Chelsea.”

With his success in 2026 with his Cavalier, Carnasciale sits on top of both NHRA National and Lucas Divisional points chase.

Runner up Pete D’Agnolo said after the race, “Great even, all doubles are. Came away with a runner up and a semi. Been working hard on our combination this year with a new engine builder on board, RJM Engines, and it’s starting to show with the results here and Norwalk looking forward to rest of the season.”

“Can’t thank Frank Affronti enough for trusting me with his equipment.”

SUPER STOCK

Justin Picillo from Rhode Island has been having a great year in the NED Super Stock points chase in the Eddie Bloom SS/BS Pontiac. After a win at MIR and Lebanon Valley, Picillo was looking to add to his 2026 total.

Nobody told Gettysburg Pa. racer Larry Miller Jr. Miller in his blue SS/FA ’70 Barracuda was the recipient of Picillo leaving a tad too soon on the green giving Miller his fourth career Lucas Oil Wally.

In only his second NHRA Divisional of 2026, Miller duplicated his 2025 Numidia race in his big block Plymouth Cuda. “Numidia has been for some reason very good to me,” Miller Jr. said. “The set up in the car that I run, everything just runs good up there. Since Maple Grove doesn’t have NHRA, Numidia and Cecil have become my home tracks. I didn’t plan on running a lot of races this year since I am operating my own shop.”

“Super Stock is full of tough customers. In the final, I left and about halfway down track I noticed that the win light was on in my lane. I was looking to see where Picillo was and saw the top end lights.”

Miller, who nickname  ‘Bunk’ was given to him by his grandma Betty adds, “This is only my second NED divisional of the year. I planned on racing at both MIR races but the work at the shop kept me to just running the second event at Maryland. I love Royce and his team but did not get to the track until Race 1 was already started.”

“I usually pull the motor out of the car in the winter to check on everything but with work, that didn’t happen as I would have liked. I think the motor is a little tired and since I do all my own work on the engine I have to plan accordingly. I have the Uncle Buck Mid Atlantic race at Cecil followed by the Lucas double. As I said the motor is a little tired and I’m on the fence on racing both Rob’s race at Cecil and then the double or just go to Uncle Bucks with my friends and have fun.”

It’s all over at this point as Picillo turned on the red bulb giving Miller Jr. the Numidia win 

Miller, who owns and operates a body shop in Gettysburg Pa. says, “I want to thank my wife Kendra and my dad Larry Sr. and my uncle Rick. And the Donhausers too. We all hang around together at the races.”

The win at Numidia puts the Pennsylvania drive in the Top Ten in Lucas Divisional points and Miller added, “With the win at Numidia I have to rethink about chasing the points in 2026. Picillo will be hard to catch.”

Runner up Picillo left the Pennsylvania facility with the NED Super Stock points lead said, “This past weekend at Numidia Dragway was a roller coaster of emotions. We had trouble in qualifying on Thursday which led to 4 hours of work on the car Thursday night, dialing the index first round on Friday and holding two tenths because what we did fixed the car.”  

“The round one win was the start of a gauntlet of racers that included two former world champs. The high quickly came to an end with a -.001 light in the final and a first round loss in race two to yet another former world champ.”

“None of this would be possible without Eddie Bloom. He provides me with an amazing race car that prints tickets. He is a great friend, mentor, and car owner. I would also like to thank my girlfriend Amy, my parents, my kids, Reid’s Automotive, Select Performance, John’s Racecraft, Book Racing Ent, friends, family, and the entire D1/Numidia staff.

STOCK ELIMINATOR

In a battle of NED heavyweights and former NHRA Stock World Champs, Joe Santangelo from Marlborough Conn., drove his B/SA 69 Camaro to the win over defending Stock champ Bubba Linke from Old Bridge N.J. his ’97 B/SA Camaro. 

In Super Stock and Stock eliminator, cars in the same class run heads up no matter what the earlier dials might have been. With a heads up winner take all final. Santangelo had been running a quicker dial all race and in the final, Linke had to cut the tree down. Linke did what he had to do with a 0.004 RT but Santangelo’s Camaro had the horses catching Linke with a 10.143 to Linke’s losing 10.201.

The win at Numidia on the heels of his win at Lebanon Valley moves Santangelo up in the NED points chase and was his 26th career Lucas Oil Wally.

SUPER COMP

Howie Smith II from Syracuse N.Y. added a second Wally to his career total at Numidia defeating Kelly Kundratic Ausherman from Manchester Pa. in the finals. Kelly, who recently married Top Alcohol Dragster racer John Ausherman, had been on a tear beating Josh Eastburn and transmission specialist Ken Moses on her way to the final.

 On his side of the ladder Smith took out Shawn Fricke and Jonathan Leahy to get to the money round.

“I decided to speed the car up in the finals after running slower in the semis against Fricke. I dropped it down there, and it was the right decision. It was probably more luck than anything.”

  “Super Comp is a shark tank with some of the best racers out there. Sometimes luck plays a big role in racing. The car was better than me that day.”

“I want to thank my parents Howard and Roberta, Lucinda my significant other, and all my racing friends and family. Too many to list and I don’t want to forget anybody, but I owe them everything. Bill Maroun from RPD builds my motors. I call him the smartest man alive.”

 

SUPER GAS

It was Carty, far lane, an occasional NHRA racer, beating veteran Barbato in the finals of Super Gas

It was a pair of Philadelphia area racers in the finals with James Carty from Hatfield Pa. wheeling his ’05 Cavalier to the Super Gas win over long time NED racer Jake Barbato from West Chester in his ’98 Camaro.

Carty had defeated George Donhauser’s Arrow and John Juliano’s Studebaker Commander in earlier rounds as Barbato beat Iggie Boicesco and Johnny Smith’s Corvettes.

Barbato left -0.009 too soon giving Carty his first ever Lucas win in his first ever final round.

“I usually run bracket racing there and thought it would be fun to jump into a dot 90 Race,” Carty said.  “It was a good experience, Racing against a bunch of really good guys at a great location.”

SUPER STREET

Maryland racer Gary Pritchett is someone who can and has done it all in drag racing. Driving and tuning some of the quickest cars in country. At Numidia, Pritchett was driving the flat black ’72 Nova of his new father in law, Jeff Eastburn. A big change from Fuel Dragster or a Funny Car.

Pritchett, not a stranger to the winner’s circle, beat Broad Run Va. Racer Peter Devita in the final.

Devita, who won at Numidia in 2025 in his white Nova, had a great run with a 0.014 RT and a right on with a six, 10.906 but Pritchett was perfect on the tree with a 0.000 and coupled with a 10.920, on paper, it was a dead heat going through the traps. But the timing system has to pick a winner and Pritchett came up on the right side with his first ever Super Street win.

“What a weekend. Jessica won Top Dragster, and I took Super Street,” Pritchett said. “We even flipped a coin to see who ran first she won it, went out and got it done, so the pressure was on me.”

“We’ve been in this spot before this year and both came up runner-up, so we weren’t about to let it happen again. Standing in the winner’s circle with my wife is something I’ll never forget. Pretty special day.”

Devita said after the close finals, “Unbelievable final with Gary. I knew he was sharp on the tree, so I had to be on my game. He had to be perfect to beat our package and he was.”

HOOPES FIRE PREVENTION TOP SPORTSMAN PRESENTED BY SELECT PERFORMANCE


Former NHRA and NED divisional champ Brandon Miller from Canterbury Conn. drove his Chevy S-10 to a win over Maryland International divisional winner Mikie Daniele from Manorville N.Y.

 With Top Sportsman racing so popular in the Northeast, there were numerous events throughout the area the same weekend and a little over a dozen were on hand at Numidia.

Miller beat the ’05 Cavalier of Daniele with a right on 4.451 on his 4.45 dial as Daniele was second with a 4.453 on a 4.44 dial.

 “It’s always a great weekend when you win even losing first round in the second race on Sunday,” Miller said.  “Hopefully I can keep the winning momentum going for the rest of the season.”

“I’d like to thank my mom for coming down with me for Thursday qualifying and Tim and John Gray for the help. Until my dad Caught a case of FOMO (fear of missing out) and showed up for Friday morning.”

“It was a short field this weekend but everyone there is tough to beat. I’m thankful to be able to come out with another win.”

 The win was Miller’s 11th Lucas win and the second of 2026 having put his S-10 Chevy in the winner’s circle at Lebanon Valley a few weeks earlier.

 

HOOPES FIRE PREVENTION TOP DRAGSTER PRESENTED BY SELECT PERFORMANCE


Jessica Eastburn from Elkton, Md. had a dream year in 2025 Top Dragster action taking her blown Hoopes Fire Prevention ’11 Undercover dragster all the way to the NHRA World Finals in Pomona ending up in the #2 spot in the NHRA points chase.

At race #1 at Numidia Eastburn was up against Chuck Krepela from W Springfield Massachusetts in the final. It was not the first time the two had gone head to head as it was Krepela who ended up at #2 in the 2025 NED points chase.

The final was close with Eastburn getting a better 0.017 RT to Krepela’s close 0.023 and on the top end it was Eastburn’s 4.158 on a 4.15 dial beating the 4.4389 on a 4.38 of Krepela.

The win at Numidia was Eastburn’s 5th Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Wally.

“This weekend was special before we ever made a run down the track,” Eastburn said after her first win of 2026.  “It was the first race this season that my brother Josh, my dad Jeff, and my husband Gary, and I were all back racing together.”

“With everything going on at Hoopes Fire Prevention and our recent move into our new building, we’d missed a few races we would normally attend, so it just felt good to have the whole family back at the track again.”

“Numidia has always been good to me. I was fortunate enough to win Top Dragster there the past two years, so to make it three years in a row is honestly hard to put into words. You never go into a race expecting something like that, especially with the level of competition in Division 1. Then somehow the weekend got even better.”

“Going into the final round, Gary and I flipped a coin to decide who would run first. I ended up going first, and once I won, I knew that only added more pressure on him. I’d like to think that may have helped motivate his .000 reaction time in the final!”

“Getting to share the Winner’s Circle together was something we’ve always talked about and something we’ll never forget. Gary has an incredible collection of Wallys from his Top Fuel career, but this first Sportsman Wally was hard-earned and means something different. Getting to bring home matching 75th Anniversary Diamond Wallys as husband and wife is truly a dream come true.”

After the final, runner up Chuck Krepela who moved into #3 in the NED added, “Jessica and I have a lot of history and she, Gary and I have a great relationship. We’ve met more than one time. We raced at the Norwalk NHRA finals to name one but we’re not out there to kill each other. No matter who won at Numida, we would have been happy. The day I get out of the car after a loss and throw my helmet is the last day I will ever drive. Winning is only part of the fun. And we all get a little angry after a loss but it’s the people who make it good.”

“I’m proud to have my name on her hood scoop as a group of people who have helped her get where she is.”

“You can tell a lot about a racer on who is the winner’s circle. Two years ago, I was up against Vince Musolino to see who would be the D1 champ at a late season race.  After I lost by seven ten thousandths, he asked me to be part of the celebration.”

Thanking the people who make his racing possible Krepela said, “Deb and Ken Moses, Al and Carol Kenny, Jack and Katie Sepanak, Mark Labrecque, Joey Hessling at Advanced Product Design, Shelly and Travis at American Race Cars, Jeff Kundratic. All are a big part of my racing.”  

JUNIOR DRAGSTER 11-18 SAT-SUN

Austin Abel from Buffalo, N.Y. took his Jr dragster to an easy win as his competition, Diulia Held went red in the final.

JUNIOR DRAGSTER 6-10 SAT-SUN

In a rerun of the MIR finals in June, third generation racer Anthony Fetch was up against another racer that grew up in a drag racing household ,Nicholas Antonette from Wantagh N.Y.

The results at Numida mirrored MIR with Fetch from Colonia, N.J. beating Antonette in the finals with a 8.940 on his 8.93 dial as Antonette went too quick with a 10.824 on his 10.86 dial in after the better RT.