NHRA Crowns 2024 Summit ET Finals Champions in Vegas

Zach Meziere, Alvie Merrill, C.W. Hoefer, James Paulson, and Omar Leon claimed the 2024 Summit E.T. Racing Series national titles at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

LAS VEGAS – The NHRA crowned their 2024 Summit ET Racing Series national champions last week at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Zach Meziere (Super Pro), Alvie Merrill (Pro), C.W. Hoefer (Sportsman), James Paulson (Motorcycle), and Omar Leon (EV) capped incredible seasons leaving Las Vegas as nationals champions in their respective classes. Each season the Summit ET Racing Series begins with thousands of racers competing at NHRA tracks across the country. After the Division ET Finals are completed each season, 40 racers from each of the seven NHRA geographic divisions descend on Las Vegas to compete for national titles.

In the Super Pro class, Zach Meziere, the reigning Division 6 champ, secured a decisive win when Jeff Krushinske fouled out in the final with a -.022 reaction. Earlier, Meziere defeated David Myhre and Tyler Vaughn while Krushinske, a Wild Card entrant from Division 1, stopped Michael Carpenter and Richard Copertino to reach the final.

Pro E.T. champion Alvie Merrill, representing Division 4, edged out Division 7’s Tim O’Moore by .009 seconds in the final round. Merrill’s path to the final included wins over Noel Cuevas and Paul Northrop, while O’Moore defeated Andrew Innes and Tony Price.

C.W. Hoefer added the Summit E.T. Racing Series Sportsman title to his all ready impressive resume. Hoefer claimed victory against Wild Card entrant Josh Carroll in the final round, having previously overcome wildly successful bracket racer “Nasty Nick” Hastings and Charlie Bukevics. Carroll’s route to the final included wins over Andrew Quinn and David Harvey.

In Motorcycle class, Wild Card winner James Paulson clinched the title in a close double-breakout final against Division 3’s Jason Drnach. Paulson’s path to the championship included wins over Jerry Turner and Heather Bamond. Drnach came back strong in 2024, after an accident at the 2023 ET Finals in Vegas, racing to a runner-up finish defeating Gordon Fangmeyer and Marty Reeves to reach the final.

The Street EV division crowned its second national champion, Omar Leon, who bested Michael Webster in the final. Leon, representing Division 7, had earlier defeated Camron Nelson and Todd Larson. Webster, from Division 6, reached the final by taking out Scott Sheppeard and Mark Horton.

Congratulations to each of the 2024 Summit ET Racing Series Champions and to each of the competitors that earned a chance to compete for the nationals championship.