Given the potential for up to 3 inches of rainfall through Thursday, coupled with an excessively wet spring and summer, we have made the decision to close Linder’s Lot for the 34th Annual Ames Performance Pontiac Nationals. As a result, move-in will be as follows: Thursday, July 17 8 a.m.: Swap meet vendors will move in via the State Route 601 Ohio CAT Gate. We will credential and park swap meet vendors as quickly as possible. 3 p.m.: Race cars will move in via the State Route 601 Ohio CAT Gate and immediately park. Once parked, racers and crew can go underneath the Ohio CAT Grandstands to purchase credentials. NOTE: There is no overnight holding lot. Friday, July 18 8 a.m.: Swap meet Vendors will move-in via the State Route 601 Ohio CAT Gate. We will credential and park swap meet vendors as quickly as possible. 8 a.m.: Race cars will move-in via the State Route 601 Ohio CAT Gate. 8 a.m.: Car Show will enter through the State Route 18 Summit Gate. 8 a.m. Camping & Motorhome Guests will enter as advertised through the State Route 18 Wilson’s Gate. NOTE: There is no overnight holding lot. We look forward to seeing you at the 34th Annual Ames Performance Pontiac Nationals! — Bill
Damien Hazelton Ready to Hit the Tree and Haul at Summit Motorsports Park
We talked with Damien about his past success, his plans for this race season and more.

By Mary Lendzion

Damien Hazelton spent much of his childhood watching his father, Mark Hazelton, race.

He enjoyed everything from the sound of engines to the scent of exhaust, and when it became clear that he wanted to compete, too, his father let him climb into his 1968 Camaro and then his dragster.

Hazelton did well — very well — behind the wheel, and went on to purchase his own 1992 Camaro eighteen years ago. He has driven it to many wins, as well as an Edelbrock Pro championship at Summit Motorsports Park in 2017 and an IHRA Hot Rod World championship and Division 3 championship in 2007. He has also been successful in NHRA Super Street and in other categories and series across the country.

“It has been a good, dialed-in car ever since I bought it,” said Hazelton, of his Camaro powered by a small-block Chevrolet built by Loren Wilson Racing Engines, topped with 18 degree Chevrolet Bowtie heads and intake and a KB carburetor, and backed by a Powerglide by Alex Miller Racing Transmissions and an Abruzzi Racing converter.

We’re looking forward to seeing Hazelton, who averages low 6s in the eighth-mile and mid 9s in the quarter-mile while rolling on Mickey Thompson tires wrapped around Weld wheels, in action this year. Meanwhile, we caught up with the union carpenter foreman who lives in Continental, Ohio with his wife of eighteen years, Sara, and their 3-yer-old daughter, Delaney, and frequently gives a thumbs-up to opponents at the top end of the track regardless of who won or lost.
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WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT RACING AT SUMMIT MOTORSPORTS PARK?

It has the whole package for weekly bracket racers, and it’s one of the nicest facilities in the country. The Bader family and the people who work there are friendly to racers, and that, combined with the financial incentives for the Edelbrock Super Series points program and the Lucas Oil Super 64 presented by American Race Cars, among other events, makes me want to race there. It’s the place to be if you want to race every weekend and earn money racing, but it’s also very endearing for a lot of reasons.

GIVEN THE LEVEL OF COMPETITION, IT’S VERY CHALLENGING TO EARN A WIN AT SUMMIT MOTORSPORTS PARK. WHAT’S YOUR STRATEGY?

I try to bring my A game to every round at Summit Motorsports Park. In 2017, the year I won the Edelbrock Pro championship, nobody who finished in the top six in points had won a race. We went rounds here and there, but we didn’t win a race, and that speaks volumes about the level of competition. It takes experience, and if you look at many past champions at Norwalk, you’ll notice that most of them have ten or more years of racing, in the same car, under their belt. It’s tough racing at Summit Motorsports Park, and the conditions associated with being so close to Lake Erie make it even tougher.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO IS JUST STARTING TO RACE AT SUMMIT MOTORSPORTS PARK?

You have to have thick skin because you are going to take some lickings. When that happens, you should look at why you got beat, and you should use that information to get better. If you make a mistake, you should learn how to avoid repeating it. You should try to learn something from each and every pass. In my younger years of racing, I would get so frustrated that I would basically take myself out of the race and lose because I got too emotional, but with experience, you’ll learn that you can’t win every race, and that it’s okay to not win every race.
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WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT SUMMIT MOTORSPORTS PARK AND ELSEWHERE?

I consider my championship in 2017 to be my greatest accomplishment at Summit Motorsports Park, and I consider my IHRA Hot Rod championship in 2007 to be my greatest accomplishment away from Summit Motorsports Park. Beyond that, in 2013, I tied for the NHRA Super Street championship with fellow Summit Motorsports Park racer Phil Smida, but he won the tie-breaker.

DO YOU FEEL PRESSURE TO BACK UP YOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS, OR ARE YOU ABLE TO TAKE THINGS ONE ROUND AT A TIME?

I would love to earn another championship to prove that my other ones weren’t a fluke, and I definitely do put pressure on myself to do well at every event, especially after preparing for it and trying to do everything right. But, I tell myself that it’s also okay to just go out there and have fun.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE RACE SEASON?

I haven’t decided if I’ll run Edelbrock Pro or Super Pro, but right now, I’m feeling a pull to Super Pro, and might want to throw my hat into that ring. I’ll also run some non-points events at Summit Motorsports Park. I have a lot of people who help me do this, and I would like to thank my wife, Sara, first and foremost. I also want to thank George Decker for his help, Tom Kundrik of Mickey Thompson, who has supported me for thirteen years, Aaron McCulla at Finish Line Race Fuels, Vic Ellinger at Wiseco, Alex Miller at Miller Racing Transmissions, who’s helping me upgrade my transmission with a BTE transmission case, Karsten Blume at KB Carburetors, and Milodon and Jesel. I’m looking forward to getting back to racing.
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