NHRA Nationals: Cory Reed overcomes more than his share of hardships on way to first win

NORWALK — Cory Reed had never been to the NHRA winner's circle. That all changed with his run Sunday against KB Titan teammate Dallas Glenn in the Pro Stock finals of the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park. Reed's car had a good grip on the track and that allowed the driver affectionately known as "Caveman," because of his long blond hair and mustache, to see the win light in the finals for the first time. "It's hard to describe," said Reed, who became the 73rd event winner in Pro Stock history. "Definitely a lot of emotions. I'm trying not to cry pretty much the whole time. Right now, I already feel hoarse. At first, I didn't even know what I ran ET-wise until right now. All I know is I got Dallas off the tree, which was a very big accomplishment for myself." In what was just his second trip to an event final in Pro Stock and fourth overall with two others in Pro Stock Motorcycle, Reed showed the calm of a more experienced driver when he left the starting line with an .012 reaction time and had the lead for the entire race. Reed made a 6.648-second run at 207.30 miles per hour to bring home his first event win, which is quite the accomplishment considering the learning curve he's gone through over the last 18 months after switching from Pro Stock Motorcycle to Pro Stock cars. "It's hard not to ride a motorcycle after you've been doing it since you were 14," said Reed, a native of Grand Junction, Colorado. "I rode a lot of bikes and stuff, and it's a freeing experience almost when you're on a motorcycle. If you ride motorcycles, you know that. "Honestly, the first day we went in (for Pro Stock), I had my brand new Hans (device). Me and Dallas are just sitting there in the burnout box in Darlington. I'm putting all this crap on, and I looked at Dallas. My head's jacked up at the sky. I'm like, 'Dallas, I can't see. Help me.' Honestly, just getting used to being strapped into something and not being able to see, I had to look down every time I needed to reach for something or look up at the switches. Now, I'm getting to where I just reach up and I start smacking the right areas. On the motorcycle. it was second nature towards the end of it." Running out of the No. 5 qualifying spot, Reed earned a first-round victory over Troy Coughlin Jr., and then defeated Greg Stanfield by .077 seconds to move into the semifinals. Reed took advantage of an opportunity when KB Titan teammate Greg Anderson smoked his tires out of the left lane and earned the elusive appearance in the finals with a 6.640-second pass. After posting reaction times of .066, .066 and .056 in the first three rounds, Reed saved his best for last with the .012 at the Christmas Tree. In each of Reed's passes Sunday, he ran at better than 207 miles per hour. "I struggled all day with lights, so I was proud of myself for that," Reed said of the reaction time against Glenn. "I knew I had to step up against that guy. He's tough. I've got a great team behind me and great people. My buddy Joey (Gladstone) and my mom and dad, family, everybody at KB, is amazing. They all taught me so much, are helping me every day, getting me through personal struggles and all that stuff. It's incredible." When Reed sealed the victory, his best friend, Gladstone, couldn't hold in his emotions. The longtime friends have been through a lot together. It was Gladstone who was involved in Reed's life-altering crash at the DeWalt NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway in North Carolina in 2021. Reed's bike crossed into Gladstone's lane during second-round eliminations. Reed suffered a compound fracture of his left leg above the ankle and a broken shoulder when he flipped the bike and was sent head over heels between the guard wall and the bike. Additionally, when Reed's son, Theodore, was diagnosed with leukemia at 2 years old, it was Gladstone who left a previously scheduled business appointment to show his support. "Me and Joey have literally been through some of the toughest times I think most people would actually live through and get through," Reed said. "The day I found out my kid had cancer, I called him, and he was actually trading his truck in and a boat for a new truck. He got up in the finance office and walked out with a pen in his hand. "He was literally about to buy a new truck and walked out, and he beat me to my house. I walked in, he was crying at the sink, looking out the window. He was a mess. For me and him to stick through all that stuff, crash into each other, build all kinds of stuff together, do stupid things together, and I got to watch him have success on the motorcycle thing, it's incredible. It's really nice that I get to share it with somebody." Along with doubling over in tears at the starting line, Gladstone shared a long embrace with Reed when his team joined him down the track. During Reed's news conference, Gladstone interjected with "we've done a lot of stupid things, but we've had a lot of fun." What Gladstone and Reed have done on the track has built a strong bond away from the sport. Reed is hopeful his performance Sunday and since becoming a Pro Stock driver can help someone who wants to be a drag racer find a reason to persevere through whatever challenges they may face. "Can't give up, man," Reed said. "You have dreams, you chase 'em, and hopefully you have parents that want to push you for your dreams. I got lucky for that, but I truly do believe if you try hard enough and work hard enough, it will prevail. Just keep working, man." Contact Matt Florjancic at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.