September has been a turbulent month for NHRA Pro Stock racer John Gaydosh Jr.
 
After failing to qualify for race day – Sept. 4 – at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Gaydosh was searching for even more answers.
 
After Indy, he and Gray Motorsports, his engine supplier, parted ways.
 
Since Indy, Gaydosh has been trying to regroup and he’s frantically trying to get his Camaro ready to compete at the Dodge Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., this weekend.

“I’m putting my motor that I had back together and I’m waiting for pistons right now,” Gaydosh said Tuesday afternoon. “It has been a struggle. I’m hoping they (the pistons) will get here no later than Thursday morning. We will see what happens.”

Gaydosh said the engine he plans on using in Reading is one he used before.

“The engine was rebuilt and then it went to the dyno and now it needs some pistons,” Gaydosh said. “That’s just my kind of luck. If I can get the engine fixed I should be able to qualify 13th or 14th. It’s not the motor I hurt in Bristol (Tenn.), but it is almost a copy of that motor. It should be just as good, if not better. We ran a 6.62 (seconds) at 208 (mph) with that motor and that was my own stuff. So, it wasn’t too shabby. I think we can make decent power. I have Gary Stropko helping me right now and I have everything in (Mooresville, N.C.) right now at his shop. I’m going to have a busy next couple of days. Once the pistons show up in North Carolina, I’m going to drive down there and help him finish assembling the motor and then drive back to Maple Grove with the motor either late Thursday night or early Friday morning.”

Stropko used to work for the late legendary Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins, and most recently he was working with Pro Stock driver Shane Tucker.

“He’s still up on things and he has pretty good ideas of what we need to do,” Gaydosh said. “Gary has been a good friend of mine for 15 years and we’re going to give it a shot and see what we can do.”

Although no one would have blamed Gaydosh for taking the remainder of the 2017 season off after Indy, that is an option for him.

“I love what I do,” he said. “There’s nothing else I would rather do. Nothing. I want to do this more than anybody else can ever imagine. This is the only thing I think about. I eat, sleep, drink Pro Stock racing.”