Past Pro Stock driver and current Factory Stock Showdown frontrunner Mark Pawuk admits he never pushed his kids into drag racing. However, if they wanted to try the sport from behind the wheel, he knew he wanted it to be at a top-notch drag racing school. 

Dating back to his days as a General Motors-sponsored driver, Pawuk knew from experience The Frank Hawley Drag Racing School was the place for them to learn the trade he’s plied on the largest stage of the sport.

Kyle and Kassandra Pawuk grew up at the race track watching their father navigate the quarter-mile and recently gave driving a spin with Frank Hawley at the school. 

“My wife [Bonnie] and I talked, and we both wanted the kids to go to a drag racing school to get experience, but the only place I would allow them to go was Frank Hawley’s School,” stated Mark. “I attended several times through General Motors when I was racing professionally, and I knew it’s a professional, first-class operation.”

The Pawuk siblings pursued other avenues in college as Kyle played football for the University of San Diego while Kassandra pursued swimming and softball. 

Inevitably, the Pawuk kids coaxed their father back into the sport with a Factory Stock Showdown ride years after he had parked his Pro Stocker. 

A mid-July session at Summit Motorsports Park provided the perfect opportunity close to him for them to give drag racing a try. 

The two-day licensing school kicked off with Frank Hawley’s renowned classroom sessions, where he educated students on the logistics of drag racing and the importance of the mental side of driving. 

“It was great, and they taught us so much,” Kyle said. “I was happily surprised that, after making a run, they would go over the details and discuss the things we could be doing better. I enjoyed learning how your brain works and how that impacts your function as a driver.”

The first lesson Kyle learned was the absolute nature of the transbrake. 

 “At first, it was just, hold on and go straight and hope it’s okay,” Pawuk said. “By the end, I had a better feel of where the car was on the track, what it was doing, and what I was doing as a driver.

“When we showed up, I didn’t know anyone except my sister. It was an interesting dynamic – we were the youngest ones there,” shared Kyle, who expected more rookie racers of his own age.

Kyle, 25, works by day as a superintendent of a Cleveland-based general contractor but is still actively involved in drag racing and had already been down the track a few times in various Sportsman cars. 

Kyle got to drive both the Super Comp dragster and Super Gas door car. Although he enjoyed piloting a dragster for the first time, he quickly gravitated to the doorslammer.

“Overall, it was a great experience, and I was fortunate to be able to attend Frank Hawley’s School,” Kyle, who is already hard at work building his own Chevrolet to run in Super Gas, confirmed. “Learning from some of the best in the sport was huge, and everyone was very helpful.”

Kassandra was a total drag racing novice. She had never been down the drag strip at all – despite having worked in hospitality and social media for years with many of NHRA’s top-tier teams.

“The classroom was excellent, and then it was time to get in the car… I wasn’t nervous about racing until I did it!” Kassandra, 28, said following the experience. 

The initial experience was stressful for her, but the support and encouragement of the school’s staff and classmates went a long way to ease the anxiety.

Kassandra earned her Super Comp license. 

“By day two, it was totally different, and I had a lot of fun,” she added.

The experience, she pointed out, helps her now to understand better the pressures of the drivers she represents in a public relations capacity. 

“It doesn’t matter if you’ve been in a car or never raced at all like me… if you have the chance to attend the Frank Hawley School – do it,” Kassandra explained.

At the end of the session, Hawley was as pleased as an instructor could be. 

“I’ve known Mark for many years and have great respect for him as a racer, businessman, and parent,” Hawley said. “Mark and Bonnie should be very proud of Kyle and Kassandra. These are bright kids that will do very well in any profession they choose.” 

Hawley might have been pleased, but it was their father who was most proud. 

“I got goosebumps seeing them run,” Pawuk said. “I don’t know where their paths will go, but if I’m on the starting line watching, then Bonnie and I will be pretty lucky.”