Phil Esz Captures Third IHRA Ironman of 2025 in Top Alcohol Funny Car

Phil Esz has been on a roll in 2025, and he just added another Ironman to the shelf. 

Driving the UltraSonic LLC Top Alcohol Funny Car, Esz scored his third win of the season at Darana Dragway – West Salem, taking down Tony Bogolo in the final round.

The West Salem victory capped a big summer run that started back in July at Darana Dragway – Milan, where Esz scored his first career Ironman after beating Bogolo. He followed that up in September at Darana Raceway – Hebron with a win over Ray Drew, before returning to the winner’s circle this past weekend.

The path to this latest win wasn’t easy. Esz and his team had to thrash after blowing an engine in the round before the final.

“We had a lot of work to do to get the car ready, but everybody stepped up,” Esz said. “We put another motor in, went out there, and got it done. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it. This makes it number three, and I’ve got a shelf, and I’m filling it up.”

The switch up from competing in the quarter mile to an eighth mile didn’t seem to affect Esz either.

“I haven't run eighth mile in a long, long time,” Esz shared. “I used to run a lot of eighth mile, so it feels like I'm back at home running eighth mile. It’s really a lot easier on parts.  It's easier on everything.”

Esz credited his crew for making the turnaround happen, adding:

“Jerry Rob, TJ, Les Davenport - everybody pitched in to get the car ready.

“Les has been tuning my car for almost three years now, and he's been coming to help me, and he's groomed our team. He’s really got a lot of experience, a very, very knowledgeable person. The rest of my crew does a great job. I've got a good crew right now. We're a good team, and that's why we're doing well,” he adds.

Three wins. Three different tracks. And one standout season for Phil Esz and the UltraSonic LLC team in IHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car.