Grand Bend Motorplex has hosted its own Canadian Nitro Nationals for as long as I can remember, playing to some of the largest drag racing crowds in Canada. This year’s event – which takes place August 2-4, is billed as “24 Years of Nitro”!
This year’s Nationals will be headlined by the quickest and fastest Canadian Top Fuel racer around – Dan Mercier and his band of Quebec ‘Nitrohaulics’ will be on hand as part of the impressive lineup of racers, vehicles, teams and entertainment.
Mercier recorded an impressive run of 3.71 seconds at NHRA’s mandated 1000-foot standard. Dan’s group of privateers from La Belle Province also hold the country’s top speed mark of 328 mph (or 531.36 km/h)!
Canada’s own Paton Racing Top Fuel team will also be on hand at Grand Bend this weekend, going up against Mercier. Todd Paton has a best ET of 3.81 seconds. Also notable is that Stratford, ON’s Spencer Hyde recorded a run of 3.78 seconds in one of the Paton family Top Fuelers. Hyde is competing in Martin, Michigan this weekend in his own ‘Jack and the Green Stock’ Pro Mod, which won last year’s $100,000 World Series of Pro Mod Drag Racing event in Florida.
The Top Fuel action gets underway tonight (Friday) at Grand Bend Motorplex, with two more passes scheduled for Saturday. In all, six Nitro dragsters, Nostalgia Nitro Funny Cars, Nitro Harleys, the Homewrecker Jet Truck, Pro Mods, Nostalgia Jet Funny Cars and more will be on the card.
Sonoma Raceway (formerly Riverside) is one of the most breathtaking (and incredibly quick and fast) tracks on the NHRA tour.
The tour was in action there, last weekend, for the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals. Comparing the racing conditions prior to the first round of Top Fuel eliminations, the Rob Flynn (from Edmonton) co-crew chiefed ‘Scrappers Racing’ (piloted by Jasmine Salinas) rocketship lined up against the slightly higher qualified Billy Torrence Capco entry.
With an air temp of 62 degrees, humidity at 77 percent and barometer (29.91) corrected altitude 625 foot track at 93 degrees Fahrenheit… the net result saw Torrence record a pass of 3.662 seconds at 335.40 mph (543.35 km/h)!!
The Top Fuel winner was Antron Brown earn his third victory of the season, defeating first-time TF finalist Tony Stewart. Doug Kalitta held onto low ET going 3.649 seconds at 338 mph!
In Funny Car, Bob TASCA defeated Ron Capps in a ‘pedalfest,’ but not before establishing track records of 3.839 seconds at 338 mph. In other Funny Car news, John Force Racing announced that former NHRA Funny Car champion Jack Beckman will drive in John Force’s place for the rest of the season. The 16-time FC champ suffered a traumatic brain injury (among other injuries) during a violent explosion and crash in Virginia last month. The 75-year-old Force was recently released from hospital and is back home in Yorba Linda, CA to complete is recovery.
Also at Sonoma, the factory hot rods loved the great air! Greg Anderson and Dallas Glenn were both in the 6.40 ET zone with KB Titan patriarch Eric Latino in third (6.501). In the final, Aaron Stanfield defeated KB Titan rookie Pro Stock driver Cory Reed 6.54 to 6.55.
Cory an experienced Pro Stock Bike racer and is the son of KB Titan co-owner Jim Whitley (and Jim’s wife / and noted AAFC racer Annie). Jim is also a two-time NHRA Alcohol Dragster National Champion.
Stratford, Ontario’s Sienna Wildgust qualified 14th and was defeated in the first round by Eric Latino’s GESI, a similar 500 CID Pro Stock Camaro.
Matt Smith totally dominated Pro Stock Bike, winning the GETTRX Shootout Saturday and the national event on Sunday!
Of special note, Maple Ridge, BC Top Sportsman racer Joe Mellof went deep into final eliminations with great starting line reactions and competitive dial-in acumen. Joe qualified his 2009 GXP Pontiac near the top of his field with a 6.742 ET at 205 mph (almost 350 km/h)!
As promised, here are some very positive follow-up notes from the recent John Scotti NHRA regional Canadian series at Napierville (QC) Dragway, on July 19-31. The series is experiencing wonderful growth and enjoying great reviews on all fronts. Almost 60 Stock / Super Stock racers competed before a ‘sold out’ crowd of these and other NHRA class racers.
The featured attraction was Dan Mercier unleashing his 11,000 HP Top Fuel dragster to standing ovations from his adoring fans. After the event, Louis Gill (Stock / Super Stock) and Brooklyn Noakes (Super Comp) stood atop their respective categories. This tour’s next stop is at Miramichi Dragway, in New Brunswick, this weekend. After that it heads further east to Cape Breton Dragway (Aug. 9-11).
