CAYUGA, ONTARIO (November 13, 2013) – The Top Sportsman team of Wilson & Gray had a great season in Quick 32 Sportsman Series competition for 2013, winning its first championship in the popular drag racing series.
“Our season went great,” said Bill Wilson, who is teamed with Rob Gray as co-owners, drivers, and crew chiefs. “Everything went better than expected.”
This season was the fifth for the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, which is presented by NAPA Auto Parts and competes at tracks in Ontario and Michigan.
The Ingersoll, Ontario-based team, which has been together racing for 22 years, missed the season opener at Martin, Michigan, and although it qualified second with Wilson driving for the second race, the team was eliminated in the semi-final round.
But for the next event, the second of three races on the Cayuga Dragway of Toronto Motorsports Park, Gray qualified third and went all the way for the team’s first of three wins, eliminating Tom Orr of Quebec in the Top Sportsman final and then Top Dragster driver Lance Orr, also of Quebec, to capture the event final.
The next event at Cayuga was not as fruitful, as Gray qualified the Cavalier door-car third but was a first-round casualty.
But for the final two races, both held at the Grand Bend Motorplex, the team shone, winning both events. In the first Grand Bend race, with Wilson driving, the team took the Top Sportsman win over Michigan’s Jeff Harrington, and then eliminated the Top Dragster finalist Jim Rubino of New York for the overall victory.
Wilson & Gray repeated their success at the season closer, qualifying second with Gray in the driver’s seat. He went rounds to meet up and beat Darrin Grubb of Pine River, Ontario in the Top Sportsman finals, and then met up with and beat Rubino once again to win their third for the year.
“Our goals this year were to qualify higher in the field, which we did, hit 200 mph, which we did, and win some races, which we did,” noted Wilson.
The Cavalier is capable of runs down the quarter-mile in the high-six-second range at speeds just over 200 mph.
The Cavalier, a Jerry Bickle Race Cars product, is powered by a 706-cubic inch PAR Engine with Speedtech nitrous assist and Enderle Fuel Injection, and the power goes through a Powerglide transmission. Wilson and Gray both act as crew chiefs on the car when not driving, and Les Bodin, Kurt Wallace, Chris Muttton, Noah Hathaway, Heather Eidbo and Kayrn Benner make up the rest of the team.
The Annual Night of Champions Championship Point Award Series Banquet for the Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA), the Quick 32 Sportsman Series and the Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS) will be held at the Burlington Hotel & Conference Centre in Burlington, Ontario on Saturday, November 16, 2013.
The Quick 32 Sportsman Series www.Quick32.ca will compete at all these events in conjunction with its companion series, the Pro Modified Racing Association, www.PMRA.ca, and the Pro Bike & Sled Series www.PBSS.ca, providing an exciting, colorful, and complete show of the best in drag racing action.
For more information, please contact:
Bruce F. Mehlenbacher/ Director of Operations
Telephone: (905) 772-1800 Ext. #22
Cellular: (905) 517-5345
E-mail: Bruce@PMRA.ca
Tim Miller/ Media Director
Telephone: (905) 870-1456
E-mail: Tim@PMRA.ca
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