WESTERN CANADIAN DRAG RACING 2023 SEASON REACHES A CLIMAX WITH SEVERAL BIG EVENTS

By Patrick Lambie

Western Canadian drag racing fans enjoyed a jam-packed month of August highlighted by some of Canada’s largest and best attended races.

Rad Torque Raceway

Action got underway at Edmonton’s Rad Torque Raceway with the annual Hot August Night event. Featuring Jet Dragsters, Funny Cars, Pro Fuel Bikes and a West Coast Pro Modifieds promo points race, the event drew a capacity crowd to the facility located north of the city near Leduc. This was despite a weather-driven, one day delay.

Included among the racers taking to the Rad Torque’s quarter-mile dragstrip during Canada’s premiere one-day drag racing event, the Edmonton Police Service Blue Line Racing and RCMP Yield teams were on hand to compete and encourage ‘want to be’ racers to take it to the track.

Of the many highlights of the 2023’s Hot August Night, long-time race fans will undoubtedly remember the return of 80-year-old Terry Capp to the track as the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame member thrilled the crowd when he piloted Ron Hodgson’s Firebird down the dragstrip.

Taking advantage of the three-run format of the evening’s main feature performance, the West Coast Pro Modifieds ran a Chicago-style shootout. In that format, all racers run random pairings in both of the first two rounds, with the two lowest average ETs lining up for the third and final rounds.

With consistent eighth-mile times of 3.902 and 3.900 seconds in the opening rounds, Washington’s Garrett Richards earned his way into the final against BC’s Steve Horne, where Richards would put up a 3.910 second run to take his first Hot August Night win and a $7,300 cheque.

The racing action continued at Rad Torque Raceway the following day with the inaugural running of the Just Send It ‘Doorslammer’ event presented by Pro Power Management.

Headlining the classes, a field of eight West Coast Pro Modifieds ran three qualifying sessions on the opening day with season points leader JR Lazic taking top spot on the ladder with a 3.889 second eighth-mile run at 189.5 mph followed by the previous night’s winner Garrett Richards in second spot with a 3.899 second run at 193.5 mph.

A final qualifying run, on Saturday morning, saw J.R. Lazic maintain the #1 qualifier spot with a new Rad Torque Raceway track record of 3.813 seconds at 194.72 mph run.

While wins in the first two elimination rounds moved Lazic into the finals, a red light in the first round saw Richards lose to #7 qualifier Mike Gondzola, who in turn picked up a win in Round Two to earn his spot in the finals. A 3.842 second run gave Lazic the win and extended his dominant lead in the season standings.

Next up, the focus of the drag racing community in Western Canada turned to Saskatchewan International Raceway, in Saskatoon, and the track’s major Southwinds Showdown and Fastest Streetcar event.

This get together saw the track’s regular points series joined by Jet Dragsters, Funny Cars, Alcohol Blown Altereds and Pro Mods.

Following two more points races, SIR crowned its 2023 season champions. Super Pro: Richard Harder, Pro: Janssen Aten, Sportsman: Chantel Hendry, Street Legal: Evan Steffenson and Junior Street Legal: Trace Wasyluk.

Mission Raceway Park

Mission Raceway Park put a cap of the month of August with the Lordco Auto Parts Smoke, Fire and Thunder event on August 24 to 27. With a full lineup of Sportsman and Pro classes, the card was boosted by Jet Dragsters and Funny Cars. Exhibition runs by the Darkside Top Fuel Dragster and racing action with the West Coast Pro Modifieds and Western Canada TF Nitro series also added to the show.

Foregoing a standard elimination format, the eight-car field of West Coast Pro Modifieds offered spectators maximum opportunity to check out the eighth-mile missiles with the full field running multiple time trials on each of Friday and Saturday.

Highlighting the class was Garrett Richards, who capped off his successful month of August with a 3.827 second pass at in excess of 199 mph.

In other Mission Raceway news, Inside Track offers its condolences to the family and friends of track founder Ron Farmer, who passed away in early September.

Canadians Down South

The influence of Western Canada on the world of drag racing this summer also extends south into the United States where BC natives Justin Bond and Shawn Cowie continue to make headlines.

With three wins in the 2023, Shawn Cowie currently sits in third place nationally in the NHRA Lucas Oil Top Alcohol dragster class. With his last win coming in mid-July at Oregon’s Woodburn Dragstrip, Cowie has his work cut out for him as the season draws to a close. However, his recent form – including a record setting 5.16 seconds at 280.72 mph run at Mission Raceway Park in early September – suggest that the momentum could be ready to swing his way.

The move to a new points system for the 2023 Fueltech NHRA Pro Mod series sees the introduction of a Road to the Championship format which features a points reset after the first six races of the 10-race season.

With three wins in the regular season, Bond was the points leader prior to the reset, and after the first two playoff races, finds himself trailing defending world champ Kristopher Thorne by just 12 points following a final round loss to Thorne in the second race of the playoffs. IT