SAME DAY COVERAGE
IHRA Mopar Canadian Nationals presented by Castrol
Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada
By Brian Wood; Photos by Chris Simmons, Bryan Epps and Brian Wood

SUNDAY FINAL - Auxier's Magic Ride

By Mike Perry

(6-12-2005) - Burton Auxier came back from the dead Sunday. Not literally, but after losing to defending Torco Pro Mod World Champion Mike Janis in the semifinals of the Mopar Canadian Nationals presented by Castrol, Auxier was on his way to putting the car on his trailer and making the long tow back to West Virginia.

So how did he end up in the Winner's Circle, hoisting the Mopar Canadian Nationals Ironman above his head? Simple, Janis failed fuel check, allowing Auxier into the final against Billy Harper. Then Harper could not make it down the track under power in the big racel, giving Auxier the first victory of his decade-old IHRA career.

"We were packed up and getting ready to put the car on the trailer," Auxier said. "I hadn't done anything to the clutch or motor. Everybody jumped in and it was like it never happened. Everybody went back to their normal thing and, in 30 minutes, we had the car ready."

Auxier had never qualified for the field before making the show in Virginia two weeks ago. At that event he was able to also collect his first round win. Now he can add an Ironman to his resume.

"This is just awesome," Auxier said. "I really don't know what to say. I had so much help from my crew. The car ran great and we got a lucky break. I really just don't know what else to say."

IHRA Top Fuel driver Todd Paton may not have won the Ironman at the Mopar Canadian Nationals in Grand Bend, Ont. He did get a much-needed shot in the arm, however.

After failing to qualify for the Top Fuel show in both San Antonio and Rockingham this season, Paton could not afford to tow to Virginia Motorsports Park for the ACDelco Nationals. Thanks to an incredible string of luck and impeccable timing, Paton's racing coffers have some breathing room again. More on that later.

Clay Millican won his fourth consecutive Hooters IHRA national event and 41st career Ironman when he overpowered Paton in the Top Fuel final. This victory was special for Millican because, while it was his 41st victory overall, it was his first as part owner of the racing operation.

Last week Peter Lehman, who has owned the race team since 2000, sold the operation to a group of investors led by Kenny Koretsky. Millican and Crew Chief Mike Kloeber were part of the investment group and now own a portion of the team which is going under the banner of Kenny Koretsky Racing.

His first victory as a team owner was special for Millican, especially since it came at the same track he won his first Top Fuel race five years ago.

"I have a Canadian flag proudly hanging in the shop and that's no joke," Millican said. "There are a lot of memories at this place. Me and Mike (Kloeber) took a walk down the racetrack the other day and talked about different runs we've made here. I love racing here."

The big story was Paton's incredible string of luck. In the first round of eliminations he faced Doug Foley, currently second in Hooters IHRA World Championship points. As Paton did his burnout and staged the car, the Foley/Lewis Race Team frantically attempted to get Foley's dragster started. They ran out of time and Paton idled down the track and into the semifinals.

In the second round he squared off with Louis Allison, the '05 runner-up in the season-opening race in San Antonio. Off the line Paton violently smoked his tires, but it did not matter because Allison lit the red-light. This sent Paton into his first-ever Top Fuel final.

"We were banging our heads against the wall," Paton said. "We've definitely made some deposits in the luck bank this weekend."

In the Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock final, Robert Patrick took the World Championship points lead away from Steve Spiess with his victory over Douk Kirk. Kirk was making his first IHRA national event finals appearance since 1995 when he won the season-opening event in Darlington, but he could not hold Patrick off on the track.

Kirk left first and enjoyed a .013 lead at half-track, but he got out of the groove as Patrick blew past him. It was Patrick's first victory of the season.

"It felt really good," Patrick said of the win. "It has been a hot three days and the track was really good considering that. It allowed us to be very consistent with the car and we laid down low ET in the final. I needed every bit of it."

Jim Sickles found his way back into the Funny Car Winner's Circle as well. A three-time winner in '04, Sickles and his crew were struggling to figure out their clutch with little success thus far. That all changed in Grand Bend.

Sickles defeated Fred Tigges in the final to claim his fourth career Ironman.

"We felt we could come out this season and do well, but we struggled this season," Sickles said. "We were behind the eight-ball a little bit. We are a team that usually tries not to make any mistakes and that strategy worked this weekend."

Sunday's final results from the Sixth annual Mopar Canadian Nationals presented by Castrol at Grand Bend Motorplex. The $1.1 million race is the fourth of 12 in the 2005 Hooters IHRA Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- Clay Millican, 4.681 seconds, 309.98 mph def. Todd Paton, 5.574 seconds, 179.90 mph.

Pro Modified -- Burton Auxier, Chevy Corvette, 6.322, 222.55 def. Billy Harper, Dodge Viper, 9.584, 95.12.

Funny Car -- Jim Sickles, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.932, 239.31 def. Frederick Tigges, Chevy Camaro, 8.093, 115.23.

Pro Stock -- Robert Patrick, Ford Cobra, 6.495, 213.98 def. Doug Kirk, Ford Mustang, 6.573, 210.80.

Top Sportsman -- Scott Wasko, Chevy Lumina, 7.643, 181.11 def. Glen Maine, Chevy Nova, 7.129, 192.47.

Top Dragster -- Jeremy McCormick, Dragster, 7.288, 176.97 def. Jeff Brown, Dragster, 7.506, 179.21.

Quick Rod -- Steve Hoyt, Dragster, 8.979, 157.52 def. Jerry Mosher, Dragster, 8.890, 145.48.

Super Rod -- Mike Siegert, Chevy Monte Carlo, 9.926, 136.58 def. Alan Kenny, Chevy Corvette, 9.905, 141.86.

Hot Rod -- R.L. Koontz, Chevy Beretta, 10.869, 137.51 def. Jon Jablonski, Chevy Chevelle, 10.868, 136.00.

Super Stock -- Chuck Nagy, GMC Sonoma, 10.392, 126.30 def. Anthony Bertozzi, Pontiac Grand Am, 9.350, 144.00.

Stock -- Wes McCracken, Chevy Camaro, 10.695, 116.09 def. John Ulinskas, Buick Gran Sport, 11.814, 110.59.

ET No Box -- Andrew Stirk, Ford Mustang, 11.699, 110.82 def. Mark Gubinski, Ford Gran Torino, 10.738, 126.14.

ET Box -- Jeff Moser, Dragster, 7.947, 167.36 def. Jamie Bridge, Dragster, 7.752, 169.68.

Final round-by-round results from the Sixth annual Mopar Canadian Nationals presented by Castrol at Grand Bend Motorplex, the fourth of 12 events in the 2005 Hooters IHRA Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Bruce Litton, 4.900, 297.48 def. Chris Karamesines, 4.986, 246.93; Louie Allison, 4.966, 252.85 def. Rick Cooper, foul; Todd Paton, 14.736, 96.45 def. Doug Foley, broke; Clay Millican, 4.705, 306.33 def. Paul Athey, 5.140, 268.33;

SEMIFINALS -- Paton, 12.310, 91.66 def. Allison, foul; Millican, 4.717, 311.49 def. Litton, 6.682, 134.35;

FINAL -- Millican, 4.681, 309.98 def. Paton, 5.574, 179.90.

PRO MODIFIED:

ROUND ONE -- Burton Auxier, Chevy Corvette, 6.278, 222.07 def. Rick DiStefano, Corvette, 6.288, 225.90; Jim Halsey, Chevy Camaro, 6.322, 225.00 def. Ed Hoover, Corvette, 10.521, 100.05; Harold Martin, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.406, 221.20 def. Tony Pontieri, Camaro, 6.435, 221.74; Carl Spiering, Corvette, 6.328, 226.73 def. Quain Stott, Corvette, 6.345, 226.24; Billy Harper, Dodge Viper, 7.064, 155.94 def. Keith Baker, Corvette, 8.349, 110.88; Al Billes, Dodge Stratus, 6.246, 231.68 def. Eddie Ware, Willys, 6.348, 216.79; Mike Janis, Stratus, 6.258, 228.54 def. Mike Castellana, Chevy Cavalier, 6.248, 227.19; Shannon Jenkins, Camaro, 6.205, 222.84 def. Charles Carpenter, Chevy Bel Air, 6.399, 221.16;

QUARTERFINALS -- Harper, 6.285, 223.84 def. Spiering, 6.397, 226.70; Janis, 6.221, 226.81 def. Martin, 6.395, 223.47; Billes, 6.227, 233.08 def. Halsey, 6.269, 225.41; Auxier, 6.287, 222.55 def. Jenkins, 6.574, 175.98;

SEMIFINALS -- Harper, 6.326, 218.19 def. Billes, 7.049, 155.90; Auxier, 6.746, 197.16 def. Janis, 6.272, 223.28;

FINAL -- Auxier, 6.322, 222.55 def. Harper, 9.584, 95.12.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE -- Terry McMillen, Dodge Avenger, 6.108, 230.80 def. Rob Atchison, Pontiac Firebird, 11.215, 71.07; Frederick Tigges, Chevy Camaro, 5.902, 238.51 def. Thomas Carter, Camaro, 5.982, 235.76; Chris Foster, Avenger, 5.983, 236.01 def. Larry Dobbs, Chevy Corvette, 6.343, 179.44; Jim Sickles, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.913, 238.76 def. Mark Thomas, Avenger, 5.931, 238.43;

SEMIFINALS -- Tigges, 5.891, 240.12 def. Foster, 5.951, 237.63; Sickles, 5.922, 239.44 def. McMillen, 6.126, 224.77;

FINAL -- Sickles, 5.932, 239.31 def. Tigges, 8.093, 115.23.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE -- Pete Berner, Ford Mustang, 6.606, 209.85 def. John Nobile, Ford ZX2, 6.589, 211.86; Doug Kirk, Mustang, 6.544, 212.19 def. Jerry Haas, Chevy Cavalier, 6.535, 213.33; Chuck DeMory, Ford Escort, 6.612, 208.10 def. Rick Jones, Chevy Cobalt, 9.843, 99.50; Tony Gillig, Mustang, 6.500, 213.16 def. Larry O'Brien, Dodge Stratus, 6.579, 211.33; Frank Gugliotta, Escort, 6.538, 212.83 def. Richard Penland, Ford Cobra, foul; Daniel Seamon, Escort, 6.564, 213.50 def. John Montecalvo, Cobalt, 6.639, 211.03; Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.516, 214.31 def. Ed Machacek, Cavalier, 6.582, 210.14; Robert Patrick, Cobra, 6.541, 213.54 def. Dwayne Rice, Cobalt, 6.668, 207.46;

QUARTERFINALS -- Seamon, 6.568, 212.83 def. DeMory, 6.658, 208.68; Patrick, 6.512, 213.81 def. Berner, 7.908, 114.15; Kirk, 6.573, 211.99 def. Spiess, foul; Gillig, 6.526, 213.06 def. Gugliotta, 8.720, 106.03;

SEMIFINALS -- Kirk, 6.585, 212.09 def. Seamon, 6.573, 213.37; Patrick, 6.521, 213.74 def. Gillig, 6.527, 213.47;

FINAL -- Patrick, 6.495, 213.98 def. Kirk, 6.573, 210.80.

Point standings (top 10) for IHRA professional categories following the Sixth annual Mopar Canadian Nationals presented by Castrol at Grand Bend Motorplex, the fourth of 12 events in the 2005 Hooters IHRA Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel

1. Clay Millican, 516; 2. Doug Foley, 355; 3. Bruce Litton, 348; 4. Rick Cooper, 323; 5. Louie Allison, 302; 6. Paul Athey, 251; 7. Roger Dean, 216; 8. Chris Karamesines, 116; 9. Todd Paton, 100; 10. Bobby Lagana Jr., 94.

Pro Modified

1. Al Billes, 309; 2. Shannon Jenkins, 305; 3. Ed Hoover, 250; 4. Mike Janis, 231; 5. Quain Stott, 229; 6. Jim Halsey, 222; 7. Billy Harper, 208; 8. Burton Auxier, 198; 9. Eddie Ware, 196; 10. Dennis Radford, 188.

Funny Car

1. Rob Atchison, 343; 2. Jim Sickles, 320; 3. Mark Thomas, 301; 4. Terry McMillen, 292; 5. Chris Foster, 278; 6. Thomas Carter, 263; 7. Terry Munroe, 188; 8. Melinda Green-King, 156; 9. Frederick Tigges, 115; 10. Larry Dobbs, 96.

Pro Stock

1. Robert Patrick, 354; 2. Steve Spiess, 346; 3. Daniel Seamon, 277; 4. Jerry Haas, 251; 5. Tony Gillig, 240; 6. Rick Jones, 238; 7. Pete Berner, 232; 8. Frank Gugliotta, 213; 9. John Montecalvo, 194; 10. John Nobile, 190.

SUNDAY NOTES

Tough Loss to Swallow – Defending Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified champion Mike Janis was shooting for his second straight national event victory here in Grand Bend, but a trip through tech after his semifinal win over Burton Auxier brought the dream crashing to the ground.

Unfortunately, Janis’ 2005 Dodge Stratus failed fuel check, and it was suspected that the extremely humid conditions in Grand Bend this weekend caused the methanol in the tank to absorb moisture out of the air, resulting in an abnormal specific gravity reading, and hence the DQ.

As disappointed as the Janis team was, however, the Auxier group was ecstatic over their reversal of fortunes. They will now meet Billy Harper in an all-nitrous final.

Even Steven – Parity has returned to the Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified class at this weekend’s Mopar Canadian Nationals. After being somewhat humbled during the first two qualifying sessions, the supercharged contingent roared back during Saturday’s “Night of Fire” spectacular to bring balance once again to drag racing’s most contentious class.

When the final tally was taken, there were eight blower cars and eight nitrous cars on the qualifying sheet. To take things a step further, the top half of the field consists of four of each combination.

Way To Go, Robert – Robert Patrick parlayed three consistent qualifying passes into the No. 1 spot in Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock heading into today’s elimination rounds.

As a direct result of that consistency, the Fredricksburg, Virginia-based competitor also earned $500.00 and a chance to pocket even more, courtesy of Kaase Racing Engines.

The Kaase IHRA Pro Stock Tuning Challenge, which was introduced prior to the start of the 2005 season, pays out $500 to the Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock driver who records the best average elapsed time during qualifying at every IHRA national event. At the conclusion of the season, the program pays out $2,000 to the competitor with the best average qualifying elapsed time for the 12 Hooters IHRA Series national events.

Patrick garnered the cash by putting together a three-pass average of 6.529.

A Few Surprises – When qualifying wrapped up on Saturday night, the names that appeared at the top of the four professional class lists really came as no shock, with Clay Millican, Rob Atchison, Robert Patrick and Shannon Jenkins taking the honors.

There were, however, a few names on the DNQ list that caused some heads to shake.

In Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified, Dennis Radford, who is now driving for Ed Steffey, could only muster a No. 18 finish with his best effort of 6.382, 220.55.

Perhaps the most impressive thing to take place during the two days of qualifying for Pro Mod was the last ditch efforts of Al Billes and Mike Castellana to make the show on Saturday night. With Castellana sitting 22nd and Billes in the basement at No. 23, they came to the line together, and blasted their way into the program. Billes' 6.240, 231.28 vaulted him into the No. 2 spot, while Castellana ended up No. 5 with a pass of 6.269, 226.96

Over in the Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock pits, former champion Brian Gahm packed up early after struggling with serious handling problems all weekend and ending up as the No. 21 qualifier. Elijah Morton fared a little better, but his best pass of 6.685, 207.88 was still off the pace, with the field being in with a bump of 6.672. He ended up in No. 18.

SATURDAY RESULTS - Battling the Heat

Mopar Canadian Nationals qualifying fields set in sizzling conditions at Grand Bend

(6-11-2005) - Steve Spiess and Ontario resident Rob Atchison headlined final qualifying at the Mopar Canadian Nationals Saturday in Grand Bend, but the mid-summer weather conditions were the big story on the shores of Lake Huron.

With the temperature hovering near the 100 degree mark and humidity at 70%, with over 20,000 fans in the stands, the drivers had to fight through the most brutal weather conditions they have seen this 2005 IHRA season.

Steve Spiess (Manhattan, Ill) set the Torco Pro Stock track speed record with a 214.24 mph pass, but it was only good enough to secure the #2 qualifying spot as Robert Patrick (6.506/213.54) posted a better ET. Patrick, from Fredericksburg, VA, claimed the top qualifying position for
the third time in four races this season.

Daniel Seamon (Bellvue, OH), Richard Penland (Gastonia, NC) and Dewayne Rice (Grove City, OH) saved their best for last as the three jumped into the field in their final qualifying attempt.

In the sweltering heat and high humidity, Patrick wanted to make sure he put together a decent run during the day before he went for the top slot when the sun started going down.

"When it is that hot and the track temperature is 140 degrees you just want to make sure you get down," Patrick said. "It cooled off to about 100 tonight so we got after it a little bit. We were going for the pole. We were either not going to get down or were going to be on the pole."

In front of his home crowd, London, Ontario resident Rob Atchison claimed the #1 qualifying spot in Funny Car. Atchison's 5.844/238.98 barely topped Holbrook, Mass. Resident Fred Tigges, who posted a 5.887 with a faster 240.08 mph.

"It is great to come home," Atchison said. "We have a lot of our fans and sponsors here. You generate your own pressure because I have a lot of people here and want to do well in front of the hometown fans. But there is not any more pressure race to race because I want to win them all."

Chris Foster (Davenport, IA) rounded out the top three Funny Car qualifiers with a 5.927/237.13. Mark Thomas (Louisville, OH), Larry Dobbs (Wellend, ONT), Thomas Carter (Cuero, TX) and Terry McMillen (Elkhart, IN) completed the Funny Car field.

Shannon Jenkins (Tuscaloosa, AL) paced the Torco Pro Modified qualifying field as he laid down a 6.191 pass at 227.11 mph. The big mover of the final qualifying session was Al Billes, who went from the bottom of the unqualified drivers to the #2 position when he tripped the beams in
6.240-seconds. Canadian Carl Spiering claimed the #3 position with a 6.248 pass at 228.96 mph.

Clay Millican (Drummonds, TN), the current Top Fuel points leader, was the pole-sitter after the final Top Fuel qualifying session. Millican's Friday evening 4.748 pass stood up after the evening session while Doug Foley (Sewell, NJ) laid claim to the #2 post at 4.779. Louis Allison (Denver, CO) came from outside the field to the #3 position with his Saturday evening 4.809 pass.

Bruce Litton (Indianapolis, IN), Chris Karamasenis (Chicago, IL), Rick Cooper (Boise, ID), Todd Paton (Paris, Ont) and Paul Athey (Uncasville, CT) rounded out the Top Fuel qualifying field.

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the Sixth annual Mopar Canadian Nationals presented by Castrol at Grand Bend Motorplex, the fourth of 12 events in the 2005 Hooters IHRA Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.

Top Fuel -- 1. Clay Millican, 4.748 seconds, 295.53 mph vs. 8. Paul Athey, 5.086, 288.39; 2. Doug Foley, 4.779, 300.20 vs. 7. Todd Paton, 5.035, 255.97; 3. Louie Allison, 4.809,
291.76 vs. 6. Rick Cooper, 5.017, 294.31; 4. Bruce Litton, 4.909, 294.50 vs. 5. Chris Karamesines, 4.983, 259.71.

Pro Modified -- 1. Shannon Jenkins, Chevy Camaro, 6.191, 227.11 vs. 16. Charles Carpenter, Chevy Bel Air, 6.374, 221.74; 2. Al Billes, Dodge Stratus, 6.240, 231.28 vs. 15.
Eddie Ware, Willys, 6.370, 222.88; 3. Carl Spiering, Chevy Corvette, 6.248, 228.96 vs. 14. Quain Stott, Corvette, 6.370, 225.97; 4. Harold Martin, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.267, 225.60 vs. 13. Tony Pontieri, Camaro, 6.354, 223.06; 5. Mike Castellana, Chevy Cavalier, 6.269, 226.96 vs. 12.
Mike Janis, Stratus, 6.342, 226.39; 6. Billy Harper, Dodge Viper, 6.277, 222.69 vs. 11. Keith Baker, Corvette, 6.328, 221.49; 7. Ed Hoover, Corvette, 6.286, 226.35 vs. 10. Jim Halsey, Camaro, 6.326, 224.14; 8. Rick DiStefano, Corvette, 6.301, 225.22 vs. 9. Burton Auxier, Corvette, 6.309, 220.91.

Funny Car -- 1. Rob Atchison, Pontiac Firebird, 5.844, 239.02 vs. 8. Terry McMillen, Dodge Avenger, 6.089, 230.02; 2. Frederick Tigges, Chevy Camaro, 5.887, 240.55 vs. 7. Thomas Carter, Camaro, 5.990, 237.05; 3. Chris Foster, Avenger, 5.927, 237.13 vs. 6. Larry Dobbs,
Chevy Corvette, 5.969, 232.87; 4. Jim Sickles, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.929, 239.40 vs. 5. Mark Thomas, Avenger, 5.943, 239.48.

Pro Stock -- 1. Robert Patrick, Ford Cobra, 6.506, 213.54 vs. 16. Dwayne Rice, Chevy Cobalt, 6.672, 208.14; 2. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.508, 214.83 vs. 15. Ed Machacek, Chevy
Cavalier, 6.664, 209.88; 3. John Montecalvo, Cobalt, 6.515, 213.27 vs. 14. Daniel Seamon, Ford Escort, 6.639, 212.03; 4. Frank Gugliotta, Escort, 6.526, 213.00 vs. 13. Richard Penland, Cobra, 6.634, 209.14; 5. Tony Gillig, Ford Mustang, 6.527, 212.90 vs. 12. Larry O'Brien, Dodge
Stratus, 6.602, 210.60; 6. Rick Jones, Cobalt, 6.536, 213.67 vs. 11. Chuck DeMory, Escort, 6.598, 210.05; 7. Jerry Haas, Cavalier, 6.545, 213.98 vs. 10. Doug Kirk, Mustang, 6.575, 211.73; 8. Pete Berner, Mustang, 6.563, 212.43 vs. 9. John Nobile, Ford ZX2, 6.564, 212.36.

SATURDAY NOTES

No Jive – The Bottle Is Alive! – Forget everything you’ve heard recently about the Pro Modified class becoming the exclusive domain of supercharged cars. After last night’s first qualifying session for the Mopar Canadian Nationals, the nitrous contingent on hand at Grand Bend Motorplex decisively rejected that notion, thanks in part to the hot, humid conditions that favor the nitrous-injected carbureted or fuel-injected combinations.

When things finally shook out, nine of the top 16 cars in the provisional Torco Race Fuels Pro Mod field were of the bottle-fed variety, and more impressively, the top five positions were all held by nitrous cars. Leading the way was current points leader Shannon Jenkins, who paced all 23 hopefuls with a rock-solid pass of 6.191, 227.11. He was followed in the order by Billy Harper, 6.277, 222.69, Harold Martin, 6.293, 224.73, Jim Halsey, 6.326, 223.17 and Keith Baker, 6.328, 221.49.

The No. 7 spot was held down by Burton Auxier, Charles Carpenter was in No. 12, Mike Lockwood was in No. 13 and David Roemer anchored the No. 16 bump spot with his 6.734, 184.62 effort.

With two more sessions on tap for today, the blower guys are keen to claw back into dominating positions on the grid, but unless the conditions change dramatically, watch for the hood scoop brigade to keep the pressure on right through the weekend.

Flame On!

Fans jammed into Grand Bend Motorplex for the Mopar Canadian Nationals got a preview of tonight's "Night of Fire"
extravaganza as both Chris "The Greek" Karamesines, top, and Todd Paton sent smoke and flames towering skyward during Saturday's early qualifying session. It was a repeat performance for Paton, who torched a bullet during the Friday night session as well.

The good news for Paton is that he made the provisional field on the pass, his 5.035, 255.97 run good enough for the No. 3 spot in the eight-car field. "Greek" didn't fare as well, as he currently sits in the No.11 spot with one session to go.

Your Face Looks Familiar - The names remained the same across the board after the second of three qualifying sessions for the professional teams at Grand Bend.

Clay Millican in Top Fuel, Rob Atchison in Funny Car, Tony Gillig in Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock and Shannon Jenkins in Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified all stayed in the No. 1 spot in their respective categories on the strength of Friday night’s first session results.

The hot and sticky mid-afternoon conditions prevented any of the top runners from improving their numbers, but there was some shuffling further down in the order in all four classes.

In Top Fuel, Rick Cooper, Louie Allison and Chris Karamesines were all bumped out of the provisional field. In Funny Car, John Evanchuk and Jeff Lancaster both suffered the same fate, while Richard Penland dropped to the No. 17 spot in Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock. Local Pro Stock favorite, John Konigshofer, of Otterville, Ontario, sat in fifteenth after two stanzas, but had to load up and head for home after damaging his car's engine. In Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified, Carl Spiering and Dennis Radford both bumped into the show, knocking Steve Bareman and David Roemer to 18 and 20 respectively.

The biggest news in Pro Modified is the fact that Al Billes, who is currently second in championship points, just 10 behind Jenkins, and Mike Castellana are both on the outside looking in, at No. 23 and 22 respectively.

For those keeping score, the nitrous cars now hold down six of the seven top spots, with only Ed Hoover's move into the No. 4 position disrupting their hold on the top of the field.

Welcome Back, Doc! – For the drag racing chiropractor out of Berea, Ky., the 2004 Top Fuel season came to an end with a life flight out of Rockingham Dragway. Fortunately, the good doctor is back in action and looking better than ever.

“I’ve worked really hard at getting my health back in line and I felt really good,” Doc said. “It was funny, because I had some deja vu while waiting for my run last night. Last year, I was waiting to run in the same lane, when Todd Paton oiled down in front of me. I had to sit and wait, and then when I ran, I went long into the sand. I just kept thinking to myself that the same thing couldn’t happen his year.”

With no testing under his belt, Sipple started off the 2005 season with a solid 5.234, 234.74 run, which currently has him qualified in the No. eight position.

FRIDAY RESULTS

(6-10-2005) - Results Friday after qualifying for the Sixth annual Mopar Canadian Nationals presented by Castrol at Grand Bend Motorplex, fourth of 12 events in the 2005 Hooters IHRA Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.

Top Fuel - 1. Clay Millican, 4.748 seconds, 288.03 mph; 2. Doug Foley, 4.779, 282.42; 3. John Sipple, 5.234, 234.74; 4. Rick Cooper, 5.243, 252.52; 5. Louie Allison, 5.457, 186.82; 6. Chris Karamesines, 5.583, 182.85; 7. C.J. Nelson, 5.616, 238.64; 8. Paul Athey, 5.680, 166.39.

Pro Modified - 1. Shannon Jenkins, Chevy Camaro, 6.191, 227.11; 2. Billy Harper, Dodge Viper, 6.277, 222.69; 3. Harold Martin, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.293, 224.73; 4. Jim Halsey, Camaro, 6.326, 223.17; 5. Keith Baker, Chevy Corvette, 6.328, 221.49; 6. Ed Hoover, Corvette, 6.332, 224.47; 7. Burton Auxier, Corvette, 6.339, 220.48; 8. Mike Janis, Dodge Stratus, 6.342, 226.39; 9. Tony Pontieri, Camaro, 6.354, 223.06; 10. Eddie Ware, Willys, 6.370, 216.06; 11. Rick DiStefano, Corvette, 6.377, 220.87; 12. Charles Carpenter, Chevy Bel Air, 6.407, 219.61; 13. Mike Lockwood, Corvette, 6.415, 218.05; 14. Quain Stott, Corvette, 6.426, 223.91; 15. Steve Bareman, Corvette, 6.451, 217.25; 16. David Roemer, Camaro, 6.734, 184.62.

Funny Car - 1. Rob Atchison, Pontiac Firebird, 5.844, 238.98; 2. Chris Foster, Dodge Avenger, 5.944, 237.13; 3. Mark Thomas, Avenger, 5.944, 236.80; 4. Jim Sickles, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.952, 230.21; 5. Larry Dobbs, Chevy Corvette, 5.969, 232.87; 6. Terry McMillen, Avenger, 6.228, 227.23; 7. John Evanchuk, Firebird, 6.460, 205.19; 8. Jeff Lancaster, Firebird, 6.570, 175.78.

Pro Stock - 1. Tony Gillig, Ford Mustang, 6.530, 212.86; 2. Robert Patrick, Ford Cobra, 6.531, 213.37; 3. John Montecalvo, Chevy Cobalt, 6.546, 212.63; 4. Frank Gugliotta, Ford Escort, 6.548, 212.03; 5. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.562, 212.90; 6. Rick Jones, Cobalt, 6.591, 212.59; 7. Jerry Haas, Chevy Cavalier, 6.605, 211.69; 8. Pete Berner, Mustang, 6.620, 210.97; 9. Chuck DeMory, Escort, 6.623, 209.26; 10. John Nobile, Ford ZX2, 6.634, 211.83; 11. Doug Kirk, Mustang, 6.636, 210.73; 12. Larry O'Brien, Dodge Stratus, 6.646, 209.82; 13. John Konigshofer, Mercury Cougar, 6.689, 207.66; 14. Elijah Morton, Mustang, 6.713, 206.83; 15. Ron Miller, Cavalier, 6.746, 206.01; 16. Richard Penland, Cobra, 6.821, 207.37.

FRIDAY NOTES

Under New Ownership – Just prior to this weekend’s Mopar Canadian Nationals, Peter Lehman, owner of Peter Lehman Racing, LLC, sold his company to a group of investors, led by NHRA Pro Stock driver Kenny Koretsky, that includes crew chief Mike Kloeber and driver Clay Millican. Lehman made the decision to sell the team after being presented with a leadership position in a new asset management firm.

Lehman formed the Top Fuel team in 2000 with Millican as the driver. The team has enjoyed a great deal of success ever since, winning the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Top Fuel championship four years in a row (2001-2004), and becoming the winningest professional team in the league's history with a current total of 40 wins. Additionally, the team has raced in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) on a part-time basis, and advanced to three final rounds in that league.

Millican offered these comments on the new deal Friday morning:

“I have to give all the credit to Peter for making this opportunity available. He had a chance to be involved with a high-profile equity firm, and that’s the kind of work he has done for years. I knew from the very beginning that running the team was not what he planned to make a life-long career out of. He has been looking for a way to allow Mike and I to take over the team for quite a while, and I think what he did is really awesome. I mean, he could have just said ‘that’s it – I quit – you guys go out and find other jobs,’ but he didn’t. He worked really hard to make this deal come together.

“Mike has known Kenny for years, and we knew that he would have a good handle on running a Top Fuel team, since he owned and drove one back in the late eighties. Kenny is really excited, and so are we.

“As far as Mike and I go, our jobs won’t change too much, because we have pretty much run the day-to-day business as far as the racing goes. Peter always took care of the business end, handling the PR, and more importantly, finding the money we need to stay out here. That will now be Kenny’s job!

“The whole deal was done in a friendly and professional way. The bottom line is that the team is still intact, and Peter is going to continue looking for deals for us, so he will still be a part of the team, so to speak.

“Also, I want to say that we will continue to race as we have in the past. We’ll continue to campaign a car in the IHRA, although now we’ll also likely be going to more NHRA events. In fact, we're now planning to go to Englishtown next weekend. We just want to race whenever and wherever we can. We’re going to maintain our course.”

Quit Your Weeping! – Qualifying was just nicely underway here at Grand Bend Motorplex before everything came to a rather, er, squishy stop. The monsoon-like storm that struck the track on Thursday afternoon had long since moved out of the area, but its aftermath lingered on in the form of water that began to seep up through cracks in the track’s surface, facilitated by the extremely hot conditions.

After participants in five classes had made their runs, IHRA officials brought the proceedings to a halt so that corrective measures could be taken. After mopping and blow-drying the wet spots proved ineffective, more drastic measures were taken. Tracks crews began cutting as series of grooves across the track out beyond the 600-foot mark in order to relieve the water pressure under the surface. An extended period of down time has now necessitated the revamping of the qualifying schedule for the rest of the day.

The Longest Day – After an agonizing six hours, the racing has finally resumed at Grand Bend Motorplex. As detailed above, the rain deposited by the big storm yesterday began percolating up through the track as temperatures rose this morning.

With the heat and humidity building to extreme levels, the combined IHRA and GBM crews worked under miserable conditions to cut grooves in the track to relieve the pressure that was forcing the water up. To add insult to injury, they then had to scrape both lanes from the 330 foot mark to just past half track to remove rubber loosend by the moisture.

A lot of credit has to go to the number of race crews who jumped in to help, with the folks from Clay Millican's Werner Top Fuel Team, Mike Janis' Eaton Pro Modified Team, and Terry McMillen's Amalie Oil Funny Car Team helping out, among a number of others. It was an outstanding effort by all involved.

Over The Rainbow - As if to make up for the brutal hand she dealt Grand Bend Motorplex on Thursday, Mother Nature smiled on the crowd gathered for this weekend's Mopar Canadian Nationals by diverting Friday's predicted thunderstorms away from the immediate vicinity of the race track.

They weren't far away, however, as lightning flashed out of evil-looking black clouds just beyond the treeline at the end of the track throughout the first pro qualifying session.

According to reports, an area just a few miles away from the facility received five inches of rain and considerable damage from high winds.

As if to beg forgiveness for her earlier transgressions, MN put on a little show of her own, providing a colorful rainbow background for the Funny Car qualifying.

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