Canadian Top Alcohol Funny Car team Kon Rodz Racing enjoyed their best 2013 national event to date at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 Nationals near Chicago. Cassie Simonton qualified the new-look Kon Rodz Monte Carlo in the top half of the field and won a round before falling in a tight second round pairing to eventual winner Annie Whiteley. The team was also rewarded with the Best Engineered Car of the event.
 
Simonton drove the Randy Anderson-tuned entry to steadily improving E.T.s through qualifying, stepping up from a 5.70 to 5.63 and finally a 5.59 to rank the Kon Rodz TAFC No. 4 in the qualifying order that included all-star competitors from around the country.
 

Canadian Top Alcohol Funny Car team Kon Rodz Racing enjoyed their best 2013 national event to date at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 Nationals near Chicago. Cassie Simonton qualified the new-look Kon Rodz Monte Carlo in the top half of the field and won a round before falling in a tight second round pairing to eventual winner Annie Whiteley. The team was also rewarded with the Best Engineered Car of the event.
 
Simonton drove the Randy Anderson-tuned entry to steadily improving E.T.s through qualifying, stepping up from a 5.70 to 5.63 and finally a 5.59 to rank the Kon Rodz TAFC No. 4 in the qualifying order that included all-star competitors from around the country.
 
The KonRodzRacing.com car improved yet again during first round of eliminations, running 5.58/256 MPH to take out Ray Drew’s 5.66. That lined Simonton up with one of the other female TAFC pilots, Annie Whiteley. Cassie laid down another strong pass, 5.611, but Whiteley was just a few thousandths quicker at 5.606. Annie went on to win the event.
 
Despite an early exit, the entire team was happy with the car’s continued potent consistency.
 
“Chicago was a great showing for us. After struggling with our consistency earlier in the season we have now made eleven runs within an extremely close range. We were one of the faster cars to half-track so now we’re just focusing on that last eighth of a mile. Randy has been working nonstop and I’m confident that we’ve found something for Norwalk. We are going rounds, which is great.  Now the next step is reaching our full potential of winning a national event,” said Kon Rodz Racing team president Stefan Kontos.
 
In the weeks leading up to the race, several of the Kon Rodz team members started preparing a new Monte Carlo body featuring a brand new red, white, and black look. The team worked seventeen-hour days just days before the race in a last-minute rush to debut their new look and expanded relationships with Bell Racing USA and Aerodine Composites Group. NHRA officials rewarded the team’s efforts with their Best Engineered Car of the weekend award, just adding to the team’s morale.
 
“We were honored to receive the Best Engineered Car award this weekend,” said Simonton, who is also one of the integral crew members. “The team worked hard to get everything ready for this weekend. It was rewarding to receive the award and perform well. Now we’re really looking forward to Norwalk this weekend, which is already one of our favorite tracks and events of the season.”