Quick 32 Series Grand Bend Finals to be Contested at TMP This Weekend

Courtesy of Quick 32

GRAND BEND, ONTARIO – Although a winner has yet to be decided in round two of the Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts, one thing is certain: the victor will be a competitor who has not won an event in the popular drag race series.

Rain hampered the final two rounds of the race, held during the RPM Magazine Family PowerFest & Media Weekend at the Grand Bend Motorplex June 25-27.

The Quick 32 Sportsman Series is divided into two classes, the Top Dragster, and the Top Sportsman. Competitors from each class race among themselves, then the Top Dragster entry and the Top Sportsman entry do battle to decide the overall event winner.

With the Top Dragster final still not complete, Melanie Simmons of Orillia, Ontario will go up against Scott Wildgust of Wartburg, Ontario. Simmons, who qualified number three in the 16-car field with her now-supercharged entry, has never gone this many rounds in Quick 32 Sportsman Series racing. She will face Wildgust, a former Top Sportsman racer who qualified second.

Leading the Top Dragster qualifying was Michael Hinbest of Orangeville, Ontario, who posted a 6.664-second, 212.01 mph pass, but was defeated by Simmons in the semi-final round.

On the Top Sportsman side, reigning Quick 32 Sportsman Series Point Award Series Champion and number two qualifier Kevin Wicke of Stratford, Ontario, will face off against Steve Parkhurst of Belleville, Ontario for top honors. Wicke, who drives a 2006 Dodge Stratus, will meet up with the 1955 Chevrolet of Parkhurst.

Qualifying number one in the Top Sportsman class was Spencer Hyde of Stratford, Ontario in his 2007 Chevy Cobalt with a 6.933-second, 195.95-mph lap, but he was eliminated in first round action.

None of the four finalists have been to the winner’s circle in Quick 32 Sportsman Series racing. The final rounds are scheduled to be held Friday, July 2 during the Canadian Nitro Nationals on the Cayuga Dragway of Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ontario.

In Pro Modified at the RPM Magazine Family PowerFest & Media Weekend at the Grand Bend Motorplex, Mike Stawicki of Medina, New York, driving the G-Force Race Cars entry defeated Paul Noakes of London, Ontario in the final round.

There will be two rounds of Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts racing over the weekend, with the third and fourth races of the year.

With an eye on providing a diversified and entertaining program of racing, Toronto Motorsports Park management will present competition in the sport’s top classes, Top Fuel Dragster and Nitro Funny Car, as well as Jet Car action, and a round in the Can-Am Stock/Super Stock Series.

With close to 8000 horsepower on tap, cars in the Top Fuel Dragster and Nitro Funny Car divisions are the fastest-accelerating cars on the planet, and are rarely seen in Canada, but Toronto Motorsports Park will present some of the best in the sport, including those of former International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) champions Spencer Massey, Del Cox and Dale Creasy.

Canadians will be well-represented as Todd Paton and Fred Farndon will gear up and make their Top Fuel passes down the Cayuga quarter-mile.

The Canadian Nitro Nationals action gets underway Friday July 2 with a qualifying round in the PMRA and Quick 32 Sportsman Series, plus the first of several runs by the 300-mph Jet Dragsters of Black Ice and Terminator, starting at 8:00 pm.

Qualifying in both the PMRA and Quick 32 takes place Saturday morning and afternoon, and then the nitro cars take to the track in two sessions, at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm.

Elimination rounds will be held for Quick 32 Sportsman Series, and the third of four PMRA qualifiers will take place. Fans will then be treated to a fireworks display and live music on the TMP grounds.

The Top Fuel Dragsters return Sunday at 1:00 pm for more match-ups, and eliminations will take place in all classes throughout the day, with final rounds scheduled for 5:00 pm.

Ticket prices for this must-see event range from $20 on the Friday for an adult to $40 on the Saturday, $30 on Sunday with a weekend pass available for $80. Youth and children passes are also available, as well as weekend camping.

For information about Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ontario call (905) 772-0303 or visit online at www.torontomotorsportspark.com

For more information contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher at Bruce@Quick32.ca