Consistency and set-up keys to Quick 32 Sportsman Series leader

Courtesy of Quick 32 

GRANTON, ON – Phil Sampson believes when a winning combination is found, don’t mess with it.  Presently leading the Championship Point Award Series Standings in the Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts, the driver of the Chaos Racing Team said they found the combination last season and have continued with the same set-up for 2011.

“We haven’t really made any changes from last season,” noted Sampson, who drives a Top Sportsman 2002 Chevy Cavalier with a 572-cubic inch Reher-Morrison Racing Engines powerplant in a Jerry Bickel Race Cars product. “We put together a good tune up from last year and have left it alone. So far so good.”

Sampson, who leads the Series with 868 points, won the opening round for 2011 at the Cayuga Dragway after qualifying eighth. He went to the semi final in the Top Sportsman for the next event, and got into round two for the third race. In the latest race, the team went to the third round. He leads the points race by 20 points over Top Dragster driver Jamie Bridge of Napanee, Ontario, while third is Darren Grubb of Pine River, Ontario, with 809 points in his Top Sportsman entry.

Sampson’s car is fuelled with a 1200 CFM Holley HP carburetor running 116-octane gas, and a Hutch’s Transmission Powerglide sits behind the big-block. He added he has always driven door-cars in drag racing.

“I’ve been racing since I was 16,” he said, “always in doorcars. I’ve never had the urge to drive a dragster,” adding some of his race cars over the years include a Monza, a four-door Olds Cutlass, and an Opel GT, the car in which he won the IHRA National event at Cayuga in 2007.

Crew chief on the team is Bud Samson, and Jessica, Dan, Scott and Rob help out with the effort. The team is sponsored by Rycor Countertops, Matco Tools, and NAPA Auto Parts London – Oxford Street East.

“All this couldn’t be done without the sponsors,” he noted. “And I want to give them a big thank-you. I also want to thank my crew and special thanks to my fiancée Jessica.”

Between Quick 32 Sportsman Series events, Sampson and the team try to compete as often as possible, trying to stay sharp.

“Consistency is very important,” he noted. “The more seat time the better. We try to get as many hits as possible.”

Sampson and the rest of the Quick 32 Sportsman Series racers will be on hand for the fifth race of the six-race season at Grand Bend Motorplex this weekend for the track’s “Thunder by the Beach” presented by the Teamsters September 2-4.

The upcoming round in the Quick 32 Sportsman Series over the Labor Day weekend at Grand Bend will be held in conjunction with their companion series, the Pro Modified Racing Association, and the Pro Bike & Sled Series. This will be the finish of the postponed fourth event, and then the fifth event in the 2011 six-race series.

The weekend will also feature Nostalgia Nitro Funny Cars, a wheelstander and jet car action.

On Friday September 2 there will be a Test & Tune session beginning at 11 am, the gates open to the public at 3:00 pm, and the first qualifying round in the PMRA, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, and the PBSS takes place at 7:15 pm.

After Time Trial sessions for Bracket racers on Saturday afternoon, qualifying continues at 4 pm for the PMRA, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, and the PBSS, as well as round one for the Nostalgia Nitro Funny Cars, Wheelstander and Jet Cars. The semi-final PBSS eliminations for the postponed Stratford Spectacular event will also take place at this time. At 7 pm qualifying and the show cars return, and the evening closes with fireworks. The final eliminations in all three series from the postponed Stratford Spectacular will be held just before this regularly scheduled show.

At 11:15 am Sunday September 4 eliminations begin along with a return of the Nostalgia Nitro Funny Cars, the Wheelstander and Jet Cars. Eliminations for the PMRA, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, and the PBSS will continue through the day, with the final rounds scheduled for 5 pm.

For information about the Teamsters Canada Thunder by the Beach at the Grand Bend Motorplex, call (519) 238-7223, visit www.grandbendmotorplex.com

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