Eastern Canada’s highly successful 20th Anniversary season Can-Am Stock/Super Stock Series chase is a wrap…..
That circuit’s planned season finale (for Oct. 1-2 at Cayuga) was regrettably a rained out affair and with that development the final season championship standings were determined.
The 2016 overall Champion is Tony Valerio Jr., (from Welland Ontario) who parlayed some very consistent performances driving his H/CM-classed 1968 Camaro during the season’s race schedule into his first ever circuit title.
“Ive been a member of the series since 2008, and I had finished in the top 10 and top 5 quite a few times but never won a championship,” said Tony. “This by far has been my best season yet. 2016 had been my year to concentrate on going fast and setting a record in stock eliminator. We were able to set the ET and MPH record during the IHRA Mopar Canadian Nationals in H/CM with our 330 hp combination.”
“But then the round wins kept coming and my focus started to drift back into racing,” he reflected. “We used our Fastburn 385 hp combo for E/CM for the remainder of the season. The points were extremely close all year and it could have been closer if we had not gotten rained out in the final race because both Chuck Nagy (the defending ’15 series champ) and Chris Lozon were right on my heels. The final race would have been a 33+ car field and 6 round race — and a win by either of them — could have tied up the Championship.”

Tony Valerio’s Championship winning Camaro is in fact also tribute car to his father’s E/MP Camaro which was raced in NHRA’s now defunct Modified eliminator. (That car – top photo – was on display during last winter’s Drag Strip Memories show in Hamilton hosted by Rob Potter and Tony Hayes)
The season accomplishment was also a rewarding and emotional one for Tony who dedicated his championship to the memory of his father Tony Valero Sr., who passed away. Tony Sr., had been instrumental in Tony’s racing career including the construction of his championship winning machine.“This 1968 Camaro was built by myself and my father while he was terminally ill with cancer,” Tony revealed. “The car was also built to be a tribute/replica of the Camaro he used to race in NHRA Modified Production. The intent was for him to be able to race the car and he actually did that in Grand Bend one week before he died.”
Tony also cited his season success to some valued behind the scene support he receives.
“I would like to thank my long time sponsors Young’s Insurance, Precision Roofing, McFar Private Investigations, Finish Line Sandblasting and Cafe Alla Moose,” he added. “I use Competition Converters and the transmissions are built and maintained by Rob at Rob’s Transmission Service. All our engine machine work was performed at ERD and we used the dyno at Smith Performance Specialties. And also a huge thanks to my wife Anne Marie for all her support through the years.”
Anne Marie and Tony are both key members of the Can-Am Stock/SS circuit’s overall organizing committee.
“I’m proud to be the champion in our 20th Anniversary season and the first driver of a Stock eliminator car to win that title in over a decade,” he concluded. “The Can Am Series has assembled a great series of racers and sponsors. My hat is off to everyone that helps.”
Tony will receive his much deserved championship accolades during the Can-Am Stock/Super Stock’s season celebration and awards dinner which is happening on Nov. 26th in Hamilton Ontario.

Racing his GT-classed Oldsmobile, Ontario’s Chris Lozon placed 2nd in the 2016 Can-Am Stock/SS points chase (tied with Chuck Nagy)
Post and Photos by Bruce Biegler