Canada strong again @ March Meet & breaking door slammer class updates….
More Propensity! — Canada’s world class Nitro Nostalgia Nitro Funny Car camp – Hodgson Racing – was once again on target during last weekend’s pinnacle annual event for Nostalgia drag racing.
With Nathan Sitko at the controls of the Edmonton-based “Pacemaker/Bubble Up” Firebird, his team continued their history of success while racing at the fabled Famoso Drag Strip at Bakersfield California — by placing R/UP for their division at the Good Vibrations Motorsports “March Meet” – 68th edition.
That final round featured a cool USA versus Canada conclusion with Mike Peck (from Washington state) emerging victorious after a close 5.581 secs at 261.70 mph to 5.620 secs 260.19 mph decision.
Sitko, who finished 2nd in NHRA Hot Rod Heritage series final points last year, defeated Cory Lee, Jon Capps and Shane Westerfield to advance to the final round – after qualifying #10.
Nathan Sitko placed R/UP at the fabled March Meet in Bakersfield CA – to open his 2026 racing season.
“I was able to find my starting line game in eliminations — I’m very happy with how that went,” Nathan commented. “Everyone on the team worked very hard all weekend. We went through a motor swap after testing and again after Q2 due to some parts failure. But everyone was on point, even after the long winter break.”
Sitko’s best ET of the race was a stellar (near career best) 5.552 secs which came during his round 2 win over Jon Capps. He was also credited with a 264.00 mph in that round – which is his career best terminal speed so far.
It was a strong season start for the team. “I’m very proud of our group and we’re looking forward to the next race in Phoenix (Legacy Nitro Funny Car Series – part of NHRA Arizona Nationals).
JBS Equipment Escalation — Canadian-based JBS Equipment has been named as the overall presenting sponsor for NHRA’s dynamic Pro Modified class series for 2026. The announcement is but the latest step for Justin Bond’s company profile (based from Mission BC) known for its support for drag racing both in Canada and the USA.
As a driver too, Bond has played an active role in helping grow the class over the years.
“We are proud to be a part of the NHRA Pro Mod class and are looking forward to a great season,” said Bond. “This category continues to deliver incredible competition and excitement for fans, and we’re excited to support its continued growth.”
Justin Bond
JBS Equipment is a leading provider of high-quality equipment solutions serving the agricultural, construction, and heavy-duty industries across North America. Built on a foundation of reliability, performance, and strong customer relationships, JBS Equipment has earned a reputation for delivering durable equipment and dependable service.
Joining JBS Equipment in supporting the class is Elite Motorsports, which has signed on as the presenting sponsor for the 11-race season in 2026.
(Editor’s Note: Results and news from the eleven JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Series races this season will be included within DragRaceCanada’s Nash Competition Engines Pro Mod Portal subsection.)
Secret Sighting! — A first look Canada (!) for a brand new Pro Mod car that is now lurking for the upcoming season. Additional news about the project remains forthcoming – that is being kept under wrap for the moment. We can report however that the designated driver (while well experienced) will be new to Pro Mod class racing — and the team itself has very vast investment and history for drag racing behind — and it’s going to be “twin turbo fast”! — More – coming soon — we promise!
Podium Placing! — Canada’s wizard for 10.5 class racing – Nick Agostino – notched a highly respectable 3rd place points finish for the recent Drag Illustrated Winter Series races held in Florida.
Agostino entered his turborcharged “Cannoli Express” all three of those events – which included a brutal class chase featuring nothing but world class 10.5 cars.
“We are very proud of our 3 place overall finish in the PRO 10.5 class at the DI Winter series,” Nick said. “We fought some mechanical issues early on but we overcame them. To go into the last race as points leader was a great feeling. But the racing there was so tight (1.5 rounds between the top 3 cars going into the final race) we dropped spots quickly when we were knocked out in the second round at the final race.”
GTA racer Nick Agostino finished 3rd in final points for the DI Winter Series events.
Nick is however very optimistic about the momentum his team gained and lessons learned while participating in the DI Winter Series.
“For our 2026 race season we will bring the rig back to Canada in early April and get our program ready for the first race for the newly added Canada’s Heads Up (CHU) Pro 10.5 class.” He revealed. “We plan to focus our running to that local series — which will allow me to support all our NASH Competition Engines clientele racing there. Then later in the year we’ll pick some specific races back in the US to attend.”
Posted by Bruce Biegler
Photos by Dave DeAngelis – Phil Hutchison – Luke Nieuwhof
