We respectively acknowledge very notable ’24 season titles from within Canada’s Sportsman Racing ranks….
Bottom Bulb / Top Dog! — Ontario’s Drew Buchner collected a World Championship ranking in 2024 by winning the WDRA’s Summit Racing No Box World Championship.
Racing his highly reliable 1985 Chevy Camaro, Buchner rose from being a multi-time track champion at St. Thomas Dragway – all the way to the top for the WDRA season campaign and with that became the very first Canadian champion for that ET Bracket orientated series.
Buchner who is also credited as a serious Super Stock class racer (with wins within the John Scotti NHRA Canadian National Open Series), is widely recognised as one the of the best “bottom bulb” racers to ever emerge out of Canada. He is the owner and operator of an independent Auto Body shop located in Aylmer, Ontario.
With his Camaro he has over the years accumulated six track championships (and seven second place finishes) at his home track St. Thomas Dragway.
2024 however marked Buchner’s first attempt at a WDRA World Championship — as he and his family-oriented team made the 16-hour trip to Alabama to attend the WDRA’s showcase World Finals event – which features invitation only/track championship racers. That effort resulted in both a desired and well earned fairy tale ending, with Drew winning the race and taking top season honours for the Summit No Box class.
Buchner’s victory added $20G to his bank account as well as a coveted billet WDRA Rod trophy, and free entry into any WDRA member track event next season courtesy of the WDRA Champion Card. Additionally, each WDRA World Champion received a $1,000 gift certificate from Technocraft Trailer Cabinets and a Contingency Connection Championship Package.
But while the WDRA Summit No Box World Championship does sit front-and-centre to his trophy case, we would be remiss not to mention some other impressive accomplishments listed from the Buchner Racing family this season. That would include placing R/UP for a very lucrative TB $250G race held at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Michigan (in July) as well as finishing second in final Super Street championship points tally for the NHRA John Scotti Canadian Championship Series.
Throughout it all Buchner was surrounded by support throughout with multiple family members: wife Vicki, children Owen and Olivia, sister Darla, and brother-in-law Matthew.
For more information about the World Drag Racing Alliance (WDRA) series and the Summit Sportsman Drag Racing Series link too: www.racewdra.com.
Top Eliminator Tenacity! — After a decade of attempts, it was Leduc Alberta’s Mike Krozser who prevailed to win one of the single most demanding prizes from within the Western Canadian drag racing, RAD Torque Raceway’s Top Eliminator championship.
Racing a 2008 model TNT-dragster outfitted with a 632 Sunset Motor BBC, Krozser went to the final round for exactly one half of the season schedule – winning twice and placing R/UP X3. He clinched his first title mathematically by winning late season race #9.
“If you’re dedicated and put in all the hard work and concentration it takes to succeed — you will succeed,” Mike stated post season. “2024 was an absolutely wonderful season and this was my biggest accomplishment for drag racing. For the series I went down in the history books — for most points total for a season in Top Eliminator — ever. This group is such a very tough group of racers so I couldn’t be prouder. I couldn’t have done it without my Outlaw Addiction Racing team family and sponsors. I share this win with everyone of them.”
Mike’s final points tally was 588 followed by Ryan O’Conner (487) and Randy Modersohn (483).
RAD Torque Raceway’s Top Eliminator class, presented by AFD, is notoriously known for its devote racer participation and event competitiveness. In 2024 no less then 58 different entries made qualifying runs over it’s 10-race season.
5X & Counting – Port Perry Ontario’s Brian Clayton accentuated again his high profile reputation within Eastern Canada’s Super Stock contingent – by winning the 2024 Can-Am Stock Super Stock Series Championship – for the fifth time.
Brian Clayton won his 5th career Can-Am Stock/SS title during 2024.
Racing his 1990 SS/JA fuel-injected 350-powered Camaro, Clayton had previous taken season title wins in that car in 2012, 2014, 2020, 2022, and now the 2024.
This summer, Brian won two races — that included at St. Thomas Dragway and also one-half of the John Scotti National Open Series in Cayuga, Ontario (which counted towards the Can-Am Series Points.) Combined with numerous other late-round finishes, that kept him ahead (in a very tight points race) of the pack to then end.
To round off the year, Brian also finished in second place in the John Scotti NHRA Canadian Stock Super Stock points series.
Brian did celebrate his Championship, along with his wife Laurie at the Can-Am Banquet held last November 17 at the Courtyard Inn in Hamilton, Ontario.
Brian Clayton with his wife Laurie and crew chief Gary Heavysege
The Can-Am Stock/Super Stock series saw Willie Box from London, Ontario and his ’69 Chevelle Wagon finish 2nd in season points, while a 3-way tie for 3rd place included Trevor Edmond (Ford Mustang) together with Bob Park and Dean Moggach, (both Camaro racers). Willie Box’s father, Doug Box, in his high flying ’69 Camaro A/Stock Automatic rounded out the top 5 in this year’s points chase.
Posted with files by Bruce Biegler – Andrew Stirk & Wally Clark
Photos courtesy of Louren Sansregret – WDRA – John S. Brown & DragRaceCanada File Photos
