Eastern Mopar Cars at the Ready
Two of Canada’s fastest Mopar-branded Top Sportsman racing teams are at the ready line for the 2012 Napa Quick 32 drag racing series….
K&K Racing Seeks 3rd Title
Two-time Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts Champion Kevin Wicke (Stratford ON) will be returning to the popular drag race series for 2012, and said he is hoping to have a better season than last year.
We’re hoping to have a better first half, noted the Dodge Stratus Top Sportsman driver. We are also going to concentrate on more consistency.
While the K&K Racing Team qualified in the top five for each of the six races last year, the team struggled in the elimination rounds, with its best showing a final round appearance in the Stratford Spectacular Hot August Nationals presented by Ideal Supply & NAPA Auto Parts at Grand Bend, losing the winning round to Top Dragster driver Jeff Moser.
The fields are getting a lot quicker, noted Wicke. There are a lot of good strong guys in the Series now.
The K&K Racing car runs the quarter mile in just under seven seconds at speeds of about 200 mph.
Now entering its fourth season, Wicke won the Quick 32 Sportsman Series title in the first two years of operation. The team also has won two IHRA National Events, and an IHRA Divisional Event. It will be entering IHRA and ADRL competition this year, but Wicke said the Quick 32 Sportsman Series will be the team’s main focus.
Powering the RJ Race Cars product is a 604-cubic inch engine with B1 heads with a two-stage nitrous system and a MagnaFuel Racing Fuel Systems unit. A Hutch’s Transmission Service two-speed Powerglide with an Abruzzi 10-inch converter is used.
Kevin Zimmer is crew chief for the team. Dan Culliton, Dennis Culliton, Derek Dotzert, Scott McCann, Kody and Kayden Wicke are also part of the K&K Racing effort.
Wicke wanted to thank his crew and his sponsors for their help and support, and welcomed Viral Lubricants as a new sponsor. Other sponsorship comes from CVR Inc., Fraser Asphalt Paving, Perth Auto Dismantlers, Skully Bros. Metal Fabrication, Bear’s Performance Products, Ron’s Precision Machine and Fram Canada.
Wicke said there will be few changes to the Stratus in 2012.
We’ll be ready, he said. It’s coming back together. We’re going to make some little nitrous changes and things like that.
Wagg & Bell Target Rebound Season
After a disappointing 2011 season, the B&W Racing Team (Waterdown ON) believes it has a winning combination for the upcoming Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts with their Top Sportsman entry.
We finally have the car sorted out, said Mike Wagg, who along with Dave Bell, race the 1994 Dodge Daytona doorslammer. We struggled with handling issues last year, but we now have it figured out, thanks to Ed DaSilva from J and E Manufacturing.
The team was not happy with the car’s performance in the first half of the 2011 season, qualifying the Daytona but having trouble going rounds. While the car qualified in the top half of the ladder later in the year, Wagg added there were still problems.
We also found some things in the engine which were addressed, he said. We’ve gained more horsepower and reliability.
The engine is a 605-cubic incher with Indy cylinder heads. The two-stage nitrous system is provided by Induction Solutions with a Magna Fuel Racing system and a two-speed Powerglide by Joe’s Transmissions. The car sits on an Eddy Bryck chassis with Lowdown Hot Rods updates.
Both Wagg, and Bell, who is from Grand Bend, Ontario share both the driving and crew chief duties. Other team members include Janet Ferguson, Bill Meehan, Paul Connolly, and Paul Delicata.
Sponsorship for the team is provided by Auto Clinic of Flamborough, Pro Racing Fuels, Valvoline, NAPA (Waterdown Auto Parts) and K&K Performance. Wagg said that Waterdown Auto Parts has stepped up its involvement for 2012, and the team welcomes new sponsor ArjoHuntleigh, a healthcare company that produces medical and patient handling equipment.
Wagg and Bell realize the competition in the Quick 32 Sportsman Series has increased over the years, and will be ready with renewed optimism.
This series just keeps getting quicker and quicker, Wagg noted. I think that six-second fields are going to be the benchmark this year, and we’re confident we should be able to qualify in the top half.
The Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts kicks off its 2012 season with the Victoria Day Weekend Challenge May 18-20 at the Cayuga Dragway of Toronto Motorsports Park, the first of six events.
The Quick 32 Sportsman Series, www.Quick32.ca will race six times in 2012. The series also competes with its two companion series, the Pro Modified Racing Association, www.PMRA.ca and the Pro Bike & Sled Series, www.PBSS.ca offering a solid and full package of drag racing action.
Photos by: Dave Erauw & Mike Goodwin
Posted by: Tim Miller