NHRA’s Pep Boys Nationals includes a marquee all Canadian final round showdown…

Strong Canadian car participation during last weekend’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway was cumulated by an all Canada Top Alcohol Dragster class championship conclusion!

And that event trophy dash produced a second career NHRA national event title for Jeff Veale (from Canfield ON) who defeated Canadian left coast stalwart class racer Shawn Cowie (Surrey BC).

Jeff Veale roared to his 2nd career NHRA National event score winning at Pennsylvania’s Maple Grove Raceway last weekend.


Veale raced his ever improving injected nitro car to a winning 5.454 secs at 265.12 mph to defeat Cowie’s supercharged Mundies Towing & Recovery-sponsored dragster which smoked the tires in the other lane.
For Veale, the event results duplicated a 2017 season effort here at Maple Grove Raceway, the site of his first ever career NHRA win.

Jeff’s very family orientated team, which includes his father Gary and mom Sue, defeated a highly competitive TAD program presented at the 2022 Pep Boy NHRA Nationals event – with 20 cars entered in total.

Jeff qualified #9 at 5.297 secs (setting top speed at 279.27) and then defeated Mick Steele, Matt Cummings (the low qualifier) and Travis Schumake to advance to the final round.

Shawn Cowie, who had a strong semi-final round placing at the NHRA Dodge Power Brokers US Nationals two weeks prior, qualified #3 at 5.236 secs. He then recorded round wins over Mike Hepp, James Stevens and Earl Nichols.

Shawn Cowie was R/UP at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals.

With that R/UP placing Cowie does keep his mathematical/potential 2022 NHRA Lucas Oil World Championship title hopes very much in tact as the racing season now turns towards it’s 2022 finish line.

Posted by Bruce Biegler
Photos by Dave DeAngelis & Steve Embling

Link to additional images from the 2022 Pep Boys NHRA Nationals event:  HERE