Anticipation is perculating for the conclusion of Napa Ultimate Showdown Drag Racing Series season racing…..
It’s all on the line this coming weekend at not one but two drag racing venues in Southern Ontario.
The Napa Ultimate Showdown Drag Racing Series will wrap up it’s 2017 season of racing as well as year three of existence with front and centre appearances at Grand Bend Motorplex and also Cayuga Dragway.
Not only will individual event champs be crowned, these two races will also determine the season Championship winners for each of the Napa USDS eliminator categories.
At Grand Bend Motorplex’s “Thunder By The Beach” feature, racing in Pennzoil Pro Mod, Billy Briggs/Bullseye Power Outlaw 10.5, Wiseco Top Sportsman, Samson Top Dragster and both of the series’ Junior Dragster class categories (presented by Mennonite Mafia and Royal Purple) will be featured. Due to a previous long standing commitment, the final season round for the Austin Apparel Funny Car class will be part of Cayuga’s “Canadian Funny Car Nationals” event.
At Grand Bend all of the 2017 points championship titles remain up for grabs. A major showdown is brewing for the Pennzoil Pro Mod crown between that categories two former season champions, Robbie Atchison and Derek Hawker, who claimed titles in 2015 and 2016 respectively. That two-horse race has Rob leading Derek by just 30 points entering the final event.

Rob Atchison and Derek Hawker will take their season-long Pennzoil Pro Mod points championship banter to the final race of the season.
The talented Ingersoll ON-based team of Bill Wilson and Rob Gray lead the way in Wiseco Top Sportsman points with Kevin Wicke and Paul Coull close behind. Samson Top Dragster has Kyle Harris (from Buford) on top by 54 points with his fan favourite Charles Jones Industrial-backed supercharged ’32 Austin over Scott McCann’s dragster. Talented lady racer Shawna Woodstra, remains in the hunt in 3rd place.

Bill Wilson & Rob Gray (top) and Kyle Harris are leading in Wiseco TS and Samson TD points heading into the final weekend.
There will be an opening for sure in Billy Briggs/Bullseye Power Outlaw 10.5 class racing with the news that points leader Nick Agostino will option to go racing at the Yellow Bullet Nationals event in Maryland this weekend (a date conflict). That does open the door for the rest of the class competition and a number of competitors, including Tony Pontieri and Glen Vardy, will be positoned to surpass Agostino for that points tally.
At Cayuga Dragway, London’s Paul Noakes is pretty much a lock to secure his first ever Napa USDS title in that Austin Apparel-backed category. Noakes’ team has been dominate this season in the series making three final rounds in three races attended and winning twice with their potent Ford Mustang.

Paul Noakes’ Mustang is on the cusp for winning the Napa USDS Alcohol Funny Car championship at Cayuga this weekend.
DragRaceCanada will post event results from both venues – coming next week.
Post and photos by Bruce Biegler