Another “Com-And” Performance

by editor on Aug.03, 2021, under Smokies Garage - Pro Mod Portal

After giving some indications two weeks prior – a GTA Pro Mod team delivers as expected….

The competition was pretty ferocious within the Pro Modified category during last weekend’s IHRA Canadian Nationals at Grand Bend Motorplex.

With the boundary between the USA and Canada still restricted – the upside to all that was some great participation including some of the marquee class cars from within Canada — who went hard at it — on a 1/8th mile basis.

The “Com-And Racing” team owned by Raymond Commisso and Ralph Andreaachi did in the end live up to some pre-event expectations when they delivered not only an event victory but a new track performance standard as well while defeating the record quick qualified field on hand.

The final round held late (because of weather delays earlier on Sunday) saw Raymond cap things recording a winning 3.743 secs (track ET record) at 194.42 mph to defeat Coburg Ontario’s Al Martorino – who had a red light foul start in his supercharged Mustang.

Commisso had paced the field with a #1 qualifying effort a 3.760 secs (then also a track record) and had beaten Spencer Hyde and Steve Boardman in earlier competition.

Ray Commisso set and reset the track ET record while winning the IHRA Canadian Nationals Pro Mod title.

“We started off Friday poorly – because of a bad set of tires,” Raymond confessed. “But when Al Billes made the decision to go back to an older set — that led us to these results. We had tested here a couple weeks before and it had the effect we wanted. There was a lot of very high quality cars racing here and in the field – really any one of them could have won this — so we’re really proud of this. We had a real fun time racing hard and doing so well in front of all our family and friends.”

“We’re very happy for our sponsors,” added Ralph Andreaachi, “TriStar Mechanical North , Ty Drive , M and M Transmissions, Oongalee, Performance Tire , Dimmi Bar , Carstar Millwick and of course Al Billes Racing.”

Pro Mod racing at GBM was for sure pretty dramatic — as for the first time in track history the 8-car field was all in the 3-secs zone (a 3.991 secs bump). 11-cars in total made qualifying attempts and included in that mix was an impressive 6-cars all 3.82 secs or lower and a titanic track record top speed mark of 211.71 mph (1/8th mile!) — by Mike Yedgarian’s turbocharged Firebird.

Al Martorino placed a strong runner-up and was also rewarded with a career quick ET – 3.791 secs!

Toronto’s Mike Yedgarian was credited with a stupendous 211.71 mph – a new GBM 1/8th mile record for Pro Mod.

The IHRA Canadian Nationals featured very competitive racing in Top Sportsman and Top Dragster class categories.

While qualifying was based on 1/4 mile ETs – eliminations on Sunday were reverted to 1/8th mile racing for safety reasons following some ill-timed rainstorms earlier that morning.

Scott Wildgust (from Stratford ON) who had won in TS at a major Napierville Dragway event earlier in July, notched his 2nd win for the highly impressive new “Smokies Garage” multi-car racing team — taking that’s team supercharged Chevy Camaro to a convincing victory.

Scott Wildgust found the winners circle for the 2nd time in a month with the potent “Smokies Garage” TS Camaro.

Wildgust who qualified #1 for the eliminator (over 14 other entries) defeated Phil Sampson’s nitrous injected Studebaker in the final, running a winning 4.158 secs 179.78 mph (4.08 dial in). The popular area driver – who was also entered in Pro Mod competition with the “Smokies Garage” Mustang – had topped Joe McCormick’s Mustang and Wes Goddard’s “Hellbilly” Nash in earlier rounds.

Phil Sampson’s nitrous injected Studebaker was runner-up in T/S

The Top Dragster event championship went to Kevin Knight over a well-attended 16-car qualified field (21 cars entered). Knight, from Corinna Ontario, and who is no stranger to victory lane at GBM, defeated the dragster jointly owned and driven by Karley Faubert/Dustin Gabel in the a very close final round 4.666 secs (4.66 dial in) to 4.607 secs (4.60 dial in.)