Canadian Gun Slingers Set for Super Street Showdown

by editor on Aug.21, 2011, under Hotzone

Canadian Gun Slingers Set for Super Street Showdown

It is the premier Fast Street Car racing event attraction for Canada. Next weekend’s DaSilva Racing Canadian Street Car Nationals will feature exceptional Canadian racing talents….

The annual showdown (version #18 by our count!) will bring to Cayuga Dragway at Toronto Motorsports Park the crème du la crème of Canada’s fast street car racing genre. While the fields promise to feature a great Can-Am mix of racing, for many this year, a focus will be on a new and very formidable 2-car alliance featuring Ontario’s own Mike Yedgarian and John Carinci.

Both of those drivers are at the forefront for the event’s marquee Outlaw Super Street eliminator. That shootout on 10.5 inch tires assures two things for the winner – a impressive payout, but maybe even more importantly — bragging rights for a year.

Mike Yedgarian has some record quick math to his credit this season

Mike Yedgarian and John Carinci are now strategically aligned with Steve Lazzaro under the Pro-Line Racing umbrella. During much of the current OSCA racing season, the duo has been charging down track with ever improving Canadian class record performances.

Mike Yedgarian & Steve Lazarro

Mike Yedgarian, from North York, who has been a trend setter in Canada’s fast street car racing scene for many seasons is now driving Lazzaro’s immaculate twin-turbocharged 1969 Camaro. Earlier this season in that car, Yedgarian charged to the quickest and fastest times of his career with consecutive laps of 6.519 secs 231.79 mph and 6.521 secs 231.04 mph.

“This is the same car that Steve (Lazzaro) won two OSCA titles with,” Yedgarian revealed. “It was parked for about a year — but we dusted it off and Steve Petty made a few upgrades and we brought it back out. It’s got Steve’s engine program (500 CID) with a few updates. We’ve been testing with both two and three speed automatic transmissions.”

Over the past few seasons, Yedgarian had been racing his own car, a turbocharged Pontiac Firebird. That car is now sold and being raced by fellow circuit driver John Carinci (from Woodbridge).

For Carinci, who had gained solid notoriety with his ultra-cool nitrous-injected Barracuda in seasons past, the turbo ‘Bird ride has also proven to be a very positive adjustment evidenced by Carinci’s dip into the 6.5 secs time zone too.

“This is a well built Pro-Line powered car,” Carinci affirmed. “Mike and Steve have been helping us out big time and right now I have everything I need to be competitive in this class category.”

John Carinci's Turbo-Firebird team includes his two sons James & Justin and wife Teresa

“For me it’s a totally different experience driving compared to nitrous injection,” John added. “The power is very smooth but also brutal – especially down track. But I’m very pleased to be part of this two car team with Mike. We share data and with that the gains are coming quicker. We both have a famous tuner – Steve Petty – right there behind us.”

At Cayuga Dragway next weekend, Mike and John will be entered in a super stout and highly competitive class which will include a number of other “hit men”. Names like Jerry Mitrovic’s turbocharged Mustang (another 6.5 secs runner), defending CSCN champion Rob Galli and Eddie Timal’s unreal late model Corvette are also assured contenders.

DaSilva’s 2011 version of the Canadian Street Car Nationals will also include a number of other significant event attractions both action and static. The event will feature competition in some 15 other class categories, a dramatic “King of The Street” Shootout on Saturday night a huge Show & Shine Car Show (all day Saturday), a manufacturers midway and the return of the sometimes not so politically correct — Al Tucci — as announcer (consider yourself warned!)