Next For Noakes — One of Canada’s most reputed family names within Funny Car racing history will be back within that conversation this coming summer. London’s Paul Noakes has revealed that he and his father Brian will return soon after a recent purchase of a 1966 Chevy Nova nostalgia Funny Car – previously raced by Ron Stennes out of Alberta.  The car which is a Gordies Race Cars chassis is in fact a configration that Paul and his Dad are very familiar with.  “We built a Gordies car years ago and campaigned it for years,” Paul stated. “That was the car that I won my NHRA National event with — so as soon as I sat in it  — I knew it was for us – it felt like home.”
The Nova, now renamed as the “Wheeler Dealer” (commemorative to Brian Noakes’s original drag car – photo below) will have an alcohol-burning 549 CID Chevy BB with a 14:71 hi helix Mert Littlefield supercharger and also a 3-speed Lenco drive.   The Noakes’ picked up the car about 3 weeks ago and the team currently is targeting to do a bunch of match racing within Ontario & Quebec as well as some Northern U.S. states. If all goes to plan area fans can look for the car to debut (with Paul driving) June 20-22 in St. Thomas Dragway (Sparta ON.), as part of a match race at the Buchner’s presented “660 Family Fun Weekend”.
Odds are also quite high that this race car will be the next logical step for Paul’s daughter Brooklyn — in perhaps the not too distant future.

Saskatchewan Street Scene! — Central Canadian racing fans should circle their calendar dates for (July 4-5) for a rather significant fast street car event — Heads Up Havoc. The all heads up racing event, hosted at fabled SIR (Saskatchewan International Raceway) is poised to attract some of the area’s best fast street cars (and trucks) over that weekend for heads-up 1/8th mile, 0.400 Pro tree, 7-second Auto-start, competition. Classes included on this race menu will be Extreme Big Tire, Real Steel Big Tire, Extreme Small Tire, Small Tire Street Car, Stick shift as well as 6.50 and 7.50 index racing.

Close Call Title Defence — Alberta’s Hodgson Racing came just short of winning again the highly prestigious 2025 edition Napa Ignitor Funny Car race held at Boise Idaho’s Firebird Raceway. With driver Nathan Sitko at the controls of the team’s potent “Bubble Up/Pacemaker” Pontiac Firebird, Nathan entered as the defending 2024 champion for that race — which is one of the major season highlight events for within NHRA’s Hot Rod Heritage Series. Nathan qualified #2 with a 5.602 secs and advanced to the final round after defeating Bobby Cottrell and Ryan Horan. There he faced off with the #1 qualifier, Shane Westerfield, who took this year’s title by a 5.546 secs 262.44 mph to 5.635 secs 258.47 mph count.
The 54th annual Napa Ignitor feature was part of the NHRA’s Lucas Oil Divisional event held that weekend at Firebird Raceway, attracted 13 nitro burning nostalgia Funny Cars for its entry list.

Divisional Winning Dragsters — The month of May did include a couple of nice scores within the NHRA Lucas Oil Divisional racing schedule by two of Canada’s most talented  drivers — Casey Plaizier and Jason Kenny. Plaizier (above photos) from the Edmonton-area, and who has proven himself highly capable within a number of NHRA index class cars in his career, got his first win at the NHRA divisional level in a Top Dragster-classed car. Casey, who qualified #27 for the large field attending NHRA’s Lucas Oil Divisional race (at Boise ID), accomplished that with a 6-winlight weekend including a final round victory over opponent Ty Gaynor who had a foul start. “It was in fact back-to-back wins for me, as I won in Super Street in my sisters car at the Las Vegas LODRS,” Casey beamed.  “We built the dragster last year — and mostly campaigned it in Super Comp — but this was my first event in it in Top Dragster, and actually my first win of any kind in a dragster!”  Over at Reading PA the next weekend – it was time for Jason Kenny (a native of Kingston ON) to shine yet again. Jason won the Super Comp (8.90) title at Maple Grove Raceway’s NHRA Lucas Oil Divisional — also collecting 6 win lights. He beat opponent Amanda Boicesco in that final round — and that was his milestone 20th career NHRA divisional level victory.   Jason came very close to another “double up” however — as he also went to the championship final round for the event’s Super Gas (9.90) class division. In that finale Kenny did serve up a superior .002 RT — but then took just a bit too much stripe with a breakout 9.890 versus his opponent Keith Mayers.