Will Canada ever be able to get its own NHRA division?
There’s been talk about NHRA drag strips in Canada getting a new corporate division rather than being part of a U.S. division, as they are now. For example, Toronto Motorsport Park would no longer be part of the NHRA’s Division 1, which is headquartered in Pennsylvania. Tracks in Alberta and British Columbia are presently in Division 6.
“Let’s wait and see,” NHRA Canadian representative Glenn Grow said recently. “There are changes coming, we’ll know how this will play out in a couple of months.”
NHRA facilities in the U.S. and Canada are currently grouped into seven geographical divisions. Tracks in Canada would be set up in new Division 8 if the change takes place.
With the NHRA recently pulling out of Australia, the drag racing sanction decided to focus on Canada, and teamed up with Ohio-based auto aftermarket part giant Summit Racing Equipment in presenting a series of Sportsman class races in Canada.
Both sanction and sponsor are well on board. The NHRA will hold the Eastern Canadian E.T. Finals Sept. 6 to 8 at Quebec’s Napierville Dragway. This is part of the expanded Summit Racing Series, which is set to grow to 12 events from the current eight, said Grow.
He added that Summit, which has a few brick-and-mortar stores but does most of its business online, will be offering its Canadian customers free shipping on orders over $300. And the Napierville race may be the first of several in this country.
This could be a good decision if Canada gets its own separate NHRA division. It could establish rules and regulations unique to Canada, and all NHRA tracks in this country would be unified and work together.
No new Camaros
A while back I mentioned that with Chevrolet dropping its Camaro there will be only two manufacturers (Ford and Toyota) with up-todate cars (the latest models) able to compete in NASCAR Cup racing after this season. The GM teams can continue to race, but with no new models, the teams would be at a disadvantage to compete with the others. Here’s the official explanation:
“For 2023, all three OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) had their Next Gen models approved,” said NASCAR’s Josh Hamilton. “For 2024, Ford and Toyota submitted (and got approval for) new race cars. Chevrolet can still use their previously approved design as long as they’d like. However, since there is no longer a production Camaro, they wouldn’t be able to update their race car.”
Other bits and pieces
Three-time Bridgestone Canadian Superbike champion Ben Young of Collingwood did well during the running of the Daytona 200 in Florida. He placed ninth on his Suzuki out of 35 starters in the 57-lap race on Daytona’s road course ... The Southern Ontario Sprints (SOS) have announced their 2024 tour dates, with 11 races on the dirt ovals of Merrittville, Ohsweken, Humberstone and Ransomville. The SOS starts its season April 20 at Merrittville, and the big race of the season is the Sept. 14 running of the Northern Nationals at Ohsweken with $20,000 for the winner ... Another winner in Florida recently was Sprint Car champion Donny Shatz. The 46-year-old North Dakota native won his 500th major race at Volusia Speedway Park, and his 312th in World of Outlaws competition.
TIM MILLER IS A FREELANCE CONTRIBUTOR TO THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR WHOSE FOCUS IS MOTORSPORTS. HE IS THE AUTHOR OF SEVERAL BOOKS ON AUTO RACING.