New Yorker unstoppable during IHRA Nitro Jam Nationals at Grand Bend
by Bruce Melenbacher
GRAND BEND, ONTARIO (July 18, 2010) – Mike Stawicki has made it known that he is the force in Pro Modified racing this season.
The veteran driver of the G-Force Race Cars MSR Performance powered 1968 Firebird from Medina, New York, qualified number one for race three in the 2010 Pro Modified Racing Association tour, and went the distance to win his first PMRA event of the year and the first IHRA Ironman of his career.Stawicki beat former Alcohol Funny Car driver Paul Noakes of London, Ontario in the final. Noakes, who has settled nicely behind the wheel of the Noakes and Martin Racing 1963 Corvette, qualified seventh, and ran a stout 6.293, 223.28 final but it was no match for Stawicki’s 5.820, 253.28 victory run.
While Stawicki qualified number one, to win the Marydel Homes Qualifying Bonus with a 5.881, 252.05 lap, it was the New Yorker’s final run that set low ET and top speed during the IHRA Nitro Jam Nationals held at the Grand Bend Motorplex. Stawicki has been running in the five-second range since he set the PMRA Series record with a 5.803 at 255.15 during the previous event at the Cayuga Dragway.
After racing in the PMRA last season, Martin, of Barrie, Ontario got together with former Alcohol Funny Car driver Paul Noakes of London, Ontario recently and began this alliance which will see Noakes drive the Corvette Pro Modified for the remainder of the PMRA year.
“We haven’t made many changes this season,” noted car tuner and former team driver Ralph Andreacchi, who has won PMRA events in the past behind the wheel.
