On Sunday the unruly weather that threatened the Mopar Canadian Nationals all weekend broke. The
rain and clouds left upsets for the track on race day. The first round of Pro Stock eliminations
saw the top three in points going by the wayside, leaving a clear path for number four stander,
John Montecalvo. Driver of the red, white and blue Cobalt saw his chance and took advantage of it,
going all the way to the final round and moving up to second in points, with a mere six points
separating him from leader Frank Gugliotta.
With consistency and speed, Montecalvo ousted Chris Holbrook, Jason Collins, and Cale Aronson
before he squared up against Dean Goforth in the final. Unfortunately, the Cobalt ran into early
tire shake, forcing Montecalvo to forfeit the run and giving Goforth his first ever Iron Man.
"This was an unbelievable day of racing," Monte told. "I never would have guessed the top three
guys in points would go out first round. That gave us a huge opportunity and we took advantage of
it! The team did a great all weekend and took the pressure off of me, making it easier on the
driver. Unfortunately we shook the tires in the final, but I was glad to see Dean [Goforth] get his
first win. Hats off to his team. They are great guys and good friends. It was good to see him get a
win.
"We took home Last Man Standing honors on Friday night. Those extra points are really helpful right
now in this tight points battle. With that and the runner up finish we leave here in second place.
So we accomplished our goal to move up in points, and all in all it was a good weekend. Sonny
Leonard's birthday was this weekend so I want to wish him a happy birthday. The final between Dean
and I was all Sonny's power, so hopefully that was a nice present for him."
With the top four separated by only 23 points, the IHRA Pro Stock battle is shaping up to be quite
the suspense thriller, with the final four chapters sure to keep fans glued.
"It's going to be a battle right down to the end. It's unbelievable how competitive and close this
IHRA Pro Stock is. Our team has a lot of momentum going and we're excited to be in the thick of
this hunt. It's a lot of fun to race this way and it's keeping us on our toes. Martin is only two
weeks away and I'm sure it's going to be an interesting race."
