The team did have reason to celebrate recently, as it won the Top Eliminator class at the Sunday Niagara event at Dunn Tire Raceway Park.

"We're still on a high from winning at Lancaster," said team crew chief Sonny Grainy earlier this week. "We've gone to second place four times with the PMRA, and we've come close, and we're ready for Grand Bend."

Driving the G-Force Race Cars Camaro, team driver Jack Grainy has driven to four finals in PMRA racing: St. Thomas in 2006, Sanair and Grand Bend in 2008, and at the first Cayuga Dragway race of 2009.

One PMRA team that will not be competing this weekend at Grand Bend will be the Skull Motorsports team of Ralph Andreacchi and Tony Piselli. The Maple, Ontario-based group clipped the wall during the IHRA MOPAR Nationals last month in qualifying, and although no major damage was done, the 1963 Corvette Pro Modified is being fitted with new body panels and won't be ready in time for this weekend.

"The car's coming along good," stated Andreacchi, who won the PMRA Labor Day race at Grand Bend in 2008. "The damage was all cosmetic but it's a time factor," he continued. "It will take at least a couple of weeks to rebuild. This coming event is pretty well washed out."

He did mention that his former Pro Modified, the 1953 Studebaker, may be pressed back into service for the upcoming Labor Day event at Grand Bend, but the decision was still up in the air.

Along with the PMRA, Grand Bend will host round three in the Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts this weekend, along with a supercharged drag bike racing, jet truck racing, and the Grand Bend Motorplex Top Dragster and Top Sportsman Series, plus great racing in the Thunder series.

The track will also host match racing in Alcohol Funny Car racing, with some of the top names in the class, including the Ontario teams of Paul Noakes of London, Larry Dobbs of Welland, and Jason McKnight of Barrie plus Paul Zagoda from New York State.

The Grand Bend Motorplex will host the Stratford Spectacular Hot August Nationals on August 8-9, the eighth-mile racing event will feature the Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA), a four car Alcohol Funny Car Match Race, a Jet Truck, a Supercharged V8 Drag Bike, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts, the Grand Bend Motorplex Top Dragster and Top Sportsman Series, plus great racing action in the Thunder series and Junior Dragster programs.

Other auto-related activities such as car shows and cruise nights will also be held, along with a fireworks display.

Complimentary spectator event tickets are available at Ideal Supply & NAPA Auto Parts locations across Ontario, at businesses in Stratford, or by contacting the Quick 32 Sportsman Series or the Pro Modified Racing Association.

General parking is $20 per car load, and weekend camping is available.

For information about the Stratford Spectacular Hot August National presented by Ideal Supply & NAPA Auto Parts at the Grand Bend Motorplex, call (519) 238-7223 or visit http://www.grandbendmotorplex.com About the Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA): The Pro Modified Racing Association, http://www.PMRA.ca, was organized late in 2004, started racing operations in 2005, and is entering its fifth year of operation in 2009. The PMRA is a self-governing organization with input from its teams, and adheres to the technical and safety rules as outlined by the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) and the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). The series has event venues in Ontario, Quebec, and New York State.

The PMRA will compete at several drag strips in 2009, including dates at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ontario, starting with the season opener on May 16 and 17, June 13 and 14 and the season-closer on September 19 and 20, and the South-western Ontario track of the Grand Bend Motorplex at the 10th Annual MOPAR Canadian Nationals July 17 to 19, the Stratford Spectacular Hot August Nationals presented by Ideal Supply & NAPA Auto Parts August 8 and 9 and on September 5 and 6.

Cars in the PMRA capture the true spirit of hot rodding, and the class is one of drag racing's most exciting and colorful classes, offering a diverse group of race cars with different types of 2,500-horsepower supercharged, nitrous powered and turbocharged engines.

Combining classic body styles and modern equipment, constructors are permitted, within established rules and parameters, to modify and enhance the cars in both appearance and performance. The cars are fuelled by gasoline or methanol, propelling them down the quarter-mile in low six-second times at over 200 miles per hour. The PMRA provides drag race fans the opportunity to see, hear, and experience the popular Pro Modifieds, known as "the world's fastest door slammers".

Several of the PMRA events will be run in conjunction with the Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts, http://www.Quick32.ca, offering fans a great show of drag racing.

Courtesy of Bruce F. Mehlenbacher