Version 3.0 of the ACDelco Canadian Nationals is an outstanding success story. Despite being dogged by rain early both Friday and Saturday, IHRA and TMP track officials work hard and the patient paying public gets their due when the weather clears. The official car count is 487 and the crowd is massive making it best attended ACDelco Canadian Nationals so far. Fan and sponsor reaction to the many new improvements at the TMP facility is very positive.

Top Fuel racing features a number of upsets not the least of which is an eventual event win from Rookie class driver Doug Foley from New Jersey. Foley, a former NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster racer, wins the event in what was his first career final round appearance and in only his 6th Pro start. Foley runs a final round 4.854 secs at 305.22 mph to beat recent IHRA Milan winner Louie Allison. Foley had qualified 4th for the event, running a career best 4.807 secs to go along with the first 300 mph of his career (304.67 mph).

Top Fuel round one includes for the second race in a row an early exit for perennial IHRA event Champion Clay Millican. This time Millican falls at the hands of hometown favourite Canadian Todd Paton who startles the crowd by beating the reigning world champion in spite of dropping two cylinders early in the run, carding a 5.159 secs at 255.10 mph in the Tim Hortons Dragster when Clay smokes his tires. The win is Todd's first against Clay, who had won their two previous meetings, and it also served as a major moral booster for the Paton team which has endured more then its share of bad luck so far this season. Unfortunately for Paton, he loses out in the next frame to Foley when his car goes up in tire smoke.

Top Fuel racing at TMP features a couple of new track records. Clay Millican rewrites the ET slip to 4.633 secs while Top Speed goes to Florida’s Tim Cullinan who cards a career best 317.05 mph. A total of 13 Top Fuel cars show for the event.

Pro Mod racing sees local fan favourite and “adopted Canadian” Mike Janis (from nearby New York state) win for the 10th time in his career. Janis is very dominating in the Eaton Automotive ‘63 split as he runs quick and fast often while winning his second race of the ’04 season. Janis pounds out a final round 6.258 secs at 227.19 mph to get by the nitrous-injected Dodge Viper driven by Kentucky’s Billy Harper in the final round. Harper had been the event’s low qualifier after running a 6.165 secs while Janis set top speed of the meet at 229.47 mph in earlier action.

Pro Mod racing features a great field of quality machines including three Canadian qualifiers, Rick Distefano, Al Billes and Carl Spiering. However much like at Grand Bend in June, all three Canadian class stars surprisingly lose out in round one of competition.

Pro Stock sees Robert Patrick who returned back to IHRA from NHRA Pro Stock class racing this season win his first race since the 1996 campaign. Driving the Virginia-based Purvis Ford Mustang, Patrick uses a superior final round RT to get by overall IHRA points leader John Montecalvo. Patrick hits a winning 6.550 secs at 213.50 mph compared to Montecalvo’s 6.533 secs at 215.03 mph. Montecalvo’s 215.03 mph is the fastest Pro Stock speed ever recorded in Canada and he is only the third IHRA Pro Stock racer so far to eclipse the 215-mph barrier. Montecalvo had set low ET of the meet in the Citgo Chevy during round one when he went 6.518 secs.

Pro Stock racing features an inspiring performance by the Canadian based cars of the O’Brien Brothers and the Paone Brothers. Larry O’Brien qualifies his Windsor-based Dodge Stratus 12th with a 6.597 secs and then uses a holeshot to gun down Grand Bend Pro Stock winner Elijah Morton in round one, 6.576 secs to 6.524 secs. O’Brien falls off to a 6.610 secs in round two however and loses out to Robert Patrick. Ron Miller qualified the Toronto-based Paone Chevy 8th with a 6.581 secs and then won over Chuck Demory and Brian Gahm in rounds one and two. Miller also slows a bit in the semis and his 6.603 secs cannot run down eventual winner Patrick who goes 6.547 secs.

James Sickles, from nearby Caledonia, NY, wins big in AFC driving the Meyers RV Sales Dodge Avenger. Sickles, who races on the IHRA tour only sporadically won over current points leader Mark Thomas in the championship final. Using at Tom Anderson tune-up and a quicker starting line RT, Sickles scored with a 5.952 secs at 238.81 mph compared to Thomas’s 5.947 secs at 240.04 mph. Sickles had one previous IHRA win to his credit -- at Norwalk in 2002.

AFC racing at TMP produces the biggest field of cars for the IHRA this season with 21 different machines making qualifying attempts. Canadian hero Rob Atchison paces the field with a 5.862 secs at 240.42-mph driving the Erickson Manufacturing Firebird. Rob runs an ever quicker 5.844 secs to set low ET in round one, however he loses out in a very crucial points affecting battle to Mark Thomas in round three. Rob runs a quicker and faster 5.884 secs at 241.24 mph (top speed) but Thomas wins again via a better reaction time, (.075 to .095).

Top Sportsman and Top Dragster fields at the ACDelco Canadian Nationals are massive ones featuring 40 and 42 cars entered respectively. Defending World Champion Mark Abruzzi (from Ohio) wins in TS defeating Gary Wojnowski Jr. in the final round. Dave Elrod (also from Ohio) wins in TD when he holds back Jim Bersani in the championship dash.

The event produces strong efforts from two Canadian Maritime-based Sportsman racers. New Brunswick’s Mark Howes wins huge in Super Stock driving his SS/DA ’64 Plymouth Belvedere. Howes first ever career win cames from the 36th qualified position and included a final round win over Joe Covert. Also from New Brunswick (Miramichi), James Cowie just misses joining Howes in victory lane with a runner-up finish in Quick Rod (8.90). Cowie qualified 3rd and won four rounds before losing a double break out final round to New York’s Becky Jaques in the final round.

Steve Doornbosch (for Forest, ON) who won IHRA’s overall Summit Championship for ET racing last season, scored big in the event’s hard fought ET Tournament. Driving his ’68 Firebird, Doornbosch first won the “No Box” title over Kevin Goodacre before topping “Box ET” winner Brian Cassidy for the overall title. Doornbosch has won the ET Tournament at the 2002 ACDelco Canadian Nationals.

Saturday’s action included Top Stock racing with that title going to Paul Mercure’s Michigan-based ‘68 Camaro. Mercure, who had also won at the IHRA’s Motor City Nationals 2-weeks before, beat Jim Morgan’s ’69 Camaro in the final round 9.885 secs 134.64 mph to 10.00 secs 135.18 mph. Morgan’s Camaro had run the best numbers for the breed in round one of competition -- speeding to a 9.827 secs at 135.69 mph.

Top Stock racing attracted a total of 8 cars to the event, one of which was driven by Canada‘s Gianni Cantusci. Cantusci, from Stittsville, ON, was competing in the class for the first time behind the wheel of a 350 CID ’74 Corvette. Cantusci qualified 3rd with a 9.955 secs effort but lost out in round two to Mercure, 9.904 secs 134.97 mph to 9.926 secs at 134.00 mph.

Ohio’s Michael Beard won again in Stock eliminator at TMP. Beard, the defending 2003 IHRA Stock eliminator World Champion was also the event’s defending champion. Incredibly, all three of Beard’s career national event wins (including Grand Bend in June/04) have come in Canada.

The Special Award winners for the 2004 ACDelco Canadian Nationals were:

Best Engineered Pro Car: Chuck Samuel Kingston, Ill. ’04 ZX2
Best Appearing Pro Car: Ed Hoover Gilbert, S.C. ’63 Corvette
Best Appearing Pro Crew: Larry Dobbs Welland, Ontario ’01 Corvette
Best Engineered Sportsman Car: Todd Drummond St. Louis, Miss. ’04 Monte Carlo
Best Appearing Sportsman Car: Paul Martin Breslau, Ontario ’57 Bel Air
Best Appearing Sportsman Crew: Russ Wheeler Chardon, Ohio ’02 Bos
DRAG REVIEW Editor’s Choice: Wayne Sipos Binbrook, Ontario ’59 Corvette

DragRaceCanada/Eaton Electrical “Swift 16” Lottery:

PM - Al Billes Barrie, Ontario
FC - Larry Dobbs Welland, Ontario

Performance Racing News/The Trailer Shop (Canada) "Top Lotto":

TD - Tony Karnik Lorain, Ohio
TS - Gary Wojnowski, Sr. Strongsville, Ohio