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 DragRaceCanada Announces On-Line Award Winners!
Bruce Biegler - February 5, 2008
The on-line votes have been counted and the audit is complete. DragRaceCanada is pleased to announce the fan selections for the 4th Annual Canadian Drag Racers of the Year Awards -- recognizing top Canadian achievements from this past 2007 drag racing season.
 The results featured first time winners in each of the five available categories.
London-based Alcohol Funny Car camp, Noakes Racing, dominated the overall voting receiving two major selections. Team driver Paul Noakes, who during the last two seasons has certainly come into his own within the IHRA’s Alcohol Funny Car category, was selected as Pro Driver of the Year. At the same time his crew chief, Les Mellows, earned top honors as Crew Chief/Tuner of the Year. Noakes gathered an amazing 53% of votes cast to prevail over NHRA fuel Funny Car driver Jeff Arend, who finished second. Les Mellows knocked off previous 2-time DragRaceCanada Award winner Al Billes as Canada’s top-rated tuner.
 Fans selected popular Toronto-based Pro Modified driver Raymond Commisso as the Most Improved/Up-and-Coming Driver of the Year. Commisso, who ran the first ever “five” by a Canadian in the class and finished 2nd in final NHRA/AMS Pro Mod points last season, edged out cross-town Toronto rival Tony Pontieri in the final tally.
 The Sportsman Driver of the Year went to Can-Am Stock/Super Stock series champion Rob Becker, from Port Colburne, Ontario. Becker prevailed over Outlaw 10.5 Super Street star competitor Rocky Delicce. It marked the 4th straight season that the Can-Am Stock/Super Stock season series champion has won the DragRaceCanada Sportsman Driver of the Year Award title.
In a rather surprising but very deserving development, NHRA facility Medicine Hat Motorplex received overdue recognition by being voted as the Canadian Drag Strip of the Year. The vastly improved track amassed 47% of votes cast to edge out Ontario’s Grand Bend Motorplex which tallied in at 31%.
All of our award winners will receive one of those very cool and much revered NitroMoose sculptures in due course.
DragRaceCanada also offers honorable mention goes to this year's top write-in vote getter, ET racer Brent Buckingham (from Airdrie, AB). Brent gathered numerous season titles in the West including Pro ET Champion for Medicine Hat Motorplex.
We congratulate all the winners and we thank everyone out there who supported us on-line by voting.
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