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 Grassroots Grid: Sensei’s Guide Grasshopper Growth!
Bruce Biegler - March 28, 2010
Despite only being 20-years old, Alberta’s Casey Plaizier is making a real name for himself within Canada’s drag racing scene.
Casey who is the 2nd generation drag racing son to Eddy Plaizier, one of Alberta’s most famous drag racers, and who is also an understudy to Ken Reich, one of Canada’s all-time top drag racing drivers, is simply learning from the best.
The 2010 season will for Casey Plaizier be his busiest yet as a drag racer. As a direct result of some great success last year (including doubling up and winning in Hot Rod and Super Stock eliminators during the IHRA Rocky Mountain Nationals), 2010 will again offer him multiple driving assignments.
Reich, from Edmonton, who twice won the NHRA Division Six championship during his highly successful drag racing career before taking a 10-year hiatus, returned last year to the straight line sport with an impressive new machine that he tapped Casey with for driving.
Reich, whose Specialty Auto-sponsored Pontiac Firebird ruled the roost during the early 1990’s within NHRA Pacific Northwest Competition eliminator wars, now fields a potent C/SM classed Chevy Cavalier. He purchased that car from Texas based racers Larry and Scott Hedlund.
“I raced myself for 25 years but then pulled out after 1996,” said Reich. “During those ten years I built up my business to a point that I could return. But I didn’t want to drive anymore – I’d rather focus on the tuning. Last year Casey started driving for me and he did such a great job. He has a lot of talent, I soon recognized that.”
 Casey will also drive for Team Ace Racing this year, a multi-car effort which is guided by his father Eddy and funded largely by Harold Parfait of Ace Manufacturing. In addition to potential stints in that team’s Top Dragster, Casey will also drive a newly acquired high end Stock eliminator car – a C/SA EFI Pontiac Firebird, which was formally owned by Tom Gaynor.
“We acquired that Firebird during October last year and we did run the NHRA divisional race at Las Vegas with it in the fall,” Casey revealed. “Because I have only a few runs under my belt with it – I’m still getting used to the car. I can tell you that it’s a lot of fun to drive – I love the big wheelstands it does.”
For Casey the variety of driving opportunities can do nothing but add positively to his resume. It has been proven time and time again in drag racing, racing multiple cars in Sportsman classes can and does provide a significant advantage over the competition.
 “There is no doubt that the more seat time you have the better a racer you can become,” he affirmed. “I like to make the best of every race I can attend.”
Expectations are that Casey Plaizier will see action at between a combination of some 8-10 NHRA national and divisional races this season. The likelihood of finding him hanging around victory lane after some of those events is pronounced.
(Bruce Biegler Photos) | 
