Cayuga, Ont. – As the 2005 IHRA Torco Pro Modified points battle is beginning to heat up defending Champion, Mike Janis and his Eaton Sponsored team are getting back to what they know best.

“Heading into this event we knew we needed to start going rounds if we were to stay in the hunt,” said Lead Mechanic Steve Hermann. “This past few weeks we spent time going over films of all the runs this year and we think we’ve pinpointed our problem. We decided to put in our base tune up for this weekend and take small steps from there. It seems to have worked.”

With their base tune up installed the Eaton team knew they had enough power from their Jan-Cen prepared power plant to run with the best but, could they get it to the ground? Tire shake has been a problem all year for this team, but not this weekend. In the first qualifying session Janis’ Stratus went down the Cayuga 1320 straight as an arrow and posted a 6.264 elapsed time at 229.43 miles per hour. That run placed him sixth on the ladder at the end of Friday’s qualifying.

Feeling they had their handling issues behind them Crew Chief, Mike Janis Jr., felt the team could improve on their first run. “Even though the altitude wasn’t as good as it was Friday night I knew we could get better numbers on our second run. I just didn’t want to get greedy. We stuck to our plan and just took a small step forward,” said Janis. Improve they did. Running another perfectly straight run this time a 6.234 at 231.28 mph placing him in the fourth qualifying position.

On their final attempt the team felt more confident and tuned some extra ponies into their trusted Jan-Cen Engine. Janis went through the lights posting a 6.193 at 231.60, not good enough for number one but, it did move the Eaton team into third on the qualifying ladder and was the best run of the session. “The air got better and we felt that the car could handle some more power but we stuck to our plan and played it a little safe,” said Team Owner and Driver, Mike Janis.

In the first round of eliminations Janis was paired with 14th qualifier, Roy Wasko. Janis took the win with a 6.302 to Wasko’s slower 6.62. The win over Wasko set up a rematch of last year’s final as Janis took on Paducah, Kentucky’s Billy Harper. Harper who qualified in the eleventh position defeated Quain Stott in round one and held lane choice over Janis by 0.001. Janis posted a huge starting line advantage over Harper and took the win easily with a 6.267 at just over 231 to Harper’s 6.384 at just over 221.

In the semi-finals Janis met up with current points leader and former multi-time champion, Shannon Jenkins. This time Janis held lane choice. Jenkins who qualified near the bottom of the field this weekend forced Janis into a staging duel. Janis went in first. As Jenkins bumped in, the tree went green and Jenkins took the early lead. Janis started to reel him in by half-track but it was not enough as Jenkins took the win light.

Janis’ semi-final appearance moved him into fifth on the point’s ladder. The team will continue to try and climb the ladder at the Torco Race Fuels Northern Nationals in Martin, Mi. on the weekend of August 12-14, 2005.

Don’t forget to stop by Mike Janis Racing’s new website at http://jancen.com/mikejanisracing and check out the new merchandise section to order your latest Mike Janis t-shirt.

Eaton Corporation is a diversified industrial manufacturer with 2004 sales of $9.8 billion. Eaton is a global leader in fluid power systems and services for industrial, mobile and aircraft equipment; electrical systems and components for power quality, distribution and control; automotive engine air management systems, powertrain solutions and specialty controls for performance, fuel economy and safety; and intelligent truck drivetrain systems for safety and fuel economy. Eaton has 55,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 125 countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com.

Sponsors:

Eaton Corporation www.eaton.com
Aeroquip Performance Products www.aeroquip.com
Jan-Cen Automotive www.jancen.com
Denny’s Driveshafts www.dennysdriveshaft.com
Pautler Oil Service www.pautleroilserviceinc.com
Skinny Kid’s Race Cars www.skinnykidracecars.com
Royal Purple www.royalpurple.com
Nology Inc. www.nology.com
Mac Tools www.mactools.com
RAM Clutches www.ramclutches.com
JE Pistons www.jepiston.com
Weber's Mustard www.webersmustard.com
Weld Wheels www.weldracing.com
Unlimited Awnings www.unlimitedawnings.com
Goodyear Racing Tires www.racegoodyear.com
PPG Auto Refinish www.ppg.com/cr-refinish/
Burke Designs www.hotrodsbyburke.com
Precision Graphics
Bank Street Auto
Vicious Cycles

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