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Norwalk, Oh – As each racing season approaches teams and drivers set goals for the season. For each team those goals may vary but one goal each team aspires to is a win at Norwalk. Norwalk is the IHRA’s flagship track. It holds the biggest race of the year and every team knows if you win one IHRA race you want it to be the World Nationals in Norwalk. That has been Mike Janis’ goal for many years but, a win at Norwalk seems to be elusive for the Elma, NY based driver.
“I don’t know what it is. We’ve taken home wins at nearly every track on the IHRA trail but Norwalk always gives us trouble. I wish I knew what it was,” said Team Owner/Driver Mike Janis.
With rumors afoot about Norwalk switching sanctioning bodies Janis and his team knew this could be their last shot at an elusive Norwalk win. “There have been some strong rumors about Norwalk leaving the IHRA so we knew if we were going to ever get one here it would have to be this weekend,” said Janis
The Norwalk surface proved to be tricky for the Eaton team, as on their first qualifying attempt Janis’ Eaton and Aeroquip backed Cobalt went into tire shake forcing him to abort the run. Janis’ 7.22 elapsed time placed him 33rd amongst the 41 entries vying for 16 qualifying positions.
Janis’ second attempt at the Norwalk surface provided better results for the Eaton team as Janis posted a 6.219 at nearly 230 miles per hour. This run held throughout qualifying and ultimately placed Janis in the field in the number 12 position.
By virtue of the qualifying order Janis was paired with the number four qualifier, Jim Halsey, in round one. Halsey held lane choice because of his quicker qualifying time but, that was not an issue as Janis took the win with a 6.22 to Halsey’s 6.29. The win over Halsey moved Janis into the second round against Mike Bell. Bell, who defeated Eddie Ware in round one, qualified for the event in the 16th position.
When the tree came down for the second round both drivers were late off the line with Janis being the worse of the two. Luckily for Janis his proven Jan-Cen horsepower made the difference as he was able to drive around Bell for the win with a 6.25 to Bell’s slower 6.31. The win over Bell gave Janis a birth into the semi-finals against Matt Hagan. Hagan, who qualified for the event with a 6.222, placing him in the 14th spot, defeated defending World Champion, Mike Castellana, in round one and perennial top fiver Quain Stott in round two.
Once again Janis was the slower of the two combatants as they left the line but also once again Jan-Cen horsepower proved to be the decider in this race as Janis took the win with and a spot in the finals against upstart Ray Commisso. Commisso, who is quickly earning the nickname the Giant Killer, took out Carl Spiering in round one along with Pat Stoken in round two and Danny Rowe in the semi-finals.
Due to heavy rain the finals were delayed until Monday morning. With all night to contemplate their fate both teams were eager to hit the track. It seemed as if Janis was the more eager of the two as he left the line first with a reaction time of .053 to Commisso’s slower .061. Janis took an early lead and was ahead till the 60-foot mark where he was forced to lift when his Cobalt went into tire shake thus handing Ray Commisso his first IHRA win.
“I wish we could’ve taken this one but, it’s nice to see Ray get it. He’s been at this for a while and has seen some tough times. He’s got some people behind him that are doing well for him and he’s proved he’s a contender,” said Janis.
The final round appearance proved to Janis’ last at Norwalk for the World Nationals. The IHRA announced today that the World Nationals would be leaving the fabled facility and moving to Mansfield Motorsports Speedway in Mansfield Ohio. Janis’s runner up finish also moved him closer to point’s leader Glenn Kerunsky. The two are now separated by less than 50 points.
Eaton News - Eaton Aeroquip is pleased to introduce four different heavy duty 180 degree tube benders for bending aluminum, copper, brass, stainless steel and other tubing. Eaton Aeroquip benders features optimum bending radius for each tubing size, smooth, tight 180 degree with less effort and improved control and are available for ¼”, 38”, and triple ratchet models.
Sponsors:
Eaton Corporation www.eaton.com
Aeroquip Performance Products www.aeroquip.com
Jan-Cen Automotive www.jancen.com
Torco Racing Fuels www.torcoracefuels.com
Royal Purple www.royalpurple.com
Nology Inc. www.nology.com
Flaming River www.flamingriver.com
StreetGlow www.streetglow.com
NGK www.ngksparkplugs.com
Denny’s Driveshafts www.dennysdriveshaft.com
G-Force Race Cars www.gforceracecars.com
Mac Tools www.mactools.com
RAM Clutches www.ramclutches.com
JE Pistons www.jepiston.com
Smith’s Provisions www.SmithHotdogs.com
Weber's Mustard www.webersmustard.com
Weld Wheels www.weldracing.com
Goodyear Racing Tires www.racegoodyear.com
Strange Engineering www.strangeengineering.net
Rock Racing Batteries www.rockracingbattery.com
Burke Designs www.hotrodsbyburke.com
Scott Jahren Paint www.scottjahrenpaint.com/
Air Brushing By Sandy www.airbrushingbysandy.com
Final Round at World Nationals Moves Janis Within Striking Distance
Norwalk, Oh – As each racing season approaches teams and drivers set goals for the season. For each team those goals may vary but one goal each team aspires to is a win at Norwalk. Norwalk is the IHRA’s flagship track. It holds the biggest race of the year and every team knows if you win one IHRA race you want it to be the World Nationals in Norwalk. That has been Mike Janis’ goal for many years but, a win at Norwalk seems to be elusive for the Elma, NY based driver.
“I don’t know what it is. We’ve taken home wins at nearly every track on the IHRA trail but Norwalk always gives us trouble. I wish I knew what it was,” said Team Owner/Driver Mike Janis.
With rumors afoot about Norwalk switching sanctioning bodies Janis and his team knew this could be their last shot at an elusive Norwalk win. “There have been some strong rumors about Norwalk leaving the IHRA so we knew if we were going to ever get one here it would have to be this weekend,” said Janis
The Norwalk surface proved to be tricky for the Eaton team, as on their first qualifying attempt Janis’ Eaton and Aeroquip backed Cobalt went into tire shake forcing him to abort the run. Janis’ 7.22 elapsed time placed him 33rd amongst the 41 entries vying for 16 qualifying positions.
Janis’ second attempt at the Norwalk surface provided better results for the Eaton team as Janis posted a 6.219 at nearly 230 miles per hour. This run held throughout qualifying and ultimately placed Janis in the field in the number 12 position.
By virtue of the qualifying order Janis was paired with the number four qualifier, Jim Halsey, in round one. Halsey held lane choice because of his quicker qualifying time but, that was not an issue as Janis took the win with a 6.22 to Halsey’s 6.29. The win over Halsey moved Janis into the second round against Mike Bell. Bell, who defeated Eddie Ware in round one, qualified for the event in the 16th position.
When the tree came down for the second round both drivers were late off the line with Janis being the worse of the two. Luckily for Janis his proven Jan-Cen horsepower made the difference as he was able to drive around Bell for the win with a 6.25 to Bell’s slower 6.31. The win over Bell gave Janis a birth into the semi-finals against Matt Hagan. Hagan, who qualified for the event with a 6.222, placing him in the 14th spot, defeated defending World Champion, Mike Castellana, in round one and perennial top fiver Quain Stott in round two.
Once again Janis was the slower of the two combatants as they left the line but also once again Jan-Cen horsepower proved to be the decider in this race as Janis took the win with and a spot in the finals against upstart Ray Commisso. Commisso, who is quickly earning the nickname the Giant Killer, took out Carl Spiering in round one along with Pat Stoken in round two and Danny Rowe in the semi-finals.
Due to heavy rain the finals were delayed until Monday morning. With all night to contemplate their fate both teams were eager to hit the track. It seemed as if Janis was the more eager of the two as he left the line first with a reaction time of .053 to Commisso’s slower .061. Janis took an early lead and was ahead till the 60-foot mark where he was forced to lift when his Cobalt went into tire shake thus handing Ray Commisso his first IHRA win.
“I wish we could’ve taken this one but, it’s nice to see Ray get it. He’s been at this for a while and has seen some tough times. He’s got some people behind him that are doing well for him and he’s proved he’s a contender,” said Janis.
The final round appearance proved to Janis’ last at Norwalk for the World Nationals. The IHRA announced today that the World Nationals would be leaving the fabled facility and moving to Mansfield Motorsports Speedway in Mansfield Ohio. Janis’s runner up finish also moved him closer to point’s leader Glenn Kerunsky. The two are now separated by less than 50 points.
Eaton News - Eaton Aeroquip is pleased to introduce four different heavy duty 180 degree tube benders for bending aluminum, copper, brass, stainless steel and other tubing. Eaton Aeroquip benders features optimum bending radius for each tubing size, smooth, tight 180 degree with less effort and improved control and are available for ¼”, 38”, and triple ratchet models.
Sponsors:
Eaton Corporation www.eaton.com
Aeroquip Performance Products www.aeroquip.com
Jan-Cen Automotive www.jancen.com
Torco Racing Fuels www.torcoracefuels.com
Royal Purple www.royalpurple.com
Nology Inc. www.nology.com
Flaming River www.flamingriver.com
StreetGlow www.streetglow.com
NGK www.ngksparkplugs.com
Denny’s Driveshafts www.dennysdriveshaft.com
G-Force Race Cars www.gforceracecars.com
Mac Tools www.mactools.com
RAM Clutches www.ramclutches.com
JE Pistons www.jepiston.com
Smith’s Provisions www.SmithHotdogs.com
Weber's Mustard www.webersmustard.com
Weld Wheels www.weldracing.com
Goodyear Racing Tires www.racegoodyear.com
Strange Engineering www.strangeengineering.net
Rock Racing Batteries www.rockracingbattery.com
Burke Designs www.hotrodsbyburke.com
Scott Jahren Paint www.scottjahrenpaint.com/
Air Brushing By Sandy www.airbrushingbysandy.com
