PMRA Round 3 – big win for Matt Guenther at Lancaster
“We’ve been struggling but it all came together”
CLARENCE, NEW YORK (July 29, 2007) – There were some wild rides down the Lancaster Raceway Park eighth-mile drag strip in Clarence, NY, but at the end of the day, Matt Guenther of Livonia, NY took out Bruce Boland of Hamilton, ON in a youngster versus veteran final as the 23-year with a 4.42-second, 160.88-mph pass out ran Boland’s 4.91-second, 136.35-mph run.
Guenther, won the Third Annual PMRA Challenge presented by G-Force Race Cars, Grainy’s Automotive, and Niagara Auto at Lancaster Raceway Park, the 12th different winner in as many PMRA races in the history of the series.
“We’ve been struggling this season, but it all came together today,” said a happy Guenther the race. “We knew Bruce (Boland) is a great racer, and we knew we had to give it our best shot.”
The win vaulted Matt Guenther into second position in the PMRA Point Series with 764 points, behind event semi-finalist and series point’s leader, Ike Maier with 775 points. Scotty Wildgust sits in third with 757, Bruce Boland fourth with 755, Joe Lilienthal fifth with 750 and Sam Andreacchi in sixth with 675 points.
Guenther, piloting the Guenther Racing 1941 Willys, is the first winner in PMRA history to take an event in a nitrous-powered Pro Modified. All other wins have been with supercharger-powered cars.
Boland, driving the B&B Racing 1953 Corvette, shook the tires off the line, got back into it in a valiant attempt to catch Guenther, but to no avail. After the final, it was discovered the wheelie bar broke on the Boland car.
Qualifying number one with a strong 4.34-second, 166.00-mph pass was Boland, who won the first PMRA event in Lancaster in 2005. Ike Maier of Tottenham, ON was second with his 1969 Camaro, Guenther copped third, and Mike Cusimano of Rochester, NY rounded out the top four with his 1994 Corvette.
Scott Wildgust of Stratford, ON, who drives the NitroMoose/Ajax Engines 1957 Chevy, Joe Lilienthal, Terry Brown, Mark Mitchell and round two PMRA winner Sam Andreacchi of Toronto, who took the previous event at Toronto Motorsports Park, did not make the final four in the show.
In the first semi-final, university student Guenther cut a great light in his match with Maier. While Maier spun the tires at half-track, and got back on the throttle, he just could not catch Guenther.
In the other semi, Mike Cusimano fouled at the line, giving Bruce Boland a pass to the final.
SPECIAL AWARDS
Auto Meter Products - Low Qualifier Contingency Award – Bruce Boland
Auto Meter Products - Event Winner Contingency Award – Matt Guenther
Bear's Performance Products - Consistent Qualifier Bonus – Mike Cusimano
Competition Tire Canada/Goodyear Racing Tire - Low Qualifier Contingency Award – Bruce Boland
Competition Tire Canada/Goodyear Racing Tire - Event Winner Contingency Award – Matt Guenther
ERD (Engine Research and Development) - Low Qualifier Contingency Award – Bruce Boland
Gulfway Insurers - Best Reaction Time & Round Winner – Matt Guenther
Lowdown Hot Rods - Low Qualifier Award – Bruce Boland
Moen Incorporated - PMRA Point Series
Needles At Work - Voted by Officials – Sam Andreacchi
Parts Pro - Crew Chief of the Race Award – Jerry Highway/Guenther Racing
The Trailer Shop - Longest Tow Award – Scotty Wildgust
Uni-Select Inc. - PMRA Point Series
Valvoline, a division of Ashland Inc. - PMRA Point Series
Wix Filtration Products - PMRA Point Series
The next Pro Modified Racing Association event, the Second Annual Eaton PMRA Challenge presented by Eaton will take place Saturday, August 18 at Sanair in St-Pie, Quebec near Montreal.
For information about the Eaton PMRA Challenge at Sanair, call (450) 772-6400 or visit online at Sanairracing.com
Now in its third year of operation, The Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA) has enjoyed strong fan popularity and will present some of the best in Pro Modified racing for 2007.
The PMRA will travel to several drag strips in 2007, including two dates at Toronto Motorsports Park, Lancaster Raceway Park in New York State, Sanair in Quebec, and the Southwestern Ontario track of Grand Bend Motorplex.
In 2006, the tour was a great success, and during the past two seasons of the PMRA, each event finished with a different winner. Joe Boniferro and Kasey Janzen tied in points last year and were crowned co-champions over the other Ontario, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania teams. Wix Filtration Products, Valvoline, a division of Ashland Inc., Uni-Select, and Moen Incorporated will sponsor the PMRA point series in 2007.
For more information, contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher [email protected]
About the Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA):
The Pro Modified Racing Association, Pro Modified Racing Association started late in 2004 and is entering its third year of operation. The PMRA is a self-governing organization, with technical and safety rules as outlined by the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) and the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). Cars in the PMRA capture the true spirit of hot rodding, and the class is one of drag racing’s most exciting and volatile classes, offering a diverse group of racecars with different types of 2,000-horsepower engines. Combining classic body styles and modern equipment, constructors are permitted, within established rules and parameters, to modify and enhance the cars in both appearance and performance. The cars are fuelled by gasoline or methanol, propelling them down the quarter-mile in low six-second times at over 200 miles per hour. The PMRA provides drag race fans the opportunity to see, hear, and experience the popular Pro Modifieds, known as "the world's fastest door slammers".
