Smith to Compete at Edmonton Craig Smith returns to top fuel as he partners up with car dealer and Edmonton Oilers co-owner Ron Hodgson to race at the CARS Rocky Mountain Nationals, held in Edmonton, at Castrol Raceway, July 6-8. The Rocky Mountain Nationals is the only IHRA professional drag racing event west of the Rockies and will feature a full field of top fuel dragsters and nitro funny cars which are both considered drag racing's most popular classes. Smith will race for sponsors Air Cat and Nitro Cat pneumatic tools as well as Ron Hodgson Pontiac under the "Royal Canadian" banner. Smith, who is from Washington State, looks forward to being back behind the wheel of a Top Fuel Dragster which can travel the distance of a quarter of a mile in four seconds at over 300 MPH. Smith has had much success at his home track in Spokane Washington, where he has won the AHRA Finals three times, but until now hasn't had the opportunity to race in the IHRA "Nitro Jam" Drag Racing Series, which is gaining in popularity in Canada. While this will be Smith's first time racing at an IHRA event, it won't be his first time down the Edmonton track. "Ron Hodgson and I raced a top fuel car here a few years back which was sponsored by GM Goodwrench of Canada" Smith noted. Smith is ready for the challenge of racing in the IHRA but realizes that the series is more competitive then it once was. "We hope the success we have had in Spokane will continue in Edmonton. But we know the field will be tougher as the IHRA series is beginning to attract some of the sport's biggest names. It will be difficult just to qualify as it's an eight car field, but we are up to the challenge" Smith said. The Royal Canadian name has deep roots in drag racing and the original Royal Canadian funny car was the beginning of an era in drag racing where Hodgson's long line of Pacemacker-sponsored cars dominated drag racing in both Canada and the United States. Gordie Bonin drove the funny car and Graham Light drove the Top Fuel dragster. The late Jerry Verheul tuned both cars to national prominence. The Royal Canadian Top Fuel dragster resurfaced briefly with Edmonton's Terry Capp driving the car at an NHRA event in Seattle, but that was three years ago, and the team has remained inactive ever since. Now the Royal Canadian returns to a new era in professional drag racing. "We are looking foreword to reviving the Royal Canadian name to a new generation of Canadian fans. The name alone will give the fans in Edmonton a car to root for. We'll give them a good show" said Smith. AIRCAT® pneumatic tools have been tested and shown to operate at 82 to 84 dba or lower with 100% of the power. This line represents the most significant advance in the performance of pneumatic tools in 30 years. Nostalgia Funny Car Team Launched! Ron Hodgson and Craig Smith with the help of legendary funny car owner Roland Leong have joined forces to form a two-car nostalgia funny car program. The team's mission is to bring back the excitement of what some believe was the golden age of funny car racing, the 1970's. The team with be match racing a pair of period correct cars.   The first car built under the watchful eye of Gordon Jenner is a stunning remake of the 1977 Bubble Up Pacemaker Firebird which was driven during that time period by "240 Gordie" Bonin and tuned by the late Jerry Veirhul. The recreated car is now driven by Terry Capp, who is a legendary funny car racer himself and is in the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame. Back in it's day, the Bubble Up Pacemaker Firebird graced the winner's circle at the NHRA US Nationals, the World Finals, and Gatornationals, just to name a few and finished second in points to Don "the Snake" Prudhomme who dominated the class at the time. Ron Hodgson, part owner of the Edmonton Oilers, has owned the Pacemaker team from its inception. The second car which is close to being constructed will be a replica of Roland Leong's legendary Hawaiian funny car. The Hawaiian will be driven by Craig Smith and tuned Leong. Known as one of the most popular names in drag racing, Leong's Hawaiian team began winning right away beginning in Top Fuel in the early 1960's, with Prudhomme at the wheel. By the early 70's Leong switched to funny car racing and was highly successful in both national event and match racing competition. The Hawaiian was always one of the most colorful and sought a fter cars on the match racing circuit and enjoyed billing right up there with the likes of other familiar names such as the "Blue Max", "Jungle Jim", and the "Revellution".    Hodson and Smith's plan is to offer racing promoters across the country a cost-effective match race package where both legendary nitro cars can be booked to race each other similar to the way match racing was presented in the 1970's before high costs eliminated limited much of nitro racing to the national event tour.

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