The aspiring and rekindled Hodgson Racing team from Edmonton Alberta delivered big time and more during the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage series  season conclusion event at Bakersfield.

Racing the rather revolutionary and cutting edge new Troy Lee Designs Chevy Camaro which debuted only last summer, rookie Nitro FC class racer Ryan Hodgson’s first win really was an enormous one — coming during the prestigious 2015 version California Hot Rod Reunion®

Simply put, the effort put forward at Bakersfield by that talented and visionary Canadian team this weekend was both “top shelf” and dominating.   They ran the tables at the race – qualifying #1 at 5.642 secs (low ET) and setting top speed of the event at 262.28 mph (the only 260+ mph FC at the race).

In the championship finals, Ryan defeated Jason Rupert (the recently crowned IHRA World Champ) with a 5.722 seconds at 255.63 mph capper which beat the 5.817 at 249.21 run posted by Rupert in the feared Bays & Rupert “Black Plague” Chevy Camaro.
“You go out there know it is running so good and you just get in your groove and keep on, keeping on and race,” Hodgson said. “My team is everything and I’m just the smallest part of this thing and I get it down the track. These guys bend over backwards. Every time we race, these guys are real important to everything.”

Prior to the final round, the race team which co-sponsored by Castrol Canada, Ron Hodgson Chevrolet-Buick-GMC and Ace Manufacturing, overseen by Ryan’s father Ron Hodgson and includes key partners Harold Parfett (from Alberta) and wily tuner Bob Papirnik (from BC), had defeated the machines campaigned by Danny Gerber, James Day and Mark Sanders.

Ryan’s win came over the quickest assembly of Nostalgia Nitro Funny Cars in NHRA history with the bump spot being a 5.898 secs.  33 cars were entered for the class!
The event also declared the 2015  NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series Funny Car points championship, Steven Densham was able to outlast the competition to claim his first crown. The second-generation racer secured the title during the course of competition on Sunday.
“It’s an amazing feeling and we have had a pretty good year all year long,” Densham said. “We ended winning the championship and I’m super excited it happened.”

Steven is the son of long time NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car driver Gary Densham who is the team owner of the championship-winning car.
“He has done very well throughout his career and you can’t take anything away from him,” Steven said of his father who has won eight NHRA national events in his career. “How hard he has worked and well he has done with the very little money he had with the big car. It is always great to have my dad as a big part of that. He is the one that makes the car run so well.”

(Canada’s Nathan Sitko qualified #12 running a personal bet of 5.81secs)

(Kris Krabill finished 2nd in the points championship by only 6 points)

(John Hale ran a special tribute body for Jim Dunn who was the events Grand Marshall)

(Marc White’s great looking (Crop Duster) Monza was just one of the 34 cars entered for the NFC class!)

Posted with files by Bruce Biegler & NHRA Communications