WDRA Canadian Nationals celebrates 25 years at Grand Bend Motorplex

The Grand Bend Motorplex celebrated the 25th WDRA Canadian Nationals over the Civic Holiday weekend. CTV London's Brent Lale was there.

Drag racing fans packed the Grand Bend Motorplex over the Civic Holiday weekend to celebrate the 25th WDRA Canadian Nationals.

“Hat’s off to them, they’ve got a clean, beautiful facility and the racetrack is like second to none,” said London’s Paul Noakes, who runs a Nostalgia Funny Car and has raced since the inaugural event. “They just know how to bring in the right cars and the right amount of people. The parking lot was full and the grandstand was full for first night of qualifying. I couldn’t believe how many people were actually here.”

Immaculate weather drew approximately 10,000 people to the track to see the Pro Mod, Top Sportsman/Dragster, Nostalgia Nitro Funny, and Alcohol funny cars, as well as the Jet Truck.

“So many new fans that come here that have discovered the sport of drag racing and have discovered the Grand Bend Motorplex,” said Todd Paton, and they come here now year after year, saying they can’t believe that they didn’t do this before. “It’s a phenomenal facility. We were here for like, the very first time it reopened back in the mid 90s. Ran our alcohol funny car here. And then over the years, coming back with the fuel dragster and all that. It’s just, there’s a lot of racing history here. There’s been a lot of big moments here.”

One of those came during the first ever Canadian Nationals.

Clay Millican taking on Shirley Muldowney in the Championship final.

“It seems like yesterday and Paul (Spriet, track owner) had to remind me who I ran in the final and what the results were,” said Muldowney, 85, who was acting as Grand Marshal Saturday in Grand Bend.

The “First Lady of Drag Racing” was on hand to sign autographs and meet fans.

“The area is beautiful, and it makes me kind of want to leave the States sometimes,” she told CTV News. “I used to kind of come through this area, on my way to New York to sneak through Ontario. I love Canada. I got to spend two months at the Montreal General Hospital, and that’s some time I’ll never forget. The Canadians treated me royally.”

That hospital trip was in 1984 after her car veered off the track at 250 mph due to front-tire failure at the Molson Grand Nationals. She suffered broken legs and required multiple surgeries and extensive physical therapy.

Muldowney said, “Once you’ve been to a live event, you can’t stay away.”

That is true for many who make it a family affair.

Whether its attending races with your family members or racing with them like Noakes.

His daughter Brooklyn runs in the Top Dragster series locally and the NHRA Super Comp class.

His father Brian attends the races by their side.

“My dad’s now involved with me with the race car and my daughter gets to play with that car now a full time, so we just love it as a family,” said Noakes. “My father’s been driving me on getting a car again, so we wanted to go the Nostalgia route rather than the Alcohol (Funny Car). We wanted to get back in a little slower pace and have fun. It’s a little less maintenance involved but we at least go fast.”