Elliott Wins Quick 32 Series Labour Day Weekend NHRA Diamond Wally
SEPT 10
With the sun already beyond the horizon and darkness settling in over the historic dragstrip at Toronto Motorsports Park, just two competitors remained in competition to complete the NHRA Canadian National Open Series Labour Day Spectacular event. One of those competitors, Jory Elliott, driving the Northern Force Racing Dragster, was in his second final round in just eight days, and looking for redemption after finishing as the runner-up during the Race of Champions, contested as part of the NHRA Canadian Bracket Finals.
The weekend started inauspiciously, after both car and driver failed to live up to expectations during the Saturday portion of the event, where the team was competing for a victory in the Super Comp category. And while they returned Sunday morning optimistic about their chances at a win, the day started out as the previous one had ended, with mechanical issues stealing the teams first, and only, qualifying shot in Super Comp action.
“After a bad day at the track, you always show up optimistic the next day that you’ll turn the page, but when we popped the cap off the cooling system on the car in Q1of Super Comp I really thought that was the end of our weekend because we only had one qualifier Sunday. And because we didn’t stage the car, we never officially got on the qualifying sheet for the race,” said Elliott.
But all was not lost for the team, whose dragster can fit into several categories, including the Top Dragster class that was being contested on this weekend as well. So, with permission from NHRA officials to enter that class for the remainder of the event, the team went to work repairing their entry for the second and final qualifying shot in the Quick 32 Top Sportsman/Top Dragster Series race.
“We knew we’d have our work cut out for us going into eliminations with just one qualifier in Top Dragster trim, if we could even get the car repaired in time,” stated Elliott. “Luckily, my dad is one of the most prepared and knowledgeable Crew Chiefs in the pits, and had the appropriate spare parts on-hand to fix the issue and get us up there for that second qualifying session.”
Qualifying 7th in the eight-car Top Dragster field, with a 5.07 elapsed time, Elliott had his work cut out for him throughout the day. That ‘work’ included taking out the previous events winner, Brooklyn Noakes, in the Top Dragster final round, which came down to a .0022 margin of victory, which earned him the ‘Bounty Hunter’ Award presented by Engineered Racing Services.
“They don’t get any better than that. Drivers separated by one-thousandth on the starting line and cars that run within one to two thousandths of their dial-ins makes for incredible racing,” Elliott said. “When I pulled up for that Top Dragster final it wasn’t lost on me at all that Brook had won six rounds of racing in a row to get to that point. It was pretty well like a bulldozer was about to run over a pile of mulch.”
Also of note, that Top Dragster final round pitted Hall of Fame Dad’s against one-another, as Paul Noakes (Brook’s dad), and Bob Elliott (Jory’s dad) are both inductees of the Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame.
That incredible race wasn't the end of the day for the Northern Force team though, as they had to complete a winner-take-all final round for the Diamond Wally against the winner of the Top Sportsman side of the eliminations ladder.
That winner was Luke DeJonge of Puslinch, Ontario, driving a nitrous-assisted 2008 Chevy Cobalt that covers the 660’ racing surface in 4.25 seconds. That meant Elliott would leave the starting line first by more than three-quarters of a second and be chased down by DeJonge at the finish line.
With the sunset gloam beyond the grandstands and the track lights illuminating the racing surface, the two competitors pulled together a solid contest, with Elliott coming out on top at both ends of the track, leaving the starting line first with an .014 reaction time and running 5.05 seconds on his 5.03 dial-in to cross the stripe ahead of DeJonge.
“I don’t think I’ve ever screamed so loud and so much in my life,” shared Elliott. “That win meant a lot after the challenges of Saturday and our failed first attempt at the track Sunday morning. Any time you can win, it’s special, but since we lost my mom in March of 2024, my dad and I both can’t help but think about her in those moments and what she would think about ‘her guys’ continuing to have fun and success together.”
Because of the recent success, including that final round appearance a week earlier in the Race of Champions at the NHRA Canadian Bracket Finals and two Super Comp wins to start the season, the team finds itself with an 11-6 round win record on the year.
Next up for the Northern Force Racing team is the DaSilva Racing Shootout at St. Thomas Dragway, September 18-20, where the team will be a featured part of the weekend show. For more information about that event, check out DaSilva Racing on Facebook.
