Night of Champions held honoring the Pro Modified Racing Association, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, and the Pro Bike & Sled Series
Drag race series pays honor to the teams of the 2013 racing season
BURLINGTON, ONTARIO (November 16, 2025) – The annual Night of Champions was recently held for the Pro Modified Racing Association, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, and the Pro Bike & Sled Series.
This is the season-ending event for all three drag race series, and honors the teams for their efforts throughout the racing season.
For 2013, the banquet was held at the Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington, Ontario, and hosted by Bill Mehlenbacher.
With the three vehicles of each series champion on display, the top five teams from each series were presented with their awards.
For the PMRA, which completed its ninth year of operation, the top five were champion Rocky Di Lecce of Mississauga, Ontario, followed by the Grainy Brothers of North Tonawanda, New York, Bruce Boland of Stoney Creek, Ontario, Derek Hawker of Corbyville, Ontario, and Paolo Giust of Osgoode, Ontario.
Rocky Di Lecce – 2013 PMRA Champion
CAYUGA, ONTARIO (November 12, 2025) – It just couldn’t get much better for Rocky Di Lecce in 2013.
The Pro Modified racer from Mississauga, Ontario won a record-setting five events for one season in the Pro Modified Racing Association, winning the Championship Point Award Series in fine style.
Di Lecce also captured a special Pro Mod Invitational held at Maryland International Raceway in September in an inaugural Canada-versus-USA matchup, besting some of the finest Pro Mod teams in the Eastern US.
“This year went well, I’m happy with it,” said Di Lecce, who has now completed his second full year of PMRA competition. “But I’ve still a ways to go,” he continued. “I was still on a learning cycle this year.”
For a new racer in the Pro Modified ranks, Di Lecce, a former OSCA champion, has been a quick study with solid qualifying attempts at all PMRA events in 2013, and a consistency that brought he and the rest of the Metro Infrastructure Inc. team success.
Countdown to the 2013 Championship
The Grainy Brothers – Second Place
CAYUGA, ONTARIO (October 29, 2025) – Long-time veteran competitors Jack and Sonny Grainy had an admirable year with the Pro Modified Racing Association, finishing second in the Championship Point Award Series for 2013.
With Jack Grainy driving the Grainy Brothers Camaro Pro Modified, the team from North Tonawanda New York qualified for the season opener in Martin Michigan third and ran some laps to the semi-final.
Qualifying sixth for the next race, at the Cayuga Dragway of Toronto Motorsports Park, Grainy was out in the first round, but for the next event, also at Cayuga, he made it to the semi-final again.
For the fourth race, the Canadian Nitro Nationals at Cayuga, he started fourth on the ladder and was eliminated in the first round. He was also eliminated in the first round after qualifying seventh at the next event held at the Grand Bend Motorplex, and the team finished the season at Grand Bend with a sixth qualifying spot and a first-round loss.
Countdown to the 2013 Championship
Bruce Boland – Third Place
CAYUGA, ONTARIO (October 23, 2025) – Veteran Pro Modified Racing Association driver Bruce Boland has been known for showing up at the track with a new race car each season. He has always been able to get the maximum out of his race cars, and 2013 was no exception, as the Stoney Creek Ontario driver placed third in PMRA Championship Point Award Series.
Starting with his 1953 Corvette Pro Modified for the season opener at Martin, Michigan, Boland qualified number two but could not make the elimination rounds. After doing some damage to his car during testing for the next event at the Cayuga Dragway of Toronto Motorsports Park and not being able to compete, Boland got back in the hunt qualifying fifth for the next event at Cayuga, and going into the semi-final.
Countdown to the 2013 Championship
Derek Hawker – Fourth Place
CAYUGA, ONTARIO (October 17, 2025) – Driving a new car for most of the 2013 Pro Modified Racing Association Series, Derek Hawker placed fourth in the Championship Point Award Series for the season.
Hawker, of Corbyville, Ontario competed in all of the PMRA points races of the year, using his 1963 Corvette and then a new 1968 Firebird-bodied Pro Modified after a crash during the season.
He qualified fifth with his Corvette at the season opener in Martin, Michigan, and was eliminated in the semi-final. He did not participate in eliminations during the second race after crashing his Corvette at the Cayuga Dragway of Toronto Motorsports Park, but with his new Firebird ready to go for the next event, qualified third and was taken out in the first round.
