Racing a family pastime for New York PMRA team
Pro Modified entry just part of Guenther Racing
CAYUGA, ONTARIO (July 26, 2007) – For the New York-based Guenther family, drag racing is a big part of their lives.
Before Mike and Rhonda Guenther’s children were in their teens, son Matt and daughter Jennifer were running up and down the quarter mile.
Both were Junior Dragster drivers, and when the time came, both were enrolled in Frank Hawley’s drag racing school.
Since he started racing in 1992 when he was eight, Matt has progressed through to quicker cars with a Quick Rod car, and then into a Top Sportsman in 2003.
In his first year of Pro Modified Racing Association competition, Matt pilots the Guenther Racing 1941 Willys Pro Modified, and he and the team, who are presently 10th in the points race, will be on hand at the upcoming Third Annual PMRA Challenge presented by G-Force Race Cars, Grainy’s Automotive, and Niagara Auto at Lancaster Raceway Park this coming Sunday.
Team owner Mike Guenther, and father to both, raced when he was younger, and said his inspiration for racing came from his older brother who drove to the 1967 NHRA Super Stock title with his 1965 Hemi-powered Mopar.
But now, the Livonia, NY, Guenther Performance auto shop owner is content to watch his children race. A Super Gas Corvette driven by 20-year old daughter Jennifer, rides along with the Willys in the Guenther hauler, and the group is always busy with one or both cars in the pits, along with crew chief Jerry Highway.
The Willys Pro Modified is one of the few nitrous-powered Pro Modifieds in the PMRA, and Mike admitted they are still trying to find the combination.
“It’s got more power than we’re used to,” said Matt. “Our goal has not been obtained yet.” At the recent IHRA Mopar Canadian Nationals in Grand Bend, Guenther ran three qualifiers in Top Sportsman, but the car’s performance so far has not been satisfactory.
Meanwhile Jennifer qualified her Vette number one in Super Rod, and made it into the third round before being eliminated.
The Guenthers treat their racing as a family pastime. Matt, who has engineering degrees, is now working on his MBA, and Jennifer is in college with the goal of becoming an art teacher.
“The kids truly enjoy the racing,” said Mike. “If they didn’t like it, I wouldn’t have them do it.
The team is sponsored by Honeoye Auto Parts and Mike Mastin Engineering.
The Third Annual PMRA Challenge presented by G-Force Race Cars, Grainy's Automotive, and Niagara Auto, will take place Sunday, July 29 at Lancaster Raceway Park, just outside of Buffalo, in Clarence, New York.
There will be two sessions of PMRA qualifying at 1:45 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., with the four quickest teams returning for the final eliminations at 4:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Joining the PMRA at Toronto Motorsports Park will be the CAN-AM Stock/Super Stock Series. This popular grass-roots drag series that features competitors from Ontario, New York and Michigan, was formed in 1996, and continues to grow each season.
For more information about Lancaster Raceway Park, call (716) 759-6818 or visit -- Welcome to Lancaster Raceway Park --
Now in its third year of operation, The Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA) has enjoyed strong fan popularity and will present some of the best in Pro Modified racing for 2007.
The PMRA will travel to several drag strips in 2007, including two dates at Toronto Motorsports Park, Lancaster Raceway Park in New York State, Sanair in Quebec, and the Southwestern Ontario track of Grand Bend Motorplex.
In 2006, the tour was a great success, and during the past two seasons of the PMRA, each event finished with a different winner. Joe Boniferro and Kasey Janzen tied in points last year and were crowned co-champions over the other Ontario, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania teams. Wix Filtration Products, Valvoline, a division of Ashland Inc., Uni-Select, and Moen Incorporated will sponsor the PMRA point series in 2007.
For more information, contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher [email protected]
About the Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA):
The Pro Modified Racing Association, Pro Modified Racing Association, started late in 2004 and is entering its third year of operation. The PMRA is a self-governing organization, with technical and safety rules as outlined by the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) and the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). Cars in the PMRA capture the true spirit of hot rodding, and the class is one of drag racing’s most exciting and volatile classes, offering a diverse group of racecars with different types of 2,000-horsepower engines. Combining classic body styles and modern equipment, constructors are permitted, within established rules and parameters, to modify and enhance the cars in both appearance and performance. The cars are fuelled by gasoline or methanol, propelling them down the quarter-mile in low six-second times at over 200 miles per hour. The PMRA provides drag race fans the opportunity to see, hear, and experience the popular Pro Modifieds, known as "the world's fastest door slammers".
