Leverentz and Kulik team up with new entry for 2009 PMRA Tour

Leverentz and Kulik team up with new entry for 2009 PMRA Tour

Western NY effort will campaign 1967 Camaro with Mopar Wedge for power

ELMA, NEW YORK (April 27, 2009) – A new team that has signed on to compete in the 2009 Pro Modified Racing Association Tour will be applying years of experience in the Pro Modified field.
Headed up by Billy Leverentz, the Oddy Automotive/Kulik Automotive Pro Modified team is well-versed in the class, as Leverentz worked with Pro Modified legend Jim Oddy.

”I worked with Jim for many, many moons,” said Leverentz, who purchased Oddy’s Automotive Inc. “I have built a lot of engines over the years. I got involved with cylinder head work along with camshafts, but I did it all. Jim and I worked well together. We’d try different things and then take it to the track. There were some bizarre combinations, but they usually worked.”

There was a short stint in drag racing with a 13-second 1966 Dodge Charger, but Leverentz said he got involved with truck-pulling, both as a competitor and building engines for the sport.

Although time constraints never permitted a full-out attack in the two-wheel drive Super Modified truck class, the puller was a strong contender before he decided to switch gears somewhat with the Pro Modified. Leverentz continues to be involved in pulling, adding he recently returned from Italy, helping a customer with a new dual Chevy-engine setup that was purchased from him.

The Pro Modified effort will be driven by Dave Kulik Jr., who has been piloting a 1962 Chevy 7.50 Top Sportsman car. Leverentz mentioned his brother Dave will also get behind the wheel of the 1967 Camaro-bodied Pro Modified eventually.

The Camaro, which came from the G-Force Race Cars shops, will be powered by a 440-style supercharged Mopar Wedge engine of 572 cubic inches. Behind the engine is a Lenco three-speed, and on top will be either a Kobelco or SSI blower. He also mentioned a Hemi engine is in the works, but the team will start the season with the Wedge.

Billy Leverentz will be crew chief on the car, with help from his brother Dave, and Joe Kulik.

The team is sponsored by Oddy’s Automotive Inc. and Kulik Automotive at present. Leverentz added that Jim Salemi and G-Force Race Cars will also be a big help for the team.

Leverentz mentioned he is looking forward to competing in the PMRA, and feels having a car that flies the company flag is an important aspect in his business.

“It seems the Pro Modifieds have been around forever, but they are so expensive to race,” he said. “But I couldn’t pass up this deal with G-Force Race Cars to get into the class.

“I’m glad we’ve gotten involved with the PMRA,” he continued. “It’s important to have a race car running out of the shop.”

The PMRA, www.PMRA.ca, will compete at several drag strips in 2009, including dates at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ontario, starting with the season opener on May 16 and 17, June 13 and 14 and the season-closer on September 19 and 20, at St. Thomas Dragway in Sparta, Ontario on July 11 and 12, and the South-western Ontario track of the Grand Bend Motorplex at the 10th Annual MOPAR Canadian Nationals July 17 to 19 and on September 5 and 6.

Several of the PMRA events will be run in conjunction with the Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts, www.Quick32.ca, offering fans a great show of drag racing.

For more information, contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher Bruce@PMRA.ca

About the Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA):

The Pro Modified Racing Association, www.PMRA.ca, was organized late in 2004, started racing operations in 2005, and is entering its fifth year of operation in 2009. The PMRA is a self-governing organization with input from its teams, and adheres to the technical and safety rules as outlined by the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) and the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). The series has event venues in Ontario, Quebec, and New York State.

Cars in the PMRA capture the true spirit of hot rodding, and the class is one of drag racing’s most exciting and colorful classes, offering a diverse group of race cars with different types of 2,500-horsepower supercharged, nitrous powered and turbocharged 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".