Peak Performance Sportsman Racer of the Month: Ty Gaynor
Last month, Phil Unruh was crowned the Peak Performance Sportsman Racer of the Month for June due to his historic double at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk. With that in mind, it should be no surprise that Ty Gaynor is July’s Peak Sportsman Racer of the Month after pulling off a similar feat at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle.
Gaynor joined an exclusive club when he won the final rounds in both Super Stock and Top Dragster. He is just the 32nd driver to double up at an NHRA national event, and at 18, he’s the youngest driver to accomplish that feat.
In Super Stock, Gaynor opened with a win over Scott Burton, and in the final, he was paired against Burton’s son, two-time world champion Brad Burton. Gaynor left first and sealed the win with a 9.15 on his 9.14 dial.
Gaynor’s performance in Top Dragster might have been even more impressive as he closed out the double with three straight .00 lights, including a .005 in the final to help key a win against Don Sefton.
As a result of his historic double, Gaynor is one of the leading contenders for the championship in Right Trailers Top Dragster, and he’s got a promising score in Super Stock.
Honorable mentions
Joe Carnasciale had another productive month in his quest to win the Comp championship as he drove to wins at the Division 1 events at Numidia Dragway and Lebanon Valley Raceway.
Joe Santangelo also posted two wins in Division 1 in Stock eliminator. Santangelo has not raced much in Stock this year, but he has an impressive average score through five events.
Trey Vetter also earned a pair of 75th anniversary diamond Wallys in July with wins in Super Comp at both the Sonoma Raceway national and divisional events.
Reigning Comp champ Jeff Taylor had a productive month with a win and a runner-up at the Division 5 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at SRCA Dragstrip. Taylor has been to four events this season and has three wins and a runner-up.
Bryan Warr enjoyed a great month in Right Trailers Top Sportsman with a runner-up at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals presented by PowerEdge followed by a win at the Seattle national event on back-to-back weekends.
Justin Picillo sits just outside the Top 10 in Super Stock following a month where he scored a win and a runner-up at the two Division 1 Lucas Oil Series races.