2020 Race Dates

April 24-26 Spring Spectacular Indoor Car Show (Registration Form)

May 16-17 Test and Tune (Member’s Only)

June 13-14 Foster's Auto Parts & Agri World Spring Opener 1/8 Mile Bracket Races (Pts 1 & 2)

June 27-28 Weekend of Horsepower ¼ Mile Street Legals

July 18-19 1/8 Mile Bracket Points Races (Pts 3 & 4)

August 15 -16 1/8 Mile Bracket Points Races (Pts 5 & 6)

August 29 - 30 Jiffy Lube ¼ Mile Street Car Challenge Weekend

Sept 5-6 1/8 Mile Bracket Points Races (Pts 7 & 8)

Cancellation Dates

June 20-21, July 25-26, August 22-23, Sept 12-13

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‘The smell and the sounds are addictive’: NPBRA closes out racing season

John Watson
More from John Watson

Published on: September 9, 2019 | Last Updated: September 9, 2019 6:24 PM EDT

The Northern Peace Bracket Racing Association (NPBRA) held its final event of the season last weekend, wrapping up with a weekend of burnouts and burgers in the face of rainy conditions.

The event saw racers from categories including bikes, junior dragsters, Street, Box and No-Box cars. The vehicles falling under each class based upon their assembly and overall potential capabilities.

The NPBRA donated a percentage of each racers fee and all proceeds from an A&W tent on site to Bandaged Paws Animal Rescue Association, along with any pet supplies racers brought out with them.

Bracket Event Director Derek “The Eagle” Falconer said it was unfortunate the weather had prevented many people from coming out but was thankful for those who had and their donations.

“The smell and the sounds are addictive,” said Falconer.

“For anyone who’s on the fence about racing we can throw them in a car and usually once they make their first pass they’re hooked.”

Pat’s Auto Supply Motorsports Park, owned by the NPBRA, is a sanctioned track by the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), and sees racers come in from around the province to compete.

Falconer described the track as having a family oriented feel, and said part of the fun of racing is being able to enjoy it with your kids.

Drag racing is a basic, straight-line competition wherein after doing a burnout to warm up the car’s tires and create more traction, two vehicles are staged adjacent to each other awaiting a green light to signal take off. Most races are conducted over 200- or 400-metre tracks, and use a traditional bracket system to determine a victor.

“The beauty of drag racing is you can literally race anything,” said Falconer.

“Last year’s winner was a bone stock three-quarter ton Ram pickup. He hauled his holiday trailer out here with it and then raced and he was the season champ at the end of the year.”

Racers are able to put as little or as much as they want into their vehicle, which will determine which class they will fall into on the track.

“I’m running a Harley against a supercharged Ninja, against a 125cc pitbike.

“These guys with the full blown race cars, that’s the addiction—they just want to go faster.”

Falconer said a stock, automatic transmission vehicle would often stand up to many of the other race cars, simply due to a higher average performance consistency.

According to Falconer, the top speeds of some of the modified dragsters are capable of reaching approaches between 120 and 130 miles per hour, (193-209 km/h) completing the 200-metre track in little more than five to six seconds.

“We’ve got one guy here who made a pass in the street legal event last week—he was like nine-one at 156 miles an hour in the quarter mile,” said Falconer. (9.1-second completion of a 400-metre track, travelling at over 250km/h)

Due to the track being IHRA sanctioned, the track champion in each category, named at the end of the season would receive an invitation to compete at the world finals in Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 17 to 19.

The world finals are an invite-only event that invited only the track champions per category from each sanctioned track to compete for the title on an annual basis.

For Falconer and most members of the NPBRA, their primary goal is simply to maintain their track, and build for themselves a better reputation that attracts more racers.

“For the first few seasons after the club got the track, we had a bad reputation for not having any traction, and late start times,” said Falconer.

“I’ve seen enough today to know the traction’s there so we’re trying to get that reputation gone.”

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NPBRA Member Spotlight.png

Mission Statement: To provide a safe, fun, family friendly environment to promote drag racing.

Vision Statement: We hope to grow as an organization through members, and the youth who will hopefully take over as they get older.

Time to Burn Rubber

If you live in the peace region and like the smell of burnt rubber, exhaust and watching fast cars then you more than likely already know about the North Peace Bracket Racing Association. The volunteer driven non-profit is an active part of the community for the past 27 seasons. Their Drag Races are held at the Pat’s Auto Supply Motorsports Park, located at the Beaverlodge Airport, which the group recently purchased, Bracket Event Director Derek Falconer states “The facility is beautifully maintained by our volunteers, and still serves as a private airport.” He continues “Without volunteers we simply would not exist. We have no paid employees; we depend entirely on our wonderful volunteers.”

Volunteers clean the track after a spill

The race season runs from May to September in that time volunteers help with the races setup and take down of the track, selling memorabilia, fundraisers and more. The group also works with A&W to raise money for the MS Society and local charities. They also hold the annual Spring Spectacular Indoor Car Show & Swap Meet in April at the TARA Centre. NPBRA volunteers also come together to support the community at various events like the County of Grande Prairie Weed Warriors and cleanup programs.

Volunteers participating in Weed Warriors Fundraiser