NHRA rookie Funny Car driver and Canadian resident Todd Lesenko has been able to check a few items off his to-do list this season by touring the United States with the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and getting to race at many of the storied tracks that have made drag racing so popular. He has traveled to new destinations in the U.S. and visited special attractions such as the Empire State Building in Manhattan after the race in Englishtown. Prior to the upcoming O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries in Seattle, Lesenko will get to check another item off his list by visiting the famous Space Needle and having his Jim Dunn Racing/Grime Boss Funny Car on display at the same time.
On Thursday, Aug. 2, from 1 to 2 p.m., fans in the Seattle area will be able to meet Lesenko and get autographs and pictures with him and the Grime Boss Funny Car at the Space Needle.
Drag racing fans in the U.S. have embraced Lesenko, a native of Edmonton, Alta., and a significant number are following him on his popular Twitter account, @JDunnRacing. They particularly like to connect with him at pre-race activities.
“My wife and I have really enjoyed NHRA’s Western Swing, traveling from Denver to Sonoma and now to Seattle these past three weeks, stopping to meet so many new fans along the way,” said Lesenko. “We had a blast signing autographs at the Mopar Big Block Party in Colorado prior to the Mile-High Nationals and answering fan questions at the Wine Country Winner’s Circle Q&A during the Sonoma race weekend. This week, I am excited to have the Grime Boss Funny Car on display and participate in the NHRA event press conference at the Space Needle in Seattle. This is fun stuff and provides great exposure for our sponsors like Grime Boss hand wipes, AGI, a Uni-Select member in Canada, and Jerry’s Auto Supply here in the Seattle area.”
In addition to his growing fan base in the U.S., Lesenko is importing a fairly good-sized crowd from Canada for the Seattle race and has a ready-made local audience attending through Jerry’s Auto Supply stores in the area. “Whether it’s at my Fountain Tire Store in Edmonton or at any of the seven Jerry’s Auto Supply stores in eastern Washington, we share Uni-Select’s commitment to quality parts, fair prices, and excellent customer service. I’m proud to have the great folks from Jerry’s Auto Supply as part of my team this weekend in Seattle.”
Once the pre-race festivities have concluded, Lesenko will climb into the Grime Boss Funny Car beginning with the opening qualifying session on Friday, Aug. 3, at Pacific Raceways to focus on winning his first NHRA national event in the nitro Funny Car category.