The 2009, “A Decade of Racing”, Championship was won by Cliff Canucci of Portland, OR Sunday at State Line Speedway in Post Falls, ID.
Canucci first attended a Competitive Edge Racing School program back in 2000 at Portland Speedway and since then had competed in at least one race in every season of the Competitive Edge Championship Race Series. The 2009 season marked a “Decade of Racing” for the Competitive Edge Development Series which started in 1999 and then moved to State Line Speedway in Post Falls, ID as a home base race track in 2003.
Going into the final weekend Canucci, who had previously finished third in both the 05’ & 06’ seasons, maintained a one point lead over Greg Monk of Florence, MT. Monk won the 08’ Championship in just his 2nd season of racing. Rob Morris of Prosser, WA climbed into a race car for the first time ever in Competitive Edge’s “Test of the Best” program back in May. The “Test of the Best” is a four-day driver’s search which awards the winner the opportunity to race for the entire season and Morris made the best of it finishing third.
The Competitive Edge Racing School was founded in 1997 by Randy Koch, a former professional stock car, open wheel, and formula car driver with his wife Jeneane. Over the past 13 years thousands of students from all over the world have attended the late model stock car racing school. In 1999 Competitive Edge created the only “Arrive & Drive” Private, Professional Racing Series in the Country. Wade Gaughran of Maple Valley, WA won the first season championship and since then past champions and participants such as Justin Marks (NASCAR Truck Series), Ted Mickelson (Pro All Stars Series), Tom Hughs, only 2-time Competitive Edge Champion (NASCAR Weekly Series-Evergreen Speedway), Jessica Cyr (CASCAR), Daniel Boys from Aldershot, England (British Late Model Series) Roger Eagan (Mid American Truck Series), and Daniel Moore (NASCAR Weekly Series-Evergreen Speedway), have all got their start in the Competitive Edge Racing School ladder system.
Sixteen drivers participated in the event with Morris taking the pole position in qualifying on Friday and the (two) “all important qualifying points” that could have decided the championship, away from Monk and Canucci who qualified 2nd and 3rd. Morris then led every lap in the A-heat race with Canucci 2nd, Matt Rosendale from Glendive, MT 3rd and Monk 4th. That gave Canucci another point lead heading into the final race of the season. Again, Morris led from green to checker with Canucci on his bumper to take his 4th win of the season. Canucci held off Monk to win the Championship by just 3 points, the closest finish in Competitive Edge history.
Canucci, a 64 year old Northwestern Mutual Insurance and Investment Advisor, lives in Portland, OR and says he is eager each and every week to make the trip to Post Falls, ID which happens six weekends during the summer for the 14 race series. “Racing is something I have always wanted to do since I can remember. My Dad was a body man and I can remember having the best-looking, worst-running cars in the neighborhood. I knew I was not cut out to work on cars so the thought of owning a race car was just never going to happen for me.” Canucci said, “If it were not for Competitive Edge my dream of racing would have never become a reality.”
For Canucci the dream is not just a reality… it is now a memory that will last a lifetime. For more information on the Competitive Edge Race Series visit their website at www.racingschoolnw.com.
