ABOUT
(Hometown: Paris, Ontario)
In Canadian drag racing, “Captain” Barry Paton is a legendary figure. His career spans from nitro-kart racing to Stock Cars, Nitro Funny Cars, and Top Fuel and throughout his career, he set several records and won countless trophies. For instance, while running the Nova in SS/IA trim, Barry obliterated the NHRA record of 11.08 with an unreal time of 10.83.
But Barry’s career went beyond the driver’s seat, as he was equally intrigued by the tuning challenges of drag racing. This led him to put his son, Todd, behind the wheel, while he tuned the dragster with the help of his younger son, Tony.
Together, the Paton family clinched the IHRA World Championship in 1993, 1995, and 1996. Their Oldsmobile Achieva became the first alcohol funny car to break into the 5.70s at Indianapolis, with a historic U.S. Nationals win.
The Paton Racing team continues to compete with their Top Fuel dragsters, continuing the legacy of “Captain” Barry Paton.