It was just under three short years ago late in the 2008 season that Calgary, Alberta, Canada native Jirka Kaplan laid down the shot heard ’round the world, an incredible 6.06-second, 225.71 mph blast from his AA/AM Competition Eliminator ’23 T Altered, in what many consider to be one of the single greatest passes in drag racing history. And now, on his own Canadian soil, Kaplan has trumped that stunning performance with a record-shattering lap that will be will talked about for decades to come.

Image credit: Mike C./Webshots

During Saturday’s final Competition Eliminator qualifying session at the NHRA Northwest Division Lordco Auto Parts BC Nationals at the Mission Raceway Park in Mission, B.C. – a facility known for record-breaking mineshaft conditions – Kaplan blasted his way into drag racing lore with the first five-second pass in the history of the category with a 5.974 at 229.53. In a class where running seven-tenths under the index is mighty impressive, Kaplan’s monstrous effort was a full second and change under the 7.07 AA/AM index. And in cracking the five-second mark, Kaplan pleased the legions of Comp racers and fans by beating the “outsider” Pro Modifieds to the historic benchmark with what most consider to be a legitimate Comp car.

It was at the final Division 7 points meet in Las Vegas in November of 2008 that Kaplan cranked off the mind-numbing 6.06 previous best from the rather small 371 cubic inch, supercharged Rodeck Chevrolet powerplant commanded by famed tuner Les Davenport. Kaplan’s wicked altered now sports a larger Hemi-based mill between the framerails.