Saturday Report
We were only able to closely follow the feature classes, namely Nitro Funny Car, the Rocky Mountain and Northwest BB/Funny Car groups, Pro Street, and Outlaw Street. We did manage to record most of the numbers from the Top Fuel Harleys and Comp Eliminator, but didn't get a chance to write down any details on their runs due to the rapid-fire nature of their sessions. Here is our best effort at record keeping for the Canadian National Open. It's far from the Drag Race Central standard, but it's better than nothing.
COMPETITION ELIMINATOR QUALIFYING - Session 2 Order - 2:00 PM
| POS | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | YEAR - MODEL | CLASS | E.T. | INDEX | UNDER/OVER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rob Harrison | North Vancouver, BC | '05 Cavalier | J/A | 7.680 | 8.33 | -.650 |
| 2 | Dale Giroux | Canyon Creek, AB | '04 Cavalier | B/AA | 7.023 | 7.62 | -.597 |
| 3 | Bob Marshall | Langley, BC | '09 GXP | B/AA | 7.052 | 7.62 | -.568 |
| 4 | Mark Wolfe | Marysville, WA | '94 Thunderbird | AA/AT | 6.513 | 7.04 | -.527 |
| 5 | Jim Warter | Olalla, WA | '92 Camaro | H/A | 8.730 | 9.24 | -.510 |
| 6 | Terry Spargo | Delta, BC | '02 Cavalier | A/AP | 6.671 | 7.17 | -.499 |
| 7 | Casey Plazier | Edmonton, AB | '04 Cavalier | B/SMA | 8.197 | 8.67 | -.473 |
| 8 | Aaron Strong | Auburn, WA | '05 Cavalier | F/A | 8.272 | 8.62 | -.348 |
| 9 | Craig Donaldson | Victoria, BC | '04 Grand-Am | A/A | 6.847 | 7.11 | -.263 |
| 10 | Bruce Perkin | Maple Ridge, BC | '96 Beretta | E/A | 8.312 | 8.36 | -.048 |
| 11 | Grant Klohn | Victoria, BC | '90 Probe | B/A | 7.835 | 7.56 | +.275 |
| 12 | Ray Hadford | Everett, WA | '02 Spitzer | A/ND | 9.065 | 7.42 | +1.645 |
| 13 | Maureen Jondahl | Ridgefield, WA | '92 Firebird | G/AA | 14.695 | 8.91 | +5.785 |
TOP FUEL HARLEY QUALIFYING - Session 1 Order - 2:10 PM
| POS | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | YEAR - MODEL | E.T. | M.P.H. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Breckenridge | Sultan, WA | '08 Rigid | 6.623 | 201.79 |
| 2 | Nate Gagnon | Errington, BC | '09 Fastlane | 6.670 | 213.01 |
| 3 | Miko Pelrine | Bruderhelm, AB | '97 Harley | 6.803 | 202.20 |
| 4 | Ken Kent | Edmonton, AB | '07 Weekend | 6.931 | 195.95 |
| 5 | Ron Houniet | Maple Ridge, BC | '08 Weekend | 7.034 | 168.50 |
| 6 | Devin Pelrine | Lamont, AB | '07 Harley | 7.298 | 196.50 |
| 7 | Toni Froehling | Sumner, WA | '06 Harley | 8.520 | 143.15 |
| 8 | Mike Scott | Fort St. John, BC | '07 Weekend | 10.046 | 111.82 |
| 9 | Jim Schellenberg | Surrey, BC | '00 Harley | 10.542 | 88.66 |
| 10 | Damian Cowden | Victoria, BC | '03 Harley | 18.643 | 59.56 |
| 11 | Jason Arkinstall | Surrey, BC | '03 Weekend | NTR | NSR |
PRO STREET QUALIFYING - Session 1 Order - 2:30 PM
| POS | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | YEAR - MODEL | E.T. | M.P.H. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yvonne Lucas | Maple Valley, WA | '68 Camaro | 6.489 | 217.07 |
| 2 | Keith Korecki | Kelowna, BC | '67 Mustang | 6.599 | 213.11 |
| 3 | Garrett Richards | Tacoma, WA | '06 Silverado | 6.618 | 218.55 |
| 4 | Trevor Lowe | Agassiz, BC | '57 Bel Air | 6.890 | 223.93 |
| 5 | Ken Sihota | Langley, BC | '00 Firebird | 6.960 | 178.89 |
| 6 | Kerry Stone | Winfield, BC | '68 Camaro | 6.962 | 205.80 |
| 7 | Dave Magee | Surrey, BC | '66 Valiant | 7.026 | 176.05 |
| 8 | Jay Syvertsen | Burnaby, BC | '38 Chev | 7.674 | 145.77 |
| 9 | Darryl Stone | Winfield, BC | '67 Nova | 10.324 | 83.76 |
| 10 | Roy Moznik | Surrey, BC | '69 El Camino | 10.803 | 73.36 |
| 11 | Steve Horn | Burnaby, BC | '66 Acadian | 10.997 | 121.21 |
OUTLAW STREET QUALIFYING - Session 2 Order - 3:00 PM
| POS | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | YEAR - MODEL | E.T. | M.P.H. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dale Moznik | Surrey, BC | '68 El Camino | 6.826 | 207.99 |
| 2 | Dean Branham | Androssan, AB | '64 Barracuda | 7.371 | 203.25 |
| 3 | Mike Hawkins | 8.860 | 150.50 |
Random Pit Notes - 4:20 PM
It's hot - stinkin' hot - out here. Oh, for some of that cool May air; minus the moisture of course. I can't complain as the sun is nice, but just dial back the temperature a bit, please. Here are some random observations after a half day at the track.
Is flat black the new neon pink? What is with this current obsession with black cars, black wheels, black tires - okay, maybe we don't have too many options with the rubber. But the rest of the car needs some colour. Yes, a clean, shiny black car looks great on the street and it can look very cool sitting in the pits. However, when you bring it out to the starting line and make a run, can anyone see where the car ends and the pavement starts? Take a good look at photos of your car and can you see the definition with nothing to offset the blackness? Come on guys, let's put some colour on the cars, make them photogenic and then everyone can enjoy looking at them. A black car used to stand out, used to be different, but now they're like belly buttons: almost everyone has one. Enough already!
Continuing in my rant mode: would it break the budget to buy some stick-on lettering with say, the driver's name or the owner's name or the car number (no, not bloody shoe polish) and put them on the car. In a spot where they can be seen. Or consider possibly painting or wrapping some name(s) on the car and making it identifiable instead of just another "Camaro" or "someone's 'Cuda" or "that 'Vette" - you know, the blue one. Come on, let's get with it folks, a proper paint and lettering job on a race car shows that you care about how you look and how you want to present yourself to other people. Like possible fans or sponsors, maybe?
Before I move on to some other complaint, I've got to compliment the Rocky Mountain Funny Car Association for another of their awesome barbecues last night. Those folks know how to race, how to eat, and how to party. Their generosity and hospitality are second to none and a very big thank you to all of them from Northern Thunder. Yes, the food was that good and the refreshments were much appreciated at the end of a long, hot day.
While enjoying my dinner, Mark Hentges came by from the Bucky Austin pits - actually, right across the road - and we spent a few minutes talking about what he's up to these days. "With the economy still down, there just isn't enough cash flow from my business (yes, it's still Air-Time Aviation) to fund a serious Top Alcohol car anymore, but this deal with Bucky is great. I get to drive and work on the car, but I don't have to live with it. I can drop into his shop a few nights a week; work on the car and then go home afterwards, without it being a 24/7 deal like my dragster was."
Mark is obviously happy with how things are going this weekend and he's getting more seat time in the car and really enjoying the improvements as they move down the e.t. ladder towards the 5-second zone. "It is a little difficult to see out of though, as it seems Pleuger builds his cars for really short guys, and my helmet's up against the roof, even though I'm not that tall. But it's a fun drive and quite a change from a rear-engine car. Lots more to do." It's good to see Hentges out here racing again, and working with Bucky, whom he's known for a long time, and their owner-driver relationship seems solid, for now.
Shifting gears to "street" cars, I'm really impressed with the quantity (over a dozen) and quality (lots of 6-second cars) of the Outlaw and Pro Street cars this weekend. They've laid down some great passes and more are expected later today and tomorrow. A good show from a group that's tended to be a bit hit and miss over the years. But they're running strong on all cylinders this weekend.
Another pleasant note is the size of the crowd, which is pretty good for a hot Saturday afternoon, but with the focus on nitro funny cars this evening, the crowd will hopefully build up over the next two or three hours. As it is, the race looks to be in good shape financially, but a sellout crowd certainly wouldn't hurt Mission Raceway's bottom line and it couldn't hurt the cause of the racers who are being featured at this national open. A win-win-win situation for the track, the racers, and the fans.
One more observation before we head down to the starting line for the funny car lineup: the Comp eliminator field is decent in size, and excellent in quality, with quite a few national event calibre cars throughout the field. Leading the way as usual these days is North Vancouver's Rob Harrison, closely followed by fellow Canuck racers Dale Giroux, Bob Marshall and Terry Spargo. A fast bunch to be sure. Next item on the agenda is the funny car lineup and possible cacklefest. Time to get out the camera and get moving. More notes later.
Random Pit Notes - 6:00 PM
The funny car lineup is over and the cars are looping around the return road and gathering in the staging lanes for the first round of qualifying, which is scheduled to start in less than an hour. The "cacklefest" was restricted to just a couple of the Rocky Mountain cars (can you guess which ones? of course, the Drayton Valley boys), but the spectacle of all 24 funny cars lined up facing the crowd (half facing the spectator side and half facing the tower side) was something to see. Very impressive and very popular with the crowd.
While waiting for the serious stuff to run I'm sitting in the shade beside the tower and comparing notes with tech guru Greg Park, who I find has something in common with me. Other than being old. Unbeknownst to either of us we underwent heart bypass operations last summer in the same hospital, two days apart and three rooms down the hall from each other. Amazingly, we never bumped into each other in our laps around the ward or any of the other places we spent time in during our stay in hospital. Just like me, Greg's feeling and looking better than ever and just generally happy to be here after a life-changing experience. Same here.
While chatting, we're occasionally drowned out by the incredibly loud junior dragster engines burning out and launching not far from us. Someone at the table asks just how powerful they are, and my guess is something like 30 or 40 hp. "No way", says Greg. "They've dynoed some of those engines and the highest numbers I've seen so far are 87 horsepower." Eighty-seven horses from a one-cylinder "lawnmower" engine? Incredible. Now I don't have to wonder why they're turning 1/8-th mile times in the 7's at speeds over 80 mph. Man, they've come a long way since the inception of the class. A long way in performance and an even longer way in cost. Isn't that just the way this sport works?
Before the fast guys fire up I've got some temperature readings to pass on: the track temp was 125 F at 4:00 pm, but it's cooled down all the way to 112 F now. Hot, but quite manageable. The peak readings this afternoon were as high as 130 F on some people's heat guns, and that's getting into the slippery zone. By the time the nitro cars hit the track at 7:00, the numbers should be just over 100 F and almost perfect for good traction.
Looks like the Pro and Outlaw Street cars will run next, followed by the Top Fuel Harleys, then into the Funny Cars.
OUTLAW STREET QUALIFYING - Session 2 Order - 6:20 PM
| POS | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | YEAR - MODEL | E.T. | M.P.H. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dale Moznik | Surrey, BC | '68 El Camino | 6.826 | 207.99 |
| 2 | Dean Branham | Androssan, AB | '64 Barracuda | 7.020 | 206.99 |
| 3 | Mike Hawkins | 8.860 | 150.50 |
PRO STREET QUALIFYING - Session 2 Order - 6:30 PM
| POS | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | YEAR - MODEL | E.T. | M.P.H. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yvonne Lucas | Maple Valley, WA | '68 Camaro | 6.489 | 217.07 |
| 2 | Keith Korecki | Kelowna, BC | '67 Mustang | 6.599 | 213.11 |
| 3 | Garrett Richards | Tacoma, WA | '06 Silverado | 6.618 | 218.55 |
| 4 | Roy Moznik | Surrey, BC | '69 El Camino | 6.757 | 209.83 |
| 5 | Dale Pedersen | Fort St. John, BC | '99 Monte Carlo | 6.770 | 210.52 |
| 6 | Trevor Lowe | Agassiz, BC | '57 Bel Air | 6.890 | 223.93 |
| 7 | Ken Sihota | Langley, BC | '00 Firebird | 6.960 | 178.89 |
| 8 | Kerry Stone | Winfield, BC | '68 Camaro | 6.962 | 205.80 |
| 9 | Dave Magee | Surrey, BC | '66 Valiant | 7.026 | 176.05 |
| 10 | Darryl Stone | Winfield, BC | '67 Nova | 7.239 | 201.56 |
| 11 | Jay Syvertsen | Burnaby, BC | '38 Chev | 7.674 | 145,77 |
| 12 | Trevor Willms | Seattle, WA | '05 Corvette | 8.484 | 162.33 |
| 13 | Steve Horn | Burnaby, BC | '66 Acadian | 10.630 | 89.06 |
| 14 | Mark Wolfe | Marysville, WA | '94 Thunderbird | 11.660 | 85.63 |
TOP FUEL HARLEY QUALIFYING - Session 2 Order - 6:50 PM
| POS | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | YEAR - MODEL | E.T. | M.P.H. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nate Gagnon | Errington, BC | '09 Fastlane | 6.580 | 209.64 |
| 2 | John Breckenridge | Sultan, WA | '08 Rigid | 6.600 | 189.55 |
| 3 | Mike Scott | Fort St. John, BC | '07 Weekend | 6.760 | 211.21 |
| 4 | Ron Houniet | Maple Ridge, BC | '08 Weekend | 6.820 | 210.63 |
| 5 | Damian Cowden | Victoria, BC | '03 Harley | 6.823 | 201.25 |
| 6 | Miko Pelrine | Bruderhelm, AB | '97 Harley | 6.880 | 202.65 |
| 7 | Ken Kent | Edmonton, AB | '07 Weekend | 6.931 | 195.95 |
| 8 | Devin Pelrine | Lamont, AB | '07 Harley | 7.298 | 196.50 |
| 9 | Toni Froehling | Sumner, WA | '06 Harley | 8.520 | 143.15 |
| 10 | Jim Schellenberg | Surrey, BC | '00 Harley | 10.542 | 88.66 |
| 11 | Jason Arkinstall | Surrey, BC | '03 Weekend | NTR | NSR |
After a long day of anticipation, and a great fan-friendly lineup of all 24 Funny Cars on the track at 6:00 pm, with a few cars even firing up for a short time, the moment to make it all really happen has finally arrived. No rain or even a hint of anything untoward weatherwise is on the horizon and conditions are near perfect for some great nitro funny car racing in the early evening air. With sunset still nearly two hours distant, the chances for header flames are minimal, but the crackle of nitro engines at idle, the acrid fumes in the air and the burnout smoke are all everyone had come to experience. Let's fire that first pair!
Nitro Funny Car Qualifying - Session 1
| Tim Nemeth | 5.91 | 243.30 | |
| Andy Beauchemin | 6.21 | 229.33 |
Leading off the evening were an all-Canadian pair, with Alberta's Beauchemin looking to run strongly after a great performance at Edmonton's Rocky Mountain Nationals last month. His opponent, Chilliwack's Tim Nemeth, wanted to move forward from his low 6-second passes at Edmonton to his first five-second nitro lap and was determined to do it tonight. Less than six seconds after the twin greens at the starting line, the verdict came up on the scoreboard and Nemeth had his five, along with a big speed of 243 mph. Beauchemin ran decently, but was well back at the stripe with his 6.21 pass. All in all, a great start to nitro qualifying.
| Tim Boychuk | 5.72 | 249.44 | |
| Mark Hentges | 6.08 | 230.17 |
With a pair of "Ironman" trophies earned at his last race, the Rocky Mtn. Nationals, Boychuk was looking to continue his current hot streak with some solid passes this weekend. With best numbers of 5.81 and 247 mph at Edmonton, in very thin air, Boychuk wanted a little more here and he got it with a huge 5.72 - 249 mph blast to trainlength an otherwise good effort by Mark Hentges. That run not only gave Tim the track e.t. and speed record for nostalgia nitro funny car, it also eclipsed all records for the category in Canada. Awesome.
| Mark Sanders | 5.83 | 245.90 | |
| Todd Losenko | 9.96 | 76.75 |
In another re-run pairing from Edmonton, Mark "Mr. Explosive" Sanders wanted to back up his excellent, but engine blowing, 5.83 pass from yesterday's test session. He did it, almost down to the thousandth in e.t., and even better, kept the rods (and other internals) intact. Losenko lit the tires early and shutoff to an idling 9-second lap.
| Clint Thompson | 8.39 | 102.90 | |
| Tom Padilla | 6.98 | 150.75 |
This matchup had photo-op written all over it, with Thompson still coming to grips with the all-new (to him) world of nitro racing, and Padilla's car being tuned by the human timebomb, Dave "Nasty" Benjamin, a thowback to the early days of fuel funny car racing, where fires and explosions were more common than winlights. After a reasonably close start, Thompson started falling back before half track, while Padilla stayed with it a little longer and coasted into the #6 spot on the ladder with his early shutoff 6.98 pass.
NITRO FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING - Session 1 Order - 7:10 PM
| POS | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | YEAR - MODEL | E.T. | M.P.H. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Boychuk | Edmonton, AB | '78 Firebird | 5.729 | 249.44 |
| 2 | Mark Sanders | Maple Valley, WA | '70 Nova | 5.838 | 245.90 |
| 3 | Tim Nemeth | Chilliwack, BC | '69 Mustang | 5.916 | 243.30 |
| 4 | Mark Hentges | Federal Way, WA | '78 Arrow | 6.085 | 230.17 |
| 5 | Andy Beauchemin | Sherwood Park, AB | '71 Mustang | 6.212 | 229.53 |
| 6 | Tom Padilla | Arlington, WA | '72 Satellite | 6.986 | 150.75 |
| 7 | Clint Thompson | Klamath Falls, OR | '70 Mustang | 8.393 | 102.90 |
| 8 | Todd Losenko | St. Albert, AB | '73 Camaro | 9.961 | 76.75 |
Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying - Session 1
In a novel approach to qualifying and to provide some added fan interest, the two separate groups of alcohol funny cars decided to run an "inter-locking" session with each pair featuring one Northwest BB/FC and one Rocky Mountain car. To get some extra fan involvement, the "winner" of each pair would score a point for his/her respective group. In other words: Canada vs. U.S.A. in funny car racing.
| Cal Tebb | 6.99 | 199.51 | WIN |
| Ron Huegli | 7.44 | 186.52 |
The "Bad Goat" versus the "Tiki Warrior". A classic funny car matchup with cars bearing nicknames and actual recognizable body styles. What a novel concept in the 21st century. Great burnouts to initiate the pairing, then a runaway for Canada as Tebb takes it to Huegli and scores the first point for the Canuck fans.
| Brent Murray | 7.19 | 183.97 | |
| Matt Driscoll | 7.15 | 200.84 | WIN |
The "Damn Yankee" from Canada? Huh? Well, Brent Murray scores style points if nothing else as he falls just short at the finish line to his American opponent, Matt Driscoll. A close race but not quite a cigar for the Vancouver Island team.
| Joey Steckler | 6.93 | 198.63 | |
| Greg Howland | 6.88 | 201.65 | WIN |
A match of two big guys, with the "World's Tallest Funny Car driver" in 6' 5" Howland against Joey Steckler, who's built like a football player, and they put on a very close race, with Howland eking out a barely car length victory. Both cars ran into the 6's at just about 200 mph. A classic nostalgia alky funny car race.
| Royce Taylor | 7.50 | 132.73 | WIN |
| Ron Sekura | 6.89 | 203.57 |
On the surface, this looks like a real anomaly, with a 7.50 beating a 6.89. Either it was the world's biggest holeshot, or something really strange happened. The explanation: Sekura did one of his patent pending quarter-mile burnouts and stopped at the finish line. And stayed there. Either he ran out of "gas" (my theory) or simply lost fire due to some simple malfunction, but in any case after he was towed off the track, he came back around, got in line, and made his pass later in the session. Of course it didn't count, but as the Sekura brothers are so fond of doing, he kept the show going. No matter what.
| Kim Parker | 6.92 | 200.93 | WIN |
| Cory Kincaid | 7.33 | 189.23 |
In a real case of "Beauty and The Beast" (sorry Cory, but I couldn't resist) Ms. Parker takes one for the Yanks, as she lays down a strong pass, after a really great burnout, and leaves Kincaid in her (clutch) dust. Still, it was one of the better runs Mr. Kincaid has made in the past few events, where a series of niggling problems have kept him on the performance outs.
| Don Harter | 7.72 | 176.60 | |
| Corey Sekura | 6.99 | 193.52 | WIN |
Score one more for the Sekura brothers, as young(er) Corey takes out the "Hart Braker" 'Vette of Wenatchee's Don "Elder" Harter in a race that simply wasn't close. While Sekura was testing the 6.90 sea-level index for his group, Harter was bouncing around, on and off the throttle and eventually getting to the finish line well behind the Sekura team's Camaro.
| Eddy Plazier | 7.02 | 192.93 | WIN |
| Shane Harter | 8.46 | 145.06 |
In a matchup that's only possible in nostalgia funny car racing, a '37 Chevy faces off against a 1980 Dodge Omni. Again, the Canadian car turns on the winlight to close the gap and leave the home team only down by a 4 - 3 margin, with one more race to finish the first round.
| Rod Elliott | 6.77 | 208.07 | WIN |
| Randy Parker | 6.93 | 201.25 |
Rod Elliott knots the tally with his first really good run of the weekend, breaking out of the 7-second doldrums and laying down an excellent, but too quick for his index tomorrow, 6.77 clocking. Parker holds up his end of the bargain with a very good 6-second, 200 mph lap to keep it close at the top end. So, at the end of the first period... er, first round of qualifying, the score stands at four wins for each team.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN FUNNY CAR ASSOCIATION - Session 1 Order - 7:45 PM
| POS | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | YEAR - MODEL | E.T. | M.P.H. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ron Sekura | Drayton Valley, AB | '82 Trans-Am | 6.896 | 203.57 |
| 2 | Joey Steckler | Edmonton, AB | '69 Corvette | 6.936 | 198.63 |
| 3 | Corey Sekura | Drayton Valley, AB | '69 Camaro | 6.998 | 195.52 |
| 4 | Cal Tebb | Edmonton, AB | '69 GTO | 6.999 | 199.51 |
| 5 | Eddy Plazier | Edmonton, AB | '37 Chev | 7.023 | 192.92 |
| 6 | Brent Murray | Nanaimo, BC | '77 Mustang II | 7.191 | 183.97 |
| 7 | Cory Kincaid | Delburne, AB | '55 Bel Air | 7.338 | 189.83 |
| 8 | Rod Elliott | Edmonton, AB | '70 'Cuda | 6.770 | 208.27 |
NORTHWEST BB/FUNNY CAR ASSOCIATION - Session 1 Order - 7:45 PM
| POS | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | YEAR - MODEL | E.T. | M.P.H. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greg Howland | Wenatchee, WA | '79 Corvette | 6.880 | 201.65 |
| 2 | Kim Parker | Graham, WA | '70 Mustang | 6.925 | 200.93 |
| 3 | Randy Parker | Graham, WA | '80 Datsun | 6.930 | 201.25 |
| 4 | Ron Huegli | Vancouver, WA | '76 Monza | 6.954 | 198.41 |
| 5 | Matt Driscoll | Pasco, WA | '72 GTX | 7.152 | 200.84 |
| 6 | Royce Taylor | St. John, WA | '72 Mustang | 7.503 | 137.23 |
| 7 | Don Harter | Wenatchee, WA | '78 Corvette | 7.724 | 176.60 |
| 8 | Shane Harter | Wenatchee, WA | '80 Omni | 8.460 | 145.06 |
Pit Notes: 8:00 PM
The first round of the funny cars was completed in less than an hour. No oildowns, no incidents of any sort and a good round of fast, hard racing. Exactly half of the 16 alky funnys recorded 6-second runs, while 3 of the 8 nitro cars dropped into the fives. Leading the way of course was Tim Boychuk, with an all-time best in Canada, 5.70 at 253 mph to set both track and Canadian records. Overshadowed by that accomplishment, but not by much, was Mark Sanders running another 5.83 to equal yesterday's career best, and Chilliwack's Tim Nemeth carding his first 5-second timeslip (on nitro) with a 5.91.
The Top Fuel Harleys also put on quite a show with more than half the field (of 11 bikes) in the 6-second zone and three of them over 210 mph. Very impressive under hot conditions. The Pro Street cars struggled somewhat but several cars stepped up and improved to set themselves up for quite an eliminations show tomorrow. With one more qualifying session on tap for everyone, and the air steadily cooling, some even better numbers could be seen in all classes later tonight. And if we can get through the second session with no downtime that will probably be a track record too.
TOP FUEL HARLEY QUALIFYING - Final Qualifying Order - 9:00 PM
| POS | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | YEAR - MODEL | E.T. | M.P.H. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Breckenridge | Sultan, WA | '08 Rigid | 6.402 | 217.70 |
| 2 | Nate Gagnon | Errington, BC | '09 Fastlane | 6.453 | 215.82 |
| 3 | Mike Scott | Fort St. John, BC | '07 Weekend | 6.525 | 215.72 |
| 4 | Ron Houniet | Maple Ridge, BC | '08 Weekend | 6.802 | 210.62 |
| 5 | Mike Pelrine | Bruderhelm, AB | '97 Harley | 6.803 | 202.20 |
| 6 | Damian Cowden | Victoria, BC | '03 Harley | 6.823 | 201.25 |
| 7 | Ken Kent | Edmonton, AB | '07 Weekend | 6.931 | 195.95 |
| 8 | Devin Pelrine | Lamont, AB | '07 Harley | 7.298 | 196.50 |
| 9 | Toni Froehling | Sumner, WA | '06 Harley | 8.520 | 143.15 |
| 10 | Jason Arkinstall | Surrey, BC | '03 Weekend | 8.883 | 105.31 |
| 11 | Jim Schellenberg | Surrey, BC | '00 Harley | 10.542 | 88.66 |
PRO STREET QUALIFYING - Final Qualifying Order - 9:05 PM
| POS | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | YEAR - MODEL | E.T. | M.P.H. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yvonne Lucas | Maple Valley, WA | '68 Camaro | 6.489 | 217.07 |
| 2 | Keith Korecki | Kelowna, BC | '67 Mustang | 6.599 | 213.11 |
| 3 | Garrett Richards | Tacoma, WA | '06 Silverado | 6.618 | 218.55 |
| 4 | Dale Pedersen | Fort St. John, BC | '99 Monte Carlo | 6.694 | 194.67 |
| 5 | Roy Moznik | Surrey, BC | '69 El Camino | 6.757 | 209.83 |
| 6 | Trevor Lowe | Agassiz, BC | '57 Bel Air | 6.890 | 223.93 |
| 7 | Ken Sihota | Langley, BC | '00 Firebird | 6.960 | 178.89 |
| 8 | Kerry Stone | Winfield, BC | '68 Camaro | 6.962 | 205.80 |
| 9 | Dave Magee | Surrey, BC | '66 Valiant | 7.026 | 176.05 |
| 10 | Darryl Stone | Winfield, BC | '67 Nova | 7.239 | 201.56 |
| 11 | Jay Syvertsen | Burnaby, BC | '38 Chev | 7.674 | 145,77 |
| 12 | Trevor Willms | Seattle, WA | '05 Corvette | 8.484 | 162.33 |
| 13 | Mark Wolfe | Marysville, WA | '94 Thunderbird | 8.911 | 98.69 |
| 14 | Steve Horn | Burnaby, BC | '66 Acadian | 10.630 | 89.06 |
Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying - Session 2 (Final)
| Ron Huegli | 6.95 | 198.44 | WIN |
| Joey Steckler | 7.88 | 182.29 |
The "Tiki Warrior" exacts his revenge for a first qualifying round loss by stomping on Steckler here. Huegli lays down a solid 6-second lap, while Steckler fights his way down to a high 7-second pass. 1 - 0 for the Yanks after the first pair.
| Greg Howland | 6.82 | 202.83 | WIN |
| Brent Murray | 16.99 | 43.48 |
Overpowering the track before he passes the 60-foot mark, Brent Murray can only watch the "Zeus" car disappear into the darkness as it lays down the quick e.t. of the round with a very good 6.80 lap.
| Eddy Plazier | NTR | NSR | Broke |
| Matt Driscoll | 7.52 | 199.77 | WIN |
And now we've got some breakage, as Eddy Plazier shells the rearend in his normally reliable '37 Chev and takes quite a while to be towed away, long after Driscoll takes his primer black Plymouth across the finish line at almost exactly 200 mph. And it's another win for the American side.
| Royce Taylor | 8.50 | 105.53 | |
| Ron Sekura | 6.91 | 172.21 | WIN |
Trying his best to uphold Canadian honour, Ron Sekura blasts out an almost perfect on-the-6.90-index 6.91 to send Royce Taylor to the showers. The Mustang kept pace until nearly the 660 mark, then fell back quickly and shut off.
| Don Harter | DQ | DQ | C/L |
| Corey Sekura | 7.02 | 195.67 | WIN |
A wild one here, as Don Harter crossed the centerline at half track, fortunately well behind Corey "Wallbanger" Sekura at the time, who cruised to a solid 7-flat winning pass to close the gap in the intramural competition. Harter's cone tossing effort stopped the show for just a few minutes while the missing foam block was replaced.
| Shane Harter | 7.53 | 184.44 | WIN |
| Cory Kincaid | 7.77 | 180.10 |
In a close battle, both cars struggle to make it down the track, with a 7.53 leading the way by several car lengths at the finish. Both cars shook and spun and had to really work to get through the quarter mile this time around.
| Cal Tebb | 8.05 | 125.66 | |
| Kim Parker | 7.00 | 199.38 | WIN |
Oh no, it looks like the "Bad Goat" has come up lame against Kim "Hell on Wheels" Parker as she leaves him tied to a tree at half track, and storms to a one second margin at the finish line. Not the quickest run of the round, it's still impressive on a dark cold track.
| Rod Elliott | 7.71 | 143.33 | WIN |
| Randy Parker | No Show |
Going into this final round of qualifying with the score tied at four apiece, the Americans pulled away with three straight victories to start the round, dropped the next two to the Sekura brothers, then clinched the overall victory with two more wins, before Rod Elliott closed the gap in the final run of the night to a final total of 9 - 7 for Team U.S.A. Good fun all around, and a great way to liven up qualifying, especially when everyone gets to run in eliminations tomorrow.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN FUNNY CAR ASSOCIATION - Final Qualifying Order - 10:00 PM
| POS | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | YEAR-MODEL | E.T. | M.P.H. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ron Sekura | Drayton Valley, AB | '82 Trans-Am | 6.896 | 203.57 |
| 2 | Rod Elliott | Edmonton, AB | '70 'Cuda | 6.933 | 201.25 |
| 3 | Joey Steckler | Edmonton, AB | '69 Corvette | 6.936 | 198.63 |
| 4 | Corey Sekura | Drayton Valley, AB | '69 Camaro | 6.998 | 195.52 |
| 5 | Cal Tebb | Edmonton, AB | '69 GTO | 6.999 | 199.51 |
| 6 | Eddy Plazier | Edmonton, AB | '37 Chev | 7.023 | 192.92 |
| 7 | Brent Murray | Nanaimo, BC | '77 Mustang II | 7.191 | 183.97 |
| 8 | Cory Kincaid | Delburne, AB | '55 Bel Air | 7.338 | 189.83 |
NORTHWEST BB/FUNNY CAR ASSOCIATION - Final Qualifying Order - 10:00 PM
| POS | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | YEAR-MODEL | E.T. | M.P.H. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Parker | Graham, WA | '80 Datsun | 6.772 | 208.09 |
| 2 | Greg Howland | Wenatchee, WA | '79 Corvette | 6.825 | 202.83 |
| 3 | Kim Parker | Graham, WA | '70 Mustang | 6.925 | 200.93 |
| 4 | Ron Huegli | Vancouver, WA | '76 Monza | 6.954 | 198.41 |
| 5 | Matt Driscoll | Pasco, WA | '72 Plymouth GTX | 7.152 | 200.84 |
| 6 | Royce Taylor | St. John, WA | '72 Mustang | 7.503 | 137.23 |
| 7 | Shane Harter | Wenatchee, WA | '80 Omni | 7.538 | 184.99 |
| 8 | Don Harter | Wenatchee, WA | '78 Corvette | 7.724 | 176.60 |
Nitro Funny Car Qualifying - Session 2 (Final)
| Mark Hentges | 5.88 | 236.84 | |
| Mark Sanders | 21.47 | 53.33 |
After three low 6-second runs yesterday and one more earlier this evening, Hentges finally took the Bucky Austin Arrow to the finish line with an excellent 5.88 pass to set a new best for this new car. Sanders went in the opposite direction, as after carding consecutive 5.83's, overpowered the cooling track and blazed the tires right at the hit.
| Clint Thompson | 8.47 | 99.03 | |
| Tim Boychuk | No Show |
With the Boychuk car not making the call, it was left to Thompson to run alone and he again failed to get past the 330 mark before losing traction, as the new car bugs are still apparent. The car looks good, the equipment is first rate and the team has got the smarts to make it happen in a big way soon. But not tonight.
| Todd Losenko | 6.70 | 181.34 | |
| Tim Nemeth | Shutoff |
This promised to be quite a battle between two Canadian cars. Fresh off a career best (on nitro) 5.91, Nemeth was looking to take the next step into the 5.80's, but a combination of a warm helmet and cool night air produced instant fog when he lowered the visor while pulling into the staging beams. Without enough time to open the visor, he had to abort the pass on the starting line as Losenko ran strong to half track before losing traction and shutting off.
Andy Beauchemin also failed to make the session in Tim Stevenson's "Tachman" car, and deciding to save parts and nitro for tomorrow, the Tom Padilla "Red Dragon" car tuned by Dave Benjamin pulled out of line and headed back to the pits as the evening's festivities came to a rather quiet end. After a red-hot first round of qualifying earlier in the evening, the later session was decidedly more low-key. Damp squib low-key. And it's goodnight from Mission Raceway Park after a hot day of qualifying for the Canadian National Open.
NOSTALGIA NITRO FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING - Final Qualifying Order - 10:10 PM
| POS | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | YEAR-MODEL | E.T. | M.P.H. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Boychuk | Edmonton, AB | '78 Firebird | 5.729 | 249.44 |
| 2 | Mark Sanders | Maple Valley, WA | '70 Nova | 5.838 | 245.90 |
| 3 | Mark Hentges | Federal Way, WA | '78 Arrow | 5.883 | 236.84 |
| 4 | Tim Nemeth | Chilliwack, BC | '69 Mustang | 5.916 | 243.30 |
| 5 | Andy Beauchemin | Sherwood Park, AB | '71 Mustang | 6.212 | 229.53 |
| 6 | Todd Losenko | St. Albert, AB | '73 Camaro | 6.709 | 161.34 |
| 7 | Tom Padilla | Arlington, WA | '72 Satellite | 6.986 | 150.75 |
| 8 | Clint Thompson | Klamath Falls, OR | '70 Mustang | 8.393 | 102.90 |