Sat, 22 Aug 2026, 17:52 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Reporter

BRAINERD, Minn. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, 44th annual NHRA Brainerd Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 3295 Jake Slater                                Bye
E1   ****WINNER****  0.140  5.581 273.72     
 Qualified:             #1  5.458 279.96                     Bye

Weather conditions: air temperature 73 degrees, relative humidity 45 percent, barometer 30.10 inches, adjusted altitude 2,555 feet, track temperature 110 degrees.

This is the 1st start for Jacob Slater. He is the 104th driver to qualify #1 in TAFC.

Slater is straight down the groove with another good pass.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  521 Christine Foster                     7630 Steve Macklyn                
E1   ****WINNER**** -0.071  5.517 264.34                           No Time      
 Qualified:             #4  5.515 264.49                       #11  5.574 256.36

This is the 19th start for Christine Foster. Steve Macklyn qualified #11 and the last time the #11 TAFC qualifier won a round here was 2015.

This is the first time Foster and Macklyn have faced each other in eliminations.

Macklyn with problems getting the car to fire, so Foster with the single.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Annie Whiteley                       5087 Jim Whiteley                 
E1                         No Time           ****WINNER****  0.025  5.555 264.29
 Qualified:             #2  5.513 266.69                       #13  5.598 260.91

Annie Whiteley is 77 - 46 overall (62.6%) in Rd. 1 in her career and 0 - 2 against her husband in Rd. 1. This is Jim Whiteley's 23rd start in TAFC.

J. Whiteley is 5 - 0 against A. Whiteley in prior events.

Annie with problems after the burnout and is shutoff. Jim with his quickest pass of the weekend. He will have a bye in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7524 Doug Gordon                           552 Kyle Smith                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.024  5.469 266.53                     0.067  5.477 262.18
 Qualified:             #5  5.523 264.34                       #10  5.567 257.78

Doug Gordon's 29 wins are tied for 6th most in TAFC (J. Payne). Kyle Smith won this race in 2021.

Gordon is 2 - 0 against Smith in prior events.

Gordon with a great light and kept it hooked up to make his quickest pass of the weekend for the win. He will have lane choice over Christine Foster in the next round.

Smith with his quickest pass of the weekend in the losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  744 Shane Westerfield                       1 Sean Bellemeur               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.014  5.505 265.85                     0.028  5.529 264.60
 Qualified:             #9  5.543 265.43                        #6  5.529 262.64

Sean Bellemeur and Shane Westerfield have met 16 times but this is their first meeting ever in Rd. 1. Bellemeur has won the last 6 meetings between the two. Between these two they have won a combined total of 500 rounds.

Bellemeur is 15 - 1 against Westerfield in prior events.

Westerfield with a great light and never trailed for the win. He makes his quickest pass of the weekend for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Bob McCosh                              9 Chris Foster                 
E1                   0.034 12.489  64.32     ****WINNER****  0.006  5.507 264.65
 Qualified:             #7  5.533 263.15                        #8  5.537 263.56

Bob McCosh has been to the Final round here in each of the last 5 years. Only 3 TAFC drivers have ever been to 6 (or more) Final rounds at the same event in consecutive years (F. Manzo, B. Anderson & S. Bellemeur). Chris Foster is 2 - 4 against McCosh.

Foster with a great light and never trailed for the win. He makes his quickest pass of the weekend for the win. He will have lane choice over Slater in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   34 Jesse Clark                           404 Stan Sipos                   
E1                   0.051  5.541 262.74     ****WINNER****  0.048  5.473 258.22
 Qualified:            #12  5.595 259.56                        #3  5.514 264.80

Stan Sipos has won 70% of his Rd. 1 races. Jesse Clark's 1st race was here in 2025.

This is the first time Clark and Sipos have faced each other in eliminations.

Sipos with a slight starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Sipos makes his quickest pass of the weekend for lane choice over Westerfield in the next round.

Clark with his career quickest and fastest pass in the losing effort.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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