Sun, 6 Jul 2008, 04:48 PM Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

EDMONTON, Alb. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Alcohol Funny Car at the 2008 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series, CARS RV & Marine & Motorsports Rocky Mountain Nationals presented by TORCO Racing Fuels:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   64 John Evanchuk                         657 Thomas Carter                
E1                   0.052  6.036 236.75     ****WINNER****  0.056  5.908 241.45
 Qualified:             #5  6.004 235.97                        #1  5.849 243.28

2:36 p.m. Close race, but Carter was much quicker in the first 60 feet and steadily opened his lead. Thomas Carter's incremental margins: 60ft(0.071), 330 ft(0.086), 660ft(0.091), 1,000ft(0.105). MOV: 0.1247 seconds (approximately 43 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Mark Thomas                             2 Rob Atchison                 
E1                   0.101  6.089 233.60     ****WINNER****  0.046  5.973 241.63
 Qualified:             #6  6.004 233.92                        #2  5.895 241.37

This is a tough first-round matchup, these two usually meet in the final round.

Atchison tattooed Thomas on the tree, then pulled ahead for a surprisingly easy win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  501 Scott McVey                             9 Laurie Cannister             
E1                   0.137  6.023 234.94     ****WINNER****  0.053  5.958 240.72
 Qualified:             #7  6.024 233.16                        #3  5.902 240.08

Cannister had a very good light and ran away from McVey. However, she won't have lane choice against Carter in the semifinals, a matchup that features the only two event winners so far this season.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 6883 Jordan Pawlick                          4 Paul Noakes                  
E1                   0.380  6.174 219.26     ****WINNER****  0.086  5.955 236.51
 Qualified:             #8  6.071 227.84                        #4  5.968 237.00

Noakes had a three-tenths head start and made the second-quickest run of the round. He will have lane choice against Atchison in the semifinals.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink