Sun, 6 Jul 2008, 11:20 PM Nitro Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

EDMONTON, Alb. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Torco Nitro 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
  728 Grant Downing                           1 Dale Creasy Jr.              
E2   ****WINNER****  0.117  5.367 219.40                     0.101  5.930 173.96
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J DUCHENE   ) 0.110  5.529 277.20      (C LEE       ) 0.114  5.250 284.75
 Qualified:             #7  6.445 148.90                        #1  5.319 278.17

8:15 p.m. Downing led this one wire to wire, making another career-best run. Creasy appeared to be gaining around half track, then his header flames went out and Downing sent the champ home.

Creasy's car stopped short of the turnoff, something locking up in the driveline when he came to a stop. Updated word - something in the driveline exploded and Creasy has some fragments in his leg. The safety crew is carefully extracting him from the car so he can be transported to the University of Alberta hospital for treatment.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  763 Steven Macklyn                       2814 Matt Hagan                   
E2                   0.091  8.181 116.58     ****WINNER****  0.117  6.671 144.64
 Prior rounds:
E1    (T HADDOCK   ) 0.096  5.698 201.61      (J DIEHL     ) 0.128  5.208 238.22
 Qualified:             #2  5.341 279.32                        #4  5.750 259.51

Both drivers have wins this year, but only one will have a shot at his second. First, however, the drivers had to sit and watch as the safety crew worked to get Dale Creasy out of his car and get the car off the top end of the track. We are on hold, waiting for the medevac chopper. 8:20 p.m.

9:01 p.m. Creasy is on his way and we are back to racing. Macklyn came very close to tipping it over at half track, getting very sideways, smoking the tires, then getting way up on the left-side tires as he tried to drive out of it. The run is DQ'ed, but Hagan coasted across the line first anyway - didn't see what happened to him, too busy watching Macklyn. He was fishtailing before Macklyn started smoking the tires, may have lifted to straighten the car out. Hagan races Downing in the final round and Downing, in his first IHRA race, will have lane choice in his first final round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink