Sun, 06 Sep 2026, 10:50 AM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations |
By Dave Rowe |
INDIANAPOLIS - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 5087 Jim Whiteley 7524 Doug Gordon E1 -0.008 5.551 261.22 ****WINNER**** 0.045 5.518 263.10 Qualified: #9 5.616 259.86 #8 5.602 262.6410:24 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 71 degrees, relative humidity 78 percent, barometer 30.01 inches, adjusted altitude 2,338 feet.
Gordon is 3 - 1 against Whiteley in prior events.
Doug Gordon has won 302 rounds in TAFC.
Jim Whiteley has won 177 rounds (152 in TAD & 25 in TAFC).
Whiteley leaves a little too soon and goes red giving the win to Gordon. Gordon goes down the groove with the quickest run of the weekend so far to take the win.
Doug Gordon's incremental times: 60ft-0.955 sec., 330ft-2.479,
660ft-3.660/210.24 mph, 1,000ft-4.665.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 2606 Mark Billington 744 Shane Westerfield E1 0.066 5.595 259.46 ****WINNER**** 0.053 5.530 261.22 Qualified: #12 5.693 258.96 #5 5.565 262.39Shane Westerfield is 11 - 3 in Rd. 1 when qualified #5.
This is Mark Billington's 1st race since Dallas last year.
Westerfield is 1 - 0 against Billington in prior events.
Westerfield gets out of the gate first and goes down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend to take the win. Billington makes his quickest pass of the weekend but was falling behind all the way through the run.
Mark Billington's incremental times: 60ft-0.965 sec., 330ft-2.514, 660ft-3.713/206.92 mph, 1,000ft-4.731.
Shane Westerfield's
incremental times: 60ft-0.954 sec., 330ft-2.474, 660ft-3.659/209.20 mph, 1,000ft-4.670.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1 Sean Bellemeur 552 Kyle Smith
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.027 5.510 263.51 0.034 5.516 258.22
Qualified: #2 5.518 264.75 #15 9.720 97.57
Bellemeur is 3 - 1 against Smith in prior events. Sean Bellemeur is 20 - 0 in Rd. 1 when qualified #2.
Kyle Smith is 10 - 10 in Rd. 1 races.
Bellemeur gets the holeshot, stays in front through sixty feet, then Smith moves in front. Smith drifts to the left, then Bellemeur is ab;le to get back around him and take the stripe for the win.
Sean Bellemeur's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.006), 330 ft(-0.019), 660ft(-0.015), 1,000ft(-0.003). MOV: 0.0138 seconds (approximately 5 feet).
Sean Bellemeur's incremental times: 60ft-0.955 sec., 330ft-2.475, 660ft-3.654/209.85 mph, 1,000ft-4.658.
Kyle Smith's incremental times: 60ft-0.954 sec., 330ft-2.449, 660ft-3.632/209.75 mph, 1,000ft-4.648.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 207 Bruce Mullins 9 Chris Foster E1 0.054 5.972 242.89 ****WINNER**** 0.032 5.946 245.40 Qualified: #14 5.754 246.26 #3 5.550 264.03This is the first time Mullins and Foster have faced each other in eliminations.
Chris Foster is 4 - 5 this year.
This is Bruce Mullins's 4th start since 2007.
Foster gets the advantage off of the line but Mullins takes the lead at the sixty foot mark. Foster is able to get back around him a little past half track and pull away for the win.
Chris Foster's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.014), 330
ft(-0.060), 660ft(-0.007), 1,000ft(0.032). MOV: 0.0482 seconds (approximately 17 feet).
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
4 Bob McCosh 331 Tony Bogolo
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.051 5.521 260.11 -0.018 5.668 256.41
Qualified: #4 5.552 261.62 #13 5.693 256.60
McCosh is 1 - 0 against Bogolo in prior events. Bob McCosh's 1st race at this event was 1995 in TAD.
Tony Bogolo's 1st race was Columbus, 1990.
Bogolo leaves too soon and goes red giving the win to McCosh. McCosh goes down the groove with his quickest pas of the weekend.
Bob McCosh's incremental times: 60ft-0.955 sec., 330ft-2.462, 660ft-3.644/209.36 mph, 1,000ft-4.658.
McCosh will have lane choice over Westerfield in
the next round.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
5 Annie Whiteley 6 Phil Esz
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.092 5.519 264.29 0.281 No Time
Qualified: #6 5.577 264.13 #11 5.650 253.18
Esz is 1 - 0 against Whiteley in prior events. Annie Whiteley has set Top Speed at this event 5 times.
Phil Esz beat Annie Whiteley in the Final round at Reading, 2024.
Esz breaks at the hit and had to be pushed back through the water box. Whiteley goes down the groove with her quickest pass of the weekend in the win.
Annie Whiteley's incremental times: 60ft-0.959 sec., 330ft-2.486, 660ft-3.668/209.92 mph, 1,000ft-4.670.
Whiteley will have lane choice over Foster in the next round.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 238 Mick Steele Bye E1 ****WINNER**** 0.151 5.443 259.56 Qualified: #1 5.494 254.71 ByeThis is Mick Steele's 2nd #1 spot this year.
Steele goes down the groove with the quickest pass of the weekend. He will have lane choice over Gordon in the next round.
Mick Steele's incremental times: 60ft-0.980
sec., 330ft-2.490, 660ft-3.624/219.51 mph, 1,000ft-4.594.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 404 Stan Sipos 521 Christine Foster E1 -0.269 15.940 49.52 ****WINNER**** -0.033 5.553 261.72 Qualified: #7 5.586 264.29 #10 5.622 256.21This is the first time Sipos and Foster have faced each other in eliminations.
Stan Sipos is 22 - 9 in his Rd. 1 races.
At Brainerd Christine Foster became the 7th woman to make the Final round in TAFC.
Sipos rattles the tires at the hit and backed off the throttle about 100 feet out. Foster makes her quickest pass of the weekend in the win.
Christine Foster's incremental times: 60ft-0.966 sec., 330ft-2.496, 660ft-3.681/209.20 mph, 1,000ft-4.695.
Bellemeur will have lane choice over Christine Foster in the next
round.
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