Thu, 15 Oct 2026, 18:20 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Rick Green

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, 41st annual Texas NHRA FallNationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Karl Brounkowski Runs 5.588/254.65, Now #2
Right Lane: Mike Coughlin Runs 5.268/274.31, Now #1

Weather conditions: air temperature 88 degrees, relative humidity 50 percent, barometer 29.93 inches, adjusted altitude 3,149 feet.

Brounkowski dropped a cylinder early, but stayed with it.

Coughlin with a good clean pass, his quickest and fastest of the season. Mike Coughlin's incremental times: 60ft-0.973 sec., 330ft-2.444, 660ft-3.528/230.24 mph, 1,000ft-4.460.

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Left Lane: T.J. Tindle Runs 10.357/74.01, Now #4
Right Lane: Kirk Wolf Runs 5.465/266.84, Now #2

Tindle's car goes silent by 300 feet and coast on down the track.

Wolf is straight down the groove with a good pass.

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Left Lane: Shaunda Blinzler Runs 5.331/275.40, Now #2
Right Lane: Nick Spiegel Runs 5.336/268.58, Now #3

A good side-by-side drag race.

Blinzler kept it hooked up with a good pass.

Spiegel is straight down the groove with a clean pass.

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Left Lane: Jared Dreher No Time, Now #8
Right Lane: Alan Bradshaw Runs 5.284/275.43, Now #2

Dreher was scheduled in this pair and is a no-show.

Bradshaw launched hard and kept it hooked up with a good clean pass.

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Left Lane: Chris Demke No Time, Now #10
Right Lane: Mitch Kalitta Runs 5.294/272.99, Now #3

Demke was scheduled for this pair and is a no-show.

Kalitta is straight down the groove with a good pass to go to the number three spot.

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Left Lane: Angelle Sampey Runs 5.511/265.60, Now #8
Right Lane: Megan Smith Runs 5.272/278.12, Now #2

Sampey had a hole or two out, but stayed with it.

Smith kept it hooked up and hitting on all eight to go to the number two spot.

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Left Lane: Jon Bradford Runs 5.562/254.65, Now #10
Right Lane: Melanie Johnson Runs 5.236/275.97, Now #1

Bradford is straight down the groove.

Johnson launched hard and kept it hooked up to go to the number one spot. Melanie Johnson's incremental times: 60ft-0.955 sec., 330ft-2.412, 660ft-3.494/230.12 mph, 1,000ft-4.427.

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Left Lane: Jackie Fricke Runs 5.249/273.79, Now #2
Right Lane: Joey Severance Runs 5.350/263.42, Now #9

Fricke kept it hooked up and hitting on all eight to go to the number two spot. Jackie Fricke's incremental times: 60ft-0.953 sec., 330ft-2.418, 660ft-3.502/230.08 mph, 1,000ft-4.436.

Severance with a good looking pass early and uses up an engine in the lights with a big cloud of smoke.

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Left Lane: Shawn Cowie Runs 5.272/275.90, Now #6
Right Lane: Jamie Noonan Runs 5.258/278.24, Now #3

Cowie is straight down the groove with a good clean pass.

Noonan kept it hooked up and straight down the groove to number three spot. Jamie Noonan's incremental times: 60ft-0.955 sec., 330ft-2.429, 660ft-3.525/228.79 mph, 1,000ft-4.456.