Fri, 16 Oct 2026, 17:03 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Dave Rowe

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, 41st annual Texas NHRA FallNationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time/top speed this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time/speed, and position in order prior to run:

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Left Lane: Shane Westerfield Runs 5.504/264.92, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.429/269.64, Was #3
Right Lane: Doug Gordon Runs 5.411/268.29, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.462/246.81, Was #6

Westerfield makes a clean pass but he doesn't improve.

Gordon goes down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend to take the top spot for now.

Doug Gordon's incremental times: 60ft-0.938 sec., 330ft-2.425, 660ft-3.581/214.34 mph, 1,000ft-4.572.

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Left Lane: Bob McCosh Runs 5.440/267.43, Now #7; Best prior run: 9.042/97.17, Was #16
Right Lane: Chris Foster Runs 5.442/266.57, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.427/268.42, Was #2

McCosh goes down the groove with a clean, straight pass and he moves up to the seventh spot for now.

Foster makes a decent pass but doesn't improve.

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Left Lane: Sean Bellemeur Runs 5.388/271.15, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.427/267.14, Was #3
Right Lane: Tobin Gasparrelli Runs 17.281/45.43, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.639/261.01, Was #13

Bellemeur goes down the groove with an impressive pass and he moves up to the top spot for now.

Sean Bellemeur's incremental times: 60ft-0.936 sec., 330ft-2.419, 660ft-3.572/214.80 mph, 1,000ft-4.555.

Gasparrelli strikes the tires at the hit, pedals a couple of times, then clicks it off.

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Left Lane: Phil Esz Runs 5.470/260.69, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.430/262.39, Was #5
Right Lane: Mick Steele Runs 11.668/72.36, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.433/265.71, Was #6

Esz makes a clean pass but doesn't improve.

Steele has problems and is off of the throttle early.

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Left Lane: Chase Copeland Runs 5.564/255.99, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.652/253.66, Was #13
Right Lane: Max Yaremko No Time, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.660/251.88, Was #15

Copeland makes his quickest pass of the weekend.

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Left Lane: Robert Kanenwisher Runs 5.656/252.79, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.645/251.05, Was #14
Right Lane: Mark Billington Runs 5.464/265.47, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.655/258.99, Was #15

Kanenwisher makes a decent pass but doesn't improve.

Billington makes a full pass and gets in the top half of the field.

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Left Lane: Kyle Smith Runs 5.888/186.40, Now #11; Best prior run: 5.528/229.51, Was #11
Right Lane: Bryan Brown Runs 5.615/242.81, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.598/249.94, Was #13

Smith has problems late in the run and is off of the throttle a little early.

Brown goes down the groove with a decent pass but doesn't improve.

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Left Lane: Christopher Menapace Runs 5.468/265.24, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.474/268.43, Was #9
Right Lane: Christine Foster Runs 5.491/265.52, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.511/264.86, Was #10

A good side-by-side, both down the groove with good passes.

Menapace improves a little, another career best, but stays in the ninth spot. Foster improves but stays in the tenth spot.

Christopher Menapace's incremental times: 60ft-0.939 sec., 330ft-2.449, 660ft-3.618/211.60 mph, 1,000ft-4.618.

Christine Foster's incremental times: 60ft-0.964 sec., 330ft-2.471, 660ft-3.638/211.97 mph, 1,000ft-4.642.