Sat, 17 Oct 2026, 11:38 AM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, 41st annual Texas NHRA FallNationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  387 Mike Coughlin                        703Y Shaunda Blinzler             
E1                   0.099 No Time           ****WINNER****  0.081  5.200 280.02
 Qualified:             #9  5.268 274.31                        #8  5.240 271.15

Weather conditions: air temperature 52 degrees, relative humidity 72 percent, barometer 30.53 inches, adjusted altitude -284 feet.

This is the first time Coughlin and Blinzler have faced each other in eliminations.

Coughlin with severe tire shake right at the hit and came to a stop on the track.

Blinzler kept it hooked up for the win, she makes her career quickest and fastest pass. Shaunda Blinzler's incremental times: 60ft-0.917 sec., 330ft-2.351, 660ft-3.454/225.39 mph, 1,000ft-4.398.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  530 Alan Bradshaw                          10 Melanie Johnson              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.048  5.167 277.85                     0.051  5.182 276.38
 Qualified:            #10  5.275 274.21                        #7  5.230 278.14

This is the first time Bradshaw and Johnson have faced each other in eliminations.

Bradshaw with a slight starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Alan Bradshaw's MOV: 0.0180 seconds (approximately 7 feet). Alan Bradshaw's incremental times: 60ft-0.919 sec., 330ft-2.348, 660ft-3.435/230.25 mph, 1,000ft-4.363.

Johnson drove through tire shake and still makes her quickest pass this weekend in the losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  450 Kirk Wolf                              24 Megan Smith                  
E1                   0.079  5.510 264.85     ****WINNER****  0.069  5.476 279.33
 Qualified:            #11  5.291 271.74                        #6  5.226 280.36

This is the first time Wolf and Smith have faced each other in eliminations.

Smith with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. She started to lose traction and pedaled it. She got it to hook up for the win.

Wolfe Shook and pedaled it.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  342 Mitch Kalitta                         732 Chris Demke                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.161  5.288 266.24                           No Time      
 Qualified:            #12  5.294 272.99                        #5  5.214 277.90

This is the first time Kalitta and Demke have faced each other in eliminations.

Demke rolled the beams to give Kalitta the win.

Kalitta was straight down the groove for the win with his quickest pass of the weekend.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 5807 Nick Spiegel                          491 Angelle Sampey               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.088  5.199 278.29                     0.056  7.531  78.22
 Qualified:             #4  5.210 277.76                       #13  5.296 271.39

Sampey is 1 - 0 against Spiegel in prior events.

Sampey with the starting line advantage and started to drift out of the groove. The chutes are out and collect the half track blocks.

Spiegel is straight down the groove with his career quickest and fastest pass for the win. He will have lane choice over Kalitta in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Jamie Noonan                          307 Jared Dreher                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.040  5.258 278.69                     0.093  5.283 271.07
 Qualified:             #3  5.204 277.71                       #14  5.317 270.38

Noonan is 1 - 0 against Dreher in prior events.

Noonan with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. He will have lane choice over Smith in the next round.

Dreher with his quickest pass of the weekend in the losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  613 Joey Severance                          3 Jackie Fricke                
E1                   0.059  5.419 264.07     ****WINNER****  0.047  5.264 281.07
 Qualified:            #15  5.350 263.42                        #2  5.168 274.16

Severance is 4 - 3 against Fricke in prior events.

Fricke with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. She makes her fastest pass this season in the win. She will give up lane choice to Bradshaw in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  417 Karl Brounkowski                        1 Shawn Cowie                  
E1                   0.066  6.648 139.43     ****WINNER****  0.117  5.329 277.92
 Qualified:            #16  5.499 242.29                        #1  5.158 280.32

Cowie is 3 - 0 against Brounkowski in prior events.

Brounkowski with the starting line advantage, but drove into a huge wheel stand and clicked it off.

Cowie drove through tire shake for the win. He will give up lane choice to Blinzler in the next round.