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Coverage at SpeedZone is presented by "Team Ace" Racing.com Thursday June 10, 2008 Sunday gallery #2 is posted Sunday gallery #1 is posted Final Saturday gallery is here. Includes nitro qualifying
Monday July 7, 2008 Gallery two (Saturday) is posted , two more Tuesday Gallery one (Saturday) gallerys is posted. 1:00pm update.
Matt Hagan wins a bizarre Funny Car final round. Both he and Grant Downing leave the starting line and 100 feet out Hagan blows up the supercharger and it catapults his body off the car. With his car stumbling to a halt before the finish line Downing encounters troubles of his off as he tries to navigate down track. He gets closer and closer to the centre line and finally ends up crossing it at the 1000 foot mark and taking out the cone disqualifying the run. Hagan moves into second palce in the standing but with the unfortunately incident to Creasy he baring any strange happenings at Grand Bend will likely overtake his in the standings. Scroll down for the complete nitro Funny Car story. In Top Fuel, Kevin Jones took advantage of the rain delays yesterday by making it back for the semi final against Boychuk and then taking out Bobby Lagana in the final round with a 5.27/280 to a traction losing 6.30/181 for Lagana Jr. For the complete Top Fuel story scroll down. Pro Mod was won by Carl Spieirng as he defeated Thomas Patterson in the final round pedal fest. Both cars were late on the starting line (Spiering real late!), but he recovered quicker after a loose start to capture his first race of the year. He was runner-up last year and in 2005. Full Pro Mod results below. Monday update 12:00 pm Phots to come starting Monday eventing. The first two weekend gallerys are here (Friday one and Friday two.) Here is the official word from the IHRA on Dale Creasy's condition after his clutch explosion Sunday in the semi finals "Creasy suffered broken bones in his right foot that will require a cast. His left leg suffered a crushed shin and a compound fracture that will require surgery. Creasy is scheduled for surgery between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Mountain Time at Royal Alexandra Hospital". Hopefully he makes a full recovery and is back on the track in the new future. Unfortunatgely Dale it means he will not be the three time Funny Car Champion. The battle will really heat up now. Monday Morning 8:00 am No official word yet on the condition of Dale Creasy after his clutch let go on his semi final run against Grant Downing Sunday evening. While the leg injuries are not life threatening, he is expected to be out of action for some time. He is one of only a few Top Fuel competitors The IHRA could call their own in recent years. He is the two-time reigning IHRA Funny Car Champion and current point leader and with the turnover in the Class in the IHRA he is the constant in the class. Hopefully he is not out of action for too long. The Funny Car finalists Grant Downing and Matt Hagan were on the starting line ready to race at 11:00 pm Sunday evening and were forced to shut their rides off after another one of many rain delays. With the cooling temperatures and the time of night, the call was made to end the misery of what is another soap opera type weekend at the Rocky's. The weather, the boycott, the Creasy incident, the new track surface and the great great fans are part of the stories that make the Rocky Mountain Nationals an interesting race every season. In Top Fuel, it was close to a Cinderella story for local Tim Boychuk. He won his first round match up with heavy hitter Terry McMillen and made a solid 5.08 run in the process. He had lane choice against Kevin Jones in the Mike Kloeber tuned Doc Sipple dragster. Jones had a huge fireball in his first round victory and if it wasn't for the rain delay, allowing more time for The Sipple dragster to make the necessary repairs, Boychuk would have had a bye into the final round. He didn't get the bye and the Kloeber tuned car ripped off a weekend best 4.79 to defeat a very game 4.98 by Boychuk. Look for the recently retired ( sold his trucking company for a whole lot of millions) trucker to make a few more races with the Paton team this season and maybe a full time ride next year. The local IBAA Funny car series has likely lost a great competitor in their class, but Edmonton has probably gained another Top Fuel racer. In Pro Mod, the final round was set to be run right after the two remaining Funny Cars went down the track, but again the rains prevented that final from being completed Sunday night. Carl Spiering and Thomas Patterson were the two finalists. Patterson had one of many great quotes, as he got out of his car Sunday night. He said, "Man we run these things with a few sprinkles on the tracks in Texas all the time", I said to him, "well this isn't Texas Tom, and it is not 90 degrees outside". With all the recent mishaps in drag racing over the last while, IHRA decision to shut off the cars was correct. Sorry Thomas! Local Pro Mod racer made his best showing at a national event with a semi final finish. He lost to Patterson in the semis. Delehay had to manage the very tricky left lane in all three of his elimination runs. Other locals in Pro Mod did not fare as well. Nitrous competitors Dan Vogt and Ross Hogenson both went out in round one. Hogenson shook and clicked it off early in his race against Patterson and Vogt slowed from his earlier runs and lost a very close race against Scotty Cannon Jr. Vogt had the lead at half track, when Cannon had to pedal the car but, Jr. caught Dan just before the finish line. Blown competitor Gary Mason suffered from starting line issues all weekend long, until the first round where he made his best lap of the race. His best qualifying number was 6.80. In round one he faced eventual finalist Spiering and ran a solid 6.40 in the loss. Point leader and Manitoban Kenny Lang maintained his point lead in the class with a # 2 qualifying effort and a second round finish. He actually extended his overall lead as second in the point Jim Halsey skipped the event. No other competitor close to Lang in the standings, advanced further in eliminations. The Al Billes tuned ride of Lang's really struggled all weekend long, except for his 6.20 run in the final qualifier Saturday night. Even on that run, he is Corvette was an animal on the starting line. The car went into wheel stands on basically every launch. His first round race against Lee Frank was an unreal battle, as Lang had to ease off the throttle when he was staging the car as it started creeping forward. Frank got over a tenth of a second starting line advantage, and Lang wheel stood the car big time off the launch and just before the finish line, he reeled in the Montana driver 6.30 to 6.44. He lost his second round matchup to Thomas Patterson. In Alcohol Funny Car, Laurie Cannister won her fourth race of the year to take a commanding lead into the half way point in the season. She defeated Paul Noakes in the final round. Rob Atchison is real close to sorting out his tire shake issue, in the only AJ-481X powered Funny car (or full time Pro Mod competitor for that matter) left in the class. The low down torque has been the issue and they are close with a different clutch combination. If they do sort it out he will be back to where he was two years ago. John Evanchuk, Scott McVey and Jordin Paulick were three locals to
make the field in Alcohol Funny Car. All three ran 6.0's all weekend
long, but all fell in round one. Evanchuk now goes into screw blower
mode, racing back to back weekends at Woodburn and the Seattle national
event.
Speedzone Saturday qualifying recap. The rains came to the the plains of Alberta and put a kibosh to racing for the second straight day at Castrol Raceway for the Rocky Mountain Nationals. The afternoon session was run under great weather conditions and many cars improved their spot in the pro fields. Unfortunately the final qualifier ended early as the rain came moments before the Fuel cars were set to run. Top Fuel and Funny Car got to run for their first and only time Saturday afternoon, and it was Kevin Jones who led the pack in Top Fuel his 4.91 was the only sub 5 in round one. Local rookie Kevin Boychuk was doing double duty in both his Pro Nostalgia and for the first time in a top fuel dragster. He is in the Paton family ride and he ran real strong to 900 feet and then tire smoke a dropped cylinders kicked in forcing him to lift he went 5.22 and sits in the # 3 spot. The second session Saturday was rained out. Dale Creasy Jr is #1 in Funny Car as all the cars suffered from traction issue on the big end. The time slip read 5.31/279. Steve Macklyn is #2 with a 5.34, and local funny Car driver Jason Duchene made the field in the #3 spot with a respectable 5.65/230. Pro Mod did not quite finish their third and final session with four cars left in the staging lanes. Kenny Lang moved way up in the field to the #2 spot with a 6.20 just behind Mike Janis great 6.17 in the afternoon round. Local Dan Vogt is the quickest local and he ran a career best 6.32. Alcohol Funny Car got in three complete rounds and Tom Carter hit the nail on the head with a great 5.84/243 to get the last man standing award and the 5 bonus points. Rob Atchison is #2 with his earlier in the day 5.89. Local John Evanchuk went 6.00 and 6.01 in Saturday's two rounds and he sits #5 in the field and the daunting task of facing Carter in round one. Bob Bertsch is the lone Pro Stock competitor and he made an emotional run Saturday in the final round as he paid tribute to a fallen crew member who died a couple weeks ago. The fan support showed for Bertsch was very strong in both of Saturday's runs. IHRA communications Saturday wrap-up Mother Nature Has the Last Say at Jam-Packed Castrol
Raceway EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada (July 5, 2008) – For the second day in a row rain and lightning brought an exciting day of qualifying for the CARS RV & Sport & Marine Rocky Mountain Nationals to an early end. The day which started with a huge crowd enjoying top-notch racing action under clear blue skies ended prematurely when, as Friday, strong winds blew rain into the area. And, as Friday, attempts to dry the track after an initial stoppage proved futile despite the best efforts of Castrol Raceway and IHRA staff. Pro Stock and Alcohol Funny Car fields were set before the first showers struck, while Pro Mod was in the middle of its session. A revised ladder put Mike Janis, who carded a best pass of 6.173, 232.19, at the top of the list. In Pro Stock, Bob Bertsch, with his Rislone Engine Treatment-backed team from Willis, Michigan, claimed top qualifying honors as well as the Last Man Standing bonus with a pass of 6.568 at 213.33 mph. Bertsch is the lone Pro Stock driver at Edmonton. His decision to attend the race was twofold. He lost crew member and friend John Weisler during the previous event, at Budds Creek, Maryland, and Weisler's widow urged him to continue racing.
Said Bertsch, "I needed to get back to the racetrack." He said he also had made a commitment to his sponsor, who had been counting heavily on the two Canadian races to promote a product recently introduced north of the border. "My sponsor asked me to go, and that's what I signed up for at the beginning of the year," he said.
He said that "it's weird" to be the only driver "competing" in the class this weekend. "Some moments it feels good, and other moments it feels sad," Bertsch said. Prior to his run tonight a moment of silence was observed in honor of his fallen friend. Dr. Thomas Carter is the only competitor other than Laurie Cannister to have claimed an Alcohol Funny Car Ironman this season, taking the win at the Motor City Nationals at Milan, Michigan, in May. Carter, of Cuero, Texas, currently sits third in championship points behind Cannister and Rob Atchison. Saturday evening he claimed both the No. 1 qualifying spot and Last Man Standing honors and the accompanying five bonus points by pacing his “Jawbreaker” 2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo to an elapsed time mark of 5.849 at 243.28 mph. “We’ve been working to get this car to run since the beginning of the season and it’s finally performing the way we knew it could,” Carter said. “We have been working real hard and I have to thank my whole crew for their effort. They have done an outstanding job. And I’d also like to thank this great crowd here at Edmonton for coming out to see us.”
The No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel was Kevin Jones, who claimed the spot on the strength of his 4.911, 275.96 pass in the class’ only session.
On the Nitro Funny Car front, defending champion and most recent event winner Dale Creasy Jr. laid claim to the top spot with his run of 5.319, 278.17. Saturday final qualifying
Top Fuel 1 373 Kevin Jones, Berea KY, Agan-TFX 4.911 275.96
275.96 Funny Car 1 1 Dale Creasy Jr., Beecher IL, '08 Impala 5.319
278.17 278.17 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 9 6429 Randy Bykowsky, Edmonton AB, '05 Monte Carlo 10.645 78.66 78.66 Pro mod final qualifying 1 2 Mike Janis, Lancaster NY, *'68 Firebird 6.173 232.19 232.19 Pro Stock final qualifying 1 335 Bob Bertsch, Willis MI, '07 Mustang 6.541 213.16 213.33 Alcohol Funny Car final qualifying 1 657 Thomas Carter, Cuero TX, '05 Monte Carlo 5.849 243.28 243.28 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 9 625 Nathan Sitko, Edmonton AB, '02 Firebird 6.092 227.31 227.31 Pro Mod round two 1 2 Mike Janis, Lancaster NY, *'68 Firebird 6.173
232.19 232.19 Pro Stock 1 335 Bob Bertsch, Willis MI, '07 Mustang 6.568 213.33
213.33 Alcohol Funny Car 1 2 Rob Atchison, London ON, '06 Monte Carlo 5.895
241.37 241.37 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 9 659 Cal Tebb, Edmonton AB, '02 Firebird 6.161 225.18
225.18 Round one qualifying EDMONTON, Alberta --
Friday gallery 1 is posted Gallery 2 is posted
"We consulted all the weather outlets looking for any possible way we could get the program in, but we just could not see any window of opportunity," said Skooter Peaco, IHRA Vice President of Racing Operations. "In fact, there was more severe weather coming our way, so we unfortunately made the decision to pull the plug." Three professional classes made qualifying passes earlier in the day, with Scott Cannon (Pro Modified), Mark Thomas (Alcohol Funny Car), and Bob Bertsch (Pro Stock) claiming provisional No. 1 berths. Qualifying will resume Saturday at 10, with the professional sessions at 3 and 7:30. SpeedZone Friday Recap. The talk that few IHRA official want to discuss is the Pro Stock debacle. A meeting at Budds Creek by the drivers in the class determined that all in attendance would not make the 2500 mile trip to Edmonton. Their reasoning: The high fuel cost and the potential for not having a season ending point fund or the Pro Stock Shootout. For these reasons they felt that the fans at Edmonton, easily the best in the Series, were not important enough to even consider their dedication to supporting the event. How can a series who has marketed this race as the US Nationals of the IHRA (that statement is primarily based on the overflowing crowds for all three days, the only race in the series that can say that), not have serious repercussions to the race teams that don't care about what this sport is really about, the FANS! The statement from Aaron Polburn to the racers as a guarantee that their funding would be there for the series and shootout was, "it's business as usual". I tried to get clarification on what that meant and his response was, "what do you think it means, it means business as usual". Talking to Larry Sullivan from Drag Race Central the word is the Shootout and the Points funds are guaranteed, so the IHRA is on the hook if the Torco (Knoll) commitments fail to happen. Time will tell if in fact the Torco issues will be resolved and the funding that was part of the sponsorship deal is realized. The funny thing is, Torco sponsors the season ending fund for all the pro classes (except Alcohol Funny Car), and none of the other classes have boycotted. Yes there are 5 or 6 less Pro Mod pro mod teams, but 4 of those are local cars who did not make the trip. And there is one less Top Fuel car and Funny Car team. All the teams are suffering from the soaring fuel costs. The incentive issues are great for the touring teams by way of free entry to the event, but the locals would wish to race n the pro classes are not afforded the same luxury. Cost for one local Alcohol Funny Car team was $900.00 to enter the race with its crew members. All pro classes should have free entry and all teams traveling more than 1000 miles should get a fuel allowance starting at $1,000.00 and going up as high as $2,500.00 based on the travel distance. The cost to the track would be in the $80,000.00 range. As important as the $100,000 track improvements are to ensuring this race keeps happening, why not invest that same amount in guaranteeing the cars show up and make this event a double points event. There is then too much to lose for teams not to show up. I talked to Aaron about that as well, and he said the brass considered that and even making it a triple points deal, for this race in response the Pro Stock cars. Anyway, as far as the cars that did show up, they were treated to very hot conditions on a very tricky freshly ground race surface. Surprisingly, the track was better than expected. A few teams did struggle with the track, but there were some okay numbers considering the temperature. Pro Mod Scotty Cannon Jr. who was only a tenth slower than last year when the air was 2000 feet lower.
1 1 Scott Cannon, Lyman SC, *'68 Firebird 6.211 231.28
231.28 Pro Stock In Pro Stock, Bob Bertsch but the rest of the class and showed up for his sponsor and is going to go home with 157 points and a move from 13th to 5th in the standings. 1 335 Bob Bertsch, Willis MI, '07 Mustang 10.843 81.49
81.49 Alcohol Funny Car Alcohol Funny Car was also pretty good, as the top five teams were a tenth slower than last year in 2000 feet higher air. Mark Thomas leads with a 6.00, point leader Laurie Cannister went 6.02 in her debut run at Castrol Raceway. 1 1 Mark Thomas, Louisville OH, '07 Monte Carlo 6.006
232.15 232.15 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 9 799 Sean Bellemeur, Newberry Park CA, '07 Monte
Ca 6.530 185.59 185.59 Car
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