ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
Paul Noakes (Brad Turk photo)
Paul Noakes, with hall-of-famer Les Mellows tuning, had to knock off No. 1 qualifier Tom Carter in the first round before facing three-time world champion Rob Atchison in the semifinals. Carter rolled through the beams and lit the red-light, handing Noakes (London, Ont.) the win. Then Noakes outran Atchison with a 5.900/238.22 to his opponent’s 5.903/241.50 for the right to meet fellow Canadian and veteran alky Funny Car driver Larry Dobbs.
Larry Dobbs (Brad Turk photo)
Laurie Cannister, a four-time winner on the IHRA circuit this season, was on the other side of the ladder and fell to Dobbs in the semifinals in an ultra-close race when Dobbs ran a 5.893/250 to Cannister’s 5.897/237.
“We had a plan when we got here,” Noakes said. “Les (Davenport) has really high expectations of me and he’s amazing at tuning these cars…he’s the best in the business.”
Noakes left the car he owns to step into McMillen’s ’99 Avenger this season.
“This is a new car for me so there’s a lot on me,” he said. “I’m starting to figure the car out but it’s not as easy as people think to move from one Funny Car to another. I could not do this without my guys, they keep making this car easier and easier for me to drive.”
In the final, Noakes’ Dodge Avenger ran a 5.869/238.55 to get the win over the 5.934/237.75 of Dobbs’ Chevy Corvette.
POINTS STANDINGS
Top Fuel: 1. Bruce Litton, 499; 2. Spencer Massey, 497; 3. Bobby Lagana Jr., 445; 4. Mike Strasburg, 438; 5. Kevin Jones, 354; 6. Terry McMillen, 351; 7. Scott Palmer, 222; 8. Chris Karamesines, 118; 9. Mitch King, 99; 10. Tim Boychuk, 74.
Nitro Funny Car: 1. Terry Haddock, 408; 2. Dale Creasy Jr., 392; 3. Steven Macklyn, 380; 4. Matt Hagan, 374; 5. Paul Lee, 344; 6. Andy Kelley, 249; 7. Jack Wyatt, 242; 8. Jeff Diehl, 226; 9. Cory Lee, 177; 10. Todd Simpson, 165.
Pro Modified: 1. Kenny Lang, 450; 2. Tommy D’Aprile, 360; 3. Scott Cannon, 344; 4. Mike Janis, 334; 5. Mike Castellana, 329; 6. Ed Hoover, 299; 7. Jim Halsey, 287; 8. Jason Hamstra, 246; 9. Thomas Patterson, 240; 10. Pat Stoken, 199.
Alcohol Funny Car: 1. Laurie Cannister, 647; 2. Rob Atchison, 480; 3. Paul Noakes, 457; 4. Thomas Carter, 428; 5. Mark Thomas, 272; 6. Larry Dobbs, 265; 7. Dale Brand, 232; 8. Tim Stevens, 155; 9. Terry Munroe, 120; 10. Tony Bogolo, 107.
Pro Stock: 1. Frank Gugliotta, 407; 2. Jeff Dobbins, 388; 3. John Montecalvo, 335; 4. Pete Berner, 331; 5. Elijah Morton, 324; 6. Bob Bertsch, 240; 7. Rob Mansfield, 227; 8. Cary Goforth, 224; 9. Richard Freeman, 206; 10. Robert Patrick, 191.