Mission Saturday summary

COWIE, HOUGH ON TOP IN MISSION

MISSION, B.C. -- Shawn Cowie and Brain Hough each captured pole positions for this weekend's Lordco B.C. Nationals and the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at Mission Raceway Park. Cowie, in his first ever NHRA Lucas Oil event in a Top Alcohol Dragster jumped to the top of the field in his final qualifying pass running 5.330 seconds at 264.70 mph to move ahead of defending event champion Duane Shields. Cowie of Richmond, B.C., has teamed with Northwest racing legend Bucky Austin who has stepped away from the driver's seat and is handling the tuning duties on Cowie's car. Cowie campaigned a car in the division's Top Comp category before making the jump to the alcohol dragster this year.

Shields' 5.333 second pass at 273.80 mph kept him in the No. 2 position with Thomas Bayer in third with his Toyo Tires sponsored, Steve and Patty Federlin owned dragster. Bayer managed a best run of 5.401 seconds at 262.31 mph. Leo Grocock of Mission, B.C., failed to make the 8-car field with a lap of 6.419 seconds at 160.22 mph.

Hough is the defending Northwest Division Funny Car Champion and leads the field into tomorrow's eliminations with a 258.32 mph run in 5.613 seconds. Hough, out of Junction City, Ore., is followed by Ken Kraus of Great Falls, Mont., and Clint Thompson of Klamath Falls, Ore., in the No. 2 and 3 spots. Kraus ran 5.655 seconds in his '05 Camaro and Thompson went 5.783 at 253.37 mph. Tim Nemeth of Chilliwack, B.C., finished fifth at 5.920 seconds, 243.83 mph.

Mark Stewart held on to the top spot in Comp Eliminator running 8.790 seconds in his '98 Achieva followed by Dan Barton of Post Falls, Idaho, at 8.856 seconds. Langley, B.C., resident Bob Marshall is third in his '07 GTO.

Local favorite Robert Haffner of Mission, B.C., tops the Top Dragster class with a 6.145 second pass at 213.47 mph followed by Neil Kachelt of Kelowna, B.C., running 6.626 seconds, 210.07 mph.

Super Stock racer Larry Dowty has his '90 Grand Am in the No. 1 position at 13.041 seconds followed by Sean Cour and Steve Polack in second and third respectively while John Hill leads Stock Eliminator with an 11.609 second pass. The Fairbanks, Alaska, resident is followed by Vancouver, Wash., racer Tom Gaynor in second and Bill Bushmaker of Auburn, Wash., in third.

In the division's Top Sportsman class it was Rach Dhalliwal of Langley, B.C., taking the No. 1 spot wheeling his '01 Mustang to a 6.685 second, 208.52 mph pass. Fellow B.C. racer Craig Donaldson of Sidney is second at 6.887 and Todd Hoerner is third.

Rounding out the top qualifiers this weekend was Steve Miller of Yakima, Wash., in the Sportsman Motorcycle class presented by Harley Davidson with a 0.009 second reaction time on his '89 Suzuki.

Racing continues Sunday at 9 a.m. Gates open at 7 a.m. Tickets are $20. The track, owned and operated by the B.C. Custom Car Association, is located 10 miles north of Sumas, Wash., on Highway 11. For more information, call Mission Raceway Park, 604-826-6315.

-credit: nhra