Severance, Gasparrelli lead Mission wire to wire

Severance, Gasparrelli lead Mission wire to wire

Joey Severance dominated Top Alcohol Dragster at the LORDCO Auto Parts BC Nationals, the Western Regional event at Mission Raceway, qualifying No. 1 and setting low e.t. of all three rounds en route to victory, and defending division champ Steve Gasparrelli did likewise in Top Alcohol Funny Car.

Severance was the only driver in the 5.30s and the only one to crack to 270 mph in qualifying with a best of 5.35, 270.86, half a tenth ahead of eventual runner-up Ray Martin's 5.40. He established low e.t. of the meet on his first-round single with a 5.33.

Martin ran a competitive 5.44 in the opening round to take out Greg Sereda's 5.58, and Canadian Gord Gingles dipped into the 5.30s with a career-best 5.39 in a win over quick-leaving Greg Hunter. Gingles fouled away a 5.41 in the semi's opposite Severance's 5.369, and Martin moved to within striking distance of Severance with a 5.372 on his semifinal single.

Both drivers slowed in the final, but Severance got off the mark first and streaked to a 5.39 to cover Martin's solid 5.43, reversing the outcome of the 2011 Mission final, which Martin won in his Top Alcohol Dragster debut.

In Top Alcohol Funny Car, Gasparrelli duplicated Severance's qualifying feat by being the only driver in the 5.50s and putting five-hundredths between himself and the next closest driver. Clint Thompson, who once won the Mission event three years in a

row, hit a 5.64 for the No. 2 spot, just ahead of John Evanchuk's 5.67 and six-time Division 6 champion Brian Hough's 5.68.

Gasparrelli, like Severance, set low e.t. in the opening round, running a 5.57 at 261.83 mph to eliminate Dave Germain, who smoked the tires and shut off. Hough maintained his qualifying performance with a 5.64 win over Evanchuk, and Thompson did the same with a 5.66 against Jeff Ashwell.

The final was over early when Hough, who won this event in 2009 and 2010, lost traction immediately, opening the door for Gasparrelli, who would have been hard to get around anyway with a 5.63, his slowest run of the day but still quicker than any other driver's best run.

by Todd Veney/Pro Sportsman Association