When alky FC driver David Spease and his partner Brenda left Bonners Ferry, Idaho en route to the North West Funny Cars final event in Malta, Montana, they traveled across the northern tier of the state on US Highway 2, known locally as the "Highline". The event, held September 20 - 21st, was a rain date for the original race which had been washed out in June. Spease was facing a 12 hour tow, over half-way across the fourth largest state in the Union. The route passes north of 200-square-mile Flathead Lake and cuts through the southeast corner of the "Crown of the Continent", Glacier Park.

Their destination was one of the newest drag strips in the state: Phillips County Motor Sports Dragstrip. The facility utilizes an old airstrip, and turning it into a dragway was a ten-year effort involving several hundred feet of concrete, installing lots of guardrail, and myriad other details -- most of the work carried out by volunteers -- all of which will lead to IHRA certification in the coming months. And no group of racers anywhere have been more warmly welcomed than were the four North West Funny Cars of Spease, Ray Williamson, Terry Docktor and Brent Jones.

The event format called for two passes on Saturday and two more on Sunday, the first three rounds as qualifiers for the final round. Track operators wanted to start and end each day's event with the floppers. But when Ken "The Ringer" Kraus fired Williamson's "Exotic Logic" for warmup on Saturday it had no oil pressure, and track officials and group members agreed to wait for possible repairs before running any of the alcohol funnies. The pump was broken at the neck and it took a short while to find a used part in the pits. At 3 PM and with 80 pounds on the gauge, Kraus pulled into the beams against Jones. Both cars left hard with almost no tire spin. Then they left the concrete and black tracks and white smoke had them looking like 1960's fuelers. Jones' holeshot-aided 4.92 nipped Kraus' 4.93.

In the second pair, Spease and Docktor put on a similar show, with both drivers up on the wheel, trying to stay in the groove and see through the smoke. Docktor loves his winged coupe body and against the wishes of the other members of the NWFC group, showed up without his Mustang funny car body. He won the round with a 4.96 against Spease's 5.15.

Track officials didn't want to interfere with the group's annual fund-raising banquet and auction at 5 PM, so it was decided to run the remaining three rounds of alky FC on Sunday.

First round the next day matched Docktor against Jones with Brent's 4.89 putting away Terry's 5.12. Docktor broke a lifter on the pass and was out for the day.

The next pairing matched Kraus against Spease, with a holeshot win for Dave, 5.09 to Kraus' 4.98. The group of four FCs then bunched up on the return road for a parade back to the pits, and emotions ran high as the entire track crew and many bracket racers surrounded the timing tower, cheering the teams.

Second round had Spease vs Jones in the first pair, and Jones was the winner with a 4.87 for Low ET of the meet while Spease trailed at 5.04 seconds. With Docktor on the sidelines, Kraus pulled into the lights for a single, but the timing system couldn't handle a single car. An attempt was made to simulate an opposing car, but finally Kraus had to launch his heated engine for a no-time.

David Spease's "Demon's Paradise" Corvette carries the wheels.

Dave Spease opened the final round with a 4.95 on a showy, smoky single consolation pass. Then the three bracket finals ran off so the day could end with the two quickest alcohol warriors, pitting Ken Kraus against Brent Jones, and it was Jones taking the event victory at 4.88 over Kraus' 5.07.

The funny car final, Jones in the near lane.

As Dave Spease and his partner Brenda headed west across the high line, they could take pride in having made four good runs, each quicker than the last, with the knowledge that a win can't be far away. But they'll have wait until next year. If the spectator count was as good as it looked on Sunday, maybe Phillips County will invite the North West Funny Cars back a couple of times next season. The motor sports association has decided to stay at eighth mile and promises at least a couple hundred feet more of concrete. The NWFC can't wait.

Steve Wheat
funnycarcrew45@yahoo.com