Canadian TAD Powerplays!

The Canadian pedigree within NHRA’s Top Alcohol Dragster class has risen even further following a couple of outstanding efforts during the recent season-opening NHRA Kragen O’Reilly Winternationals out at Pomona…

By:  Bruce Biegler

Edmonton’s Don St. Arnaud, who this year will be competing in only his 2^nd season of driving in the class, put on a real eye-popping display when he roared all the way to a runner-up finish for the event. 

Driving his A&J Construction injected nitro car, which is tuned by Javid Marusich, St. Arnaud came painfully close to winning it all.  In what was in fact only his 4^th start at a national event level, St. Arnaud qualified #6 with a 5.368 secs and then mowed down consecutively the very formidable cars of Art Trautman, Jim Whitely and Chris Demke – with a flurry of mid 5.3 secs elapsed times.  That included a career best (to this point) 5.344 at 271.30 mph.

Edmonton's Don St. Arnaud roared to a R/UP finish at Pomona

In the final St. Arnaud moved first (.050 to .078) RT versus Nevada’s Duane Shields only to have Shields take a narrow come from behind win light 5.277 secs to Don’s 5.385 secs.

 The runner-up finish has quickly moved St. Arnaud to higher echelon in the TAD category and bodes well for his future event prospects this season.

Shawn Cowie clocked a stunning 5.243 secs ET!

Not to be lost within the strong showing by Don St. Arnaud was another great effort from Delta’s B.C.’s Shawn Cowie.  

For Cowie, who placed runner-up at the Pomona Finals last November, and 3^rd in the World overall for NHRA last year, he again made some very big noise to open his season.

Cowie qualified 4^th with a 5.281 secs at 271.84 mph and went to the semi final round before an untimely red-light foul start to eventual winner Shields ended his day.

Cowie’s Winternationals effort will be most remembered for his simply outstanding 5.243 secs at 273.66 mph lap in round one which easily covered opponent Johnny Ahten.

Not only was that Cowie’s quickest and fastest run ever – it is by our account the all time quickest run by a supercharged TAD in NHRA drag racing history (!), eclipsing the 5.255 secs that Ontario’s Ken Perry rattled off way back in October 2006. 

Needless to say – Cowie’s crew chief Bill Moore and the entire Mundies Towing racing team have got it going — again!

 (Bruce Biegler Photos)