No Fat Lady Singing Yet – Cannister Seeks to Hold on to Points Lead in Tulsa
<p style="width:300px;float:right;font-weight:bold;padding-right:0px;">
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/cannister_709794.jpg" alt="cannister_709794" />
<br><font color="Navy">“This is not only going to be a new tuning experience for Dale, being another track that we have never raced on, but also a whole new group of fans,” exclaimed Laurie. </font>
<P>Johnstown, Ohio – There have been a lot of firsts for the Kalbones Grill’n Sauce IHRA AFC team in 2008. Some of those firsts have been new tracks for the team to compete on. That will be the case when AFC championship contender, Laurie Cannister and the Kalbones’ crew roll into Tulsa Raceway Park this week for the IHRA Sooner Nationals.
“This is not only going to be a new tuning experience for Dale, being another track that we have never raced on, but also a whole new group of fans,” exclaimed Laurie. “I have to admit, I love going to new tracks that I have never been to before and we have heard a lot about Tulsa and its great fans. I certainly look forward to meeting as many as I can. We race because we love it and we love it because of the fans.”
Kalbones Tuner Dale Cannister, while still fairly new in the game of calling the shots, is starting to compile more information in the logbook. Dale is hoping that this race in Tulsa just might allow him to refer back to some of the races from earlier this season, possibly even San Antonio. “Based on the forecast for the weekend, we know it is going to be a very hot race, but will it be a humid one?” Dale questioned. “At this point in the season, we can now go back and find lots of passes where it was on the warm side, but if it’s not very humid, well I guess we’ll just write another chapter in the book. It’s not like we haven’t been in unfamiliar territory before this season. So far, familiar or not, we’ve been fortunate thanks to the support we receive from Kalbones giving us what we need to combat the elements, no matter what the situation.”
“When we get there, we will walk the track like we would at any event and we will closely watch the first pass that the Pro Stock and Pro Mod teams make during their Friday afternoon session,” Dale adds. “We learn a lot by observation and that will help us set up for our first stab at the track Friday night.”
And yes, the Kalbones’ team has been watching the points, too. While this may surprise some, they know the chase is far from over. Laurie feels that coming out of the Tulsa event without a solid performance, could put their current lead in jeopardy. “With having three events left and all the possible points a team can accumulate during each race, let alone having an unfortunate event like an oildown penalty, it is still way too soon to say what’s going to happen.”
While anyone in the AFC field can jump up and play spoiler at anytime, Cannister is keeping a close eye on Atchison and Noakes, who sit behind her at two and three, respectively, in the points.
“Paul Noakes has always been a great driver and Les Mellows a great tuner. Now that they have been put together, they are certainly a force to contend with. They’re only five points behind Rob (Atchison) and they’ve got momentum and I would not be surprised at all to see them continue to do really well from here on out. They are just one more reason why we don’t sit back and get comfortable.”
Since the last IHRA Nitro Jam event in Martin, there has been a little extra time for the Kalbones’ team to prepare for this next event in Tulsa, and they are using every bit of it. There has been more than just the regular between race maintenance for the team to tend to. Not just one motor to go through, but both of the team’s power plants needed to be taken down to bare blocks. Add to that a complete new set of headers for Dale Cannister to fabricate from scratch. The Kalbones crew noticed during the last outing that the headers were showing more cracks and by the time the event was completed, were beyond a quick repair.
The Alcohol Funny Car Championship chase heads to Tulsa Raceway Park this Friday through Sunday for the Sooner Nationals, the eighth stop on the 2008 IHRA Nitro Jam Tour. Qualifying for the AFC teams begins Friday evening with two more sessions slated for Saturday. The final eliminations are scheduled to commence Sunday at noon.
Should Cannister and the Kalbones Grill’n Sauce entry find some solid successes during this event, someone might want to tell the “fat lady” to start warming up those vocals.
Photos courtesy of BME Photography
Laurie Cannister Fast Fan Facts
Birthday - July 23
Hometown - Johnstown, Ohio with husband, Tuner Dale Cannister
Children - Samson "Our Son" - Norwegian Elkhound
2008 IHRA Alcohol Funny Car Champion - Texas Nationals (San Antonio), Spring Nationals (Rockingham), President’s Cup Nationals (Budds Creek), Rocky Mountain Nationals (Edmonton) & Northern Nationals (Martin)
2008 IHRA Alcohol Funny Car Runner-Up – Motor City Nationals (Milan)
2002 & 2007 IHRA Alcohol Funny Car Champion - President's Cup Nationals (Budds Creek)
2000 IHRA Pro Outlaw World Champion
1999 IHRA Pro Rookie of the Year
Career quickest Quarter Mile elapsed time is 5.669
Career fastest Quarter Mile speed is 246.89
Career quickest Eighth Mile elapsed time is 3.731 (Current IHRA ET Record)
Career fastest Eighth Mile speed is 198.32 (Current IHRA Speed Record)
Cannister is the fastest and quickest female driver in IHRA Alcohol Funny Car history (Eighth & Quarter Mile)
All race team related info and photos – Welcome to Kalbone's Racing - Laurie Cannister, Driver
<p style="width:300px;float:right;font-weight:bold;padding-right:0px;">
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/cannister_709794.jpg" alt="cannister_709794" />
<br><font color="Navy">“This is not only going to be a new tuning experience for Dale, being another track that we have never raced on, but also a whole new group of fans,” exclaimed Laurie. </font>
<P>Johnstown, Ohio – There have been a lot of firsts for the Kalbones Grill’n Sauce IHRA AFC team in 2008. Some of those firsts have been new tracks for the team to compete on. That will be the case when AFC championship contender, Laurie Cannister and the Kalbones’ crew roll into Tulsa Raceway Park this week for the IHRA Sooner Nationals.
“This is not only going to be a new tuning experience for Dale, being another track that we have never raced on, but also a whole new group of fans,” exclaimed Laurie. “I have to admit, I love going to new tracks that I have never been to before and we have heard a lot about Tulsa and its great fans. I certainly look forward to meeting as many as I can. We race because we love it and we love it because of the fans.”
Kalbones Tuner Dale Cannister, while still fairly new in the game of calling the shots, is starting to compile more information in the logbook. Dale is hoping that this race in Tulsa just might allow him to refer back to some of the races from earlier this season, possibly even San Antonio. “Based on the forecast for the weekend, we know it is going to be a very hot race, but will it be a humid one?” Dale questioned. “At this point in the season, we can now go back and find lots of passes where it was on the warm side, but if it’s not very humid, well I guess we’ll just write another chapter in the book. It’s not like we haven’t been in unfamiliar territory before this season. So far, familiar or not, we’ve been fortunate thanks to the support we receive from Kalbones giving us what we need to combat the elements, no matter what the situation.”
“When we get there, we will walk the track like we would at any event and we will closely watch the first pass that the Pro Stock and Pro Mod teams make during their Friday afternoon session,” Dale adds. “We learn a lot by observation and that will help us set up for our first stab at the track Friday night.”
And yes, the Kalbones’ team has been watching the points, too. While this may surprise some, they know the chase is far from over. Laurie feels that coming out of the Tulsa event without a solid performance, could put their current lead in jeopardy. “With having three events left and all the possible points a team can accumulate during each race, let alone having an unfortunate event like an oildown penalty, it is still way too soon to say what’s going to happen.”
While anyone in the AFC field can jump up and play spoiler at anytime, Cannister is keeping a close eye on Atchison and Noakes, who sit behind her at two and three, respectively, in the points.
“Paul Noakes has always been a great driver and Les Mellows a great tuner. Now that they have been put together, they are certainly a force to contend with. They’re only five points behind Rob (Atchison) and they’ve got momentum and I would not be surprised at all to see them continue to do really well from here on out. They are just one more reason why we don’t sit back and get comfortable.”
Since the last IHRA Nitro Jam event in Martin, there has been a little extra time for the Kalbones’ team to prepare for this next event in Tulsa, and they are using every bit of it. There has been more than just the regular between race maintenance for the team to tend to. Not just one motor to go through, but both of the team’s power plants needed to be taken down to bare blocks. Add to that a complete new set of headers for Dale Cannister to fabricate from scratch. The Kalbones crew noticed during the last outing that the headers were showing more cracks and by the time the event was completed, were beyond a quick repair.
The Alcohol Funny Car Championship chase heads to Tulsa Raceway Park this Friday through Sunday for the Sooner Nationals, the eighth stop on the 2008 IHRA Nitro Jam Tour. Qualifying for the AFC teams begins Friday evening with two more sessions slated for Saturday. The final eliminations are scheduled to commence Sunday at noon.
Should Cannister and the Kalbones Grill’n Sauce entry find some solid successes during this event, someone might want to tell the “fat lady” to start warming up those vocals.
Photos courtesy of BME Photography
Laurie Cannister Fast Fan Facts
Birthday - July 23
Hometown - Johnstown, Ohio with husband, Tuner Dale Cannister
Children - Samson "Our Son" - Norwegian Elkhound
2008 IHRA Alcohol Funny Car Champion - Texas Nationals (San Antonio), Spring Nationals (Rockingham), President’s Cup Nationals (Budds Creek), Rocky Mountain Nationals (Edmonton) & Northern Nationals (Martin)
2008 IHRA Alcohol Funny Car Runner-Up – Motor City Nationals (Milan)
2002 & 2007 IHRA Alcohol Funny Car Champion - President's Cup Nationals (Budds Creek)
2000 IHRA Pro Outlaw World Champion
1999 IHRA Pro Rookie of the Year
Career quickest Quarter Mile elapsed time is 5.669
Career fastest Quarter Mile speed is 246.89
Career quickest Eighth Mile elapsed time is 3.731 (Current IHRA ET Record)
Career fastest Eighth Mile speed is 198.32 (Current IHRA Speed Record)
Cannister is the fastest and quickest female driver in IHRA Alcohol Funny Car history (Eighth & Quarter Mile)
All race team related info and photos – Welcome to Kalbone's Racing - Laurie Cannister, Driver
