Sat, 22 Sep 2007, 05:26 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Rick Green

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 22nd annual O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec listing lane, driver name, elapsed time/top speed this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time/speed, and position in order prior to run:

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Left Lane: Mike Strasburg Runs 4.808/307.30, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.934/252.90, Was #19
Right Lane: Doug Foley Runs 4.812/293.47, Now #19; Best prior run: 5.564/166.64, Was #20

Weather conditions: air temperature 87 degrees, relative humidity 42 percent, barometer 29.38 inches, adjusted altitude 2,752 feet, track temperature 125 degrees.

Strasburg drifted a little out of the groove and toward the wall, but still ran his best pass of the weekend. He will not get into the show. Foley with his best pass of the weekend, but will not get into the show.

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Left Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 11.212/124.02, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.659/293.22, Was #17
Right Lane: Scott Palmer Runs 9.956/90.71, Now #20; Best prior run: 4.881/247.79, Was #20

Herbert is up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle and that is the end to his weekend. Palmer made it to about 100 feet before he blistered the tires and he will not qualify.

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Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.659/319.37, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.637/316.52, Was #15
Right Lane: Clay Millican Runs 4.703/310.41, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.648/317.57, Was #16

A couple clean runs, but neither will improve on their times from earlier this weekend.

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Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 4.651/325.37, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.608/322.19, Was #13
Right Lane: Hillary Will Runs 4.848/245.58, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.630/323.27, Was #14

Will slowed on the top end. Schumacher with his fastest pass of the weekend, but will stay number 13.

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Left Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 4.901/225.90, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.581/325.06, Was #8
Right Lane: David Grubnic Runs 7.958/90.21, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.603/283.01, Was #12

Grubnic was up in smoke by 400 feet. Lucas' car went silent around 800 feet and he coasted on through the 1320.

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Left Lane: Joe Hartley Runs 5.272/188.62, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.557/329.58, Was #6
Right Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 11.620/82.14, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.589/328.14, Was #11

Vandergriff is up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle...Hartley dropped a cylinder or two and then started to haze the tires around half track.

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Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 5.340/178.97, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.553/323.89, Was #5
Right Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 8.264/83.34, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.586/326.56, Was #10

Bazemore is up in smoke around 200 feet and clicks it off...Dixon started to haze the tires and shut it off by half track.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.619/317.72, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.546/328.70, Was #3
Right Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 4.596/326.79, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.585/319.37, Was #9

This was a great drag race with both of them running the quickest passes of the session. Bernstein with his second quickest pass of the weekend. Brandon Bernstein's incremental times: 60ft-0.855 sec., 330ft-2.179, 660ft-3.123/268.49mph, 1,000ft-3.915 Kalitta with his second quickest pass of the weekend. Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.854 sec., 330ft-2.194, 660ft-3.132/269.73mph, 1,000ft-3.924

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Left Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 4.627/325.92, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.545/331.94, Was #2
Right Lane: Alan Bradshaw Runs 4.993/218.90, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.577/323.81, Was #7

Bradshaw was mixing up cylinders on the top end. Troxel with another really good looking pass. Melanie Troxel's incremental times: 60ft-0.861 sec., 330ft-2.204, 660ft-3.155/267.69mph, 1,000ft-3.948

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Left Lane: J.R. Todd Runs 4.676/305.84, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.541/318.47, Was #1
Right Lane: Rod Fuller Runs 4.664/322.42, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.552/324.83, Was #4

A couple more good clean passes to end Top Fuel qualifying. Todd holds on to the number one spot for the second time in his career. Fuller will stay number four and that sets up a huge round one match up with Schumacher in round one. Bernstein ends up with the quickest pass of this session.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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