Sat, 3 Nov 2007, 05:46 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 43nd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  466 Diana Harker                            4 Duane Shields                
E1                   0.045  5.836 198.79     ****WINNER****  0.080  5.502 270.27
 Qualified:            #10  5.377 256.31                        #7  5.308 273.16

2:09 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 79 degrees, relative humidity 32 percent, barometer 28.98 inches, adjusted altitude 2,607 feet, track temperature 107 degrees.

The weather conditions for the first round of eliminations are very different than what the racers experienced on Thursday and Friday. The fuelers may have more of a challenge than the blown cars. Harker is away first and leads Shields until after mid-track. The pipes go wet before the 1000 foot lights and Shields flies on by for the come from behind win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  712 Larry Miersch                        7402 Randy Eakins                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.033 10.400  97.57                    -0.024  5.401 254.86
 Qualified:             #9  5.358 263.15                        #8  5.351 257.58

Middle of the field pair. Luck is good! Miersch has shake and spin problems at the hit, but Eakins had already carded a red light to give him the easy win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   74 Jim Whiteley                          777 Mark Niver                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.044  5.355 267.75                     0.085  5.387 269.46
 Qualified:            #11  5.378 265.06                        #6  5.304 262.13

It's Whiteley in the blown car from wire to wire. Good race with Niver trying to run him down on the top end.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  681 Shawn Cowie                           440 Kate Harker                  
E1                   0.257  5.769 222.14     ****WINNER****  0.113  5.312 267.37
 Qualified:            #12  5.395 266.85                        #5  5.295 268.65

Cowie deep stages and then goes on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. He is all over the track and finally drives over the center line between the 660 and 1000 foot reflectors, missing both [No bonus points for missing the cones]. Harker makes a clean and straight run in the other lane without any drama to take the win. Best run of the round, so far!

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  497 Troy Buff                               9 Aaron Olivarez               
E1                   0.133  5.565 255.43     ****WINNER****  0.056  5.370 270.86
 Qualified:            #13  5.411 259.41                        #4  5.283 275.11

Big starting line advantage for Olivarez at the green and it's no contest from there on, as he pull steadily away from Buff for a easy win.

This may be Buff's last pass in the Darien and Meadows A/Fueler, as Bill Miller has named him as the replacement for Alan Bradshaw in his TF'er in 2008. Is there a Ford in D&M's future?

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  613 Joey Severance                       7438 Morgan Lucas                 
E1                   0.046  8.404  99.87     ****WINNER****  0.082  5.964 250.60
 Qualified:            #14  5.412 263.98                        #3  5.279 265.12

Once again, Luck is Good! Lucas kicks the tires at the hit and double pumps the throttle to get them under control. What should have been an easy win for Severance, goes really bad with a big bang from the blower just before mid-track.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   77 Cody Perkins                            3 Spencer Massey               
E1                  -0.020  5.439 261.88     ****WINNER**** -0.004  5.698 209.62
 Qualified:            #15  5.425 261.62                        #2  5.249 275.06

2:31 p.m. Just a little clean up and we are back. -0.020 Red light for Perkins and a -0.004 red light for Massey. First is worse and Massey goes on to round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   35 Dave Hirata                             1 Bill Reichert                
E1                  -0.054  5.417 263.10     ****WINNER****  0.060  5.256 274.66
 Qualified:            #16  5.432 260.11                        #1  5.222 273.83

Another left lane red light and Reichert puts a nail in the coffin of the other TAD's with a great ET and MPH for the conditions.

2:37 p.m. Reichert will have lane choice over Miersch in round two. In other pairs, Kate Harker over Olivarez; Shields over Massey; and Whiteley over Lucas.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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