Fri, 19 Sep 2008, 06:12 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Rick Green

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Joe Hartley Runs 4.030/275.73, Now #2
Right Lane: Clay Millican Runs 3.949/302.89, Now #1

Weather conditions: air temperature 87 degrees, relative humidity 40 percent, barometer 29.48 inches, adjusted altitude 3,062 feet, track temperature 111 degrees.

Hartley making his first 1000-foot pass, nice pass until he dropped a cylinder on the top end. Joe Hartley's incremental times: 60ft-0.868 sec., 330ft-2.201, 660ft-3.158/252.14mph. Millican with a clean pass to start the weekend. Clay Millican's incremental times: 60ft-0.870 sec., 330ft-2.209, 660ft-3.152/268.97mph.

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Left Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 3.879/306.26, Now #1
Right Lane: J.R. Todd Runs 3.941/305.36, Now #2

Torrence with a real good pass until right before the finish line when the engine started eating itself up. Steve Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.836 sec., 330ft-2.157, 660ft-3.091/271.19 mph. Todd with a nice clean pass to start the weekend...J.R. Todd's incremental times: 60ft-0.842 sec., 330ft-2.189, 660ft-3.148/267.85 mph.

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Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 3.910/299.93, Now #2
Right Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 3.950/301.20, Now #5

Vandergriff with a real nice pass until right in the lights when it began to slow. He had the fastest pass to the 660-foot mark so far. Bob Vandergriff's incremental times: 60ft-0.855 sec., 330ft-2.180, 660ft-3.115/272.06 mph. Lucas with a good clean pass...Morgan Lucas' incremental times: 60ft-0.867 sec., 330ft-2.213, 660ft-3.155/269.94 mph.

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Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 3.946/306.95, Now #4
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 3.961/303.57, Now #7

Grubnic with the fastest pass of the round so far...David Grubnic's incremental times: 60ft-0.863 sec., 330ft-2.221, 660ft-3.159/272.45 mph. Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.867 sec., 330ft-2.221, 660ft-3.166/269.78mph.

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Left Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 3.912/308.07, Now #3
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.359/188.60, Now #10

Bernstein has a couple of the lineman from the Dallas Cowboys out here with him this weekend. Bernstein with a nice pass, the fastest of the session to go to the number three spot...Brandon Bernstein's incremental times: 60ft-0.865 sec., 330ft-2.192, 660ft-3.124/271.46 mph. Herbert began to smoke the tires around 660 feet, and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Rod Fuller Runs 3.896/308.50, Now #2
Right Lane: Hillary Will Runs 3.969/289.20, Now #10

Fuller goes to the number two spot and he now has the fastest pass of the round. Rod Fuller's incremental times: 60ft-0.848 sec., 330ft-2.176, 660ft-3.109/271.62 mph. Will with a little wiggle in the middle of the track.

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Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 3.902/307.23, Now #3
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 3.912/308.14, Now #5

A nice side-by-side drag race for these two to start the weekend...Larry Dixon's incremental times: 60ft-0.848 sec., 330ft-2.176, 660ft-3.112/270.32mph.
Cory McClenathan's incremental times: 60ft-0.848 sec., 330ft-2.180, 660ft-3.122/268.71 mph.

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Left Lane: Antron Brown Runs 3.897/309.06, Now #4
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 3.880/310.98, Now #2

Schumacher with a real nice pass, but not quick enough to take that number one spot away from Torrence. He does have top speed of the round. Tony Schumacher's incremental times: 60ft-0.844 sec., 330ft-2.164, 660ft-3.098/271.52 mph. Brown with a good clean pass to go to the number four spot...Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.851 sec., 330ft-2.176, 660ft-3.111/270.10 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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