Sat, 27 Oct 2012, 20:17 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Rick Green

LAS VEGAS - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 12th annual Big O Tires NHRA Nationals 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: Morgan Lucas Runs 3.835/317.79, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.157/144.06, Was #19
Right Lane: Chris Karamesines Runs 4.382/201.76, Now #18; Best prior run: 12.365/74.09, Was #20

Weather conditions: air temperature 79 degrees, relative humidity 17 percent, barometer 27.87 inches, adjusted altitude 4,035 feet, track temperature 98 degrees.

Lucas with a nice looking pass and he gets into the top half of the show. Morgan Lucas' incremental times: 60ft-0.854 sec., 330ft-2.168, 660ft-3.078/279.73 mph. the word from the top end is Lucas threw the blower belt off Karamesines lost traction and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Mike Salinas Runs 4.319/203.86, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.907/149.65, Was #20
Right Lane: Steven Chrisman Runs 4.074/272.17, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.094/272.94, Was #17

chrisman starts to smoke the tires and then the engine lets go with a fireball. The word from the top end is there is oil on the track. Salinas started to lose traction and clicked it off .

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Left Lane: Troy Buff Runs 6.242/96.76, Now #20; Best prior run: 4.654/160.46, Was #20
Right Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 3.869/320.43, Now #12; Best prior run: 3.970/255.97, Was #16

buff is up in smoke early and clicks it off. Bernstein with his quickest pass of the weekend and he gets off the bump. Brandon Bernstein's incremental times: 60ft-0.872 sec., 330ft-2.183, 660ft-3.108/275.17 mph.

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Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 3.914/305.91, Now #14; Best prior run: 3.871/304.05, Was #14
Right Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 6.486/99.27, Now #16; Best prior run: 3.893/314.02, Was #16

McClenathan with a good clean pass, straight down the groove. McMillen is up in smoke and clicks it off.

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Left Lane: Clay Millican Runs 6.691/101.60, Now #11; Best prior run: 3.860/315.71, Was #11
Right Lane: T.J. Zizzo Runs 4.897/143.63, Now #15; Best prior run: 3.878/316.23, Was #15

Millican is up in smoke early and clicks it off. Zizzo started to smoke the tires and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 3.823/296.11, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.852/317.94, Was #9
Right Lane: Antron Brown Runs 4.013/251.95, Now #13; Best prior run: 3.869/313.88, Was #13

Brown started to mix up cylinders and then the engine let go with a quick flash of flames. He will start tomorrow from his lowest qualifying position of the season. Torrence launched hard and was on a great pass until the car pitched the blower belt off. Torrence with the quickest pass of the round. Steve Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.849 sec., 330ft-2.157, 660ft-3.055/282.66 mph.

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Left Lane: J.R. Todd Runs 3.806/324.05, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.829/321.35, Was #8
Right Lane: David Grubnic Runs 3.978/252.76, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.853/319.22, Was #10

Grubnic with a good pass until the engine let go with a fireball on the top end. Todd launched hard and keep it hooked up to run his career quickest pass to go to the five spot. J.R. Todd's incremental times: 60ft-0.847 sec., 330ft-2.159, 660ft-3.057/282.66 mph.

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Left Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 3.809/319.52, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.815/323.19, Was #7
Right Lane: Khalid alBalooshi Runs 6.372/95.06, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.804/325.69, Was #4

alBalooshi started to lose traction early and clicked it off. Langdon with the second quickest pass of the round and moves up the ladder one spot. Shawn Langdon's incremental times: 60ft-0.850 sec., 330ft-2.166, 660ft-3.059/284.21 mph.

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Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 3.831/322.27, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.810/323.97, Was #7
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 3.798/327.11, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.800/324.75, Was #3

A piece of the track came up in the right lane and we were down for about 20 minutes as the NHRA fixed the track. Kalitta launched hard and runs right over that patch with the fastest pass in the track history. Kalitta with his quickest pass of the weekend, but will stay in the number three spot. Vandergriff with another good pass, but will not improve. Bob Vandergriff's incremental times: 60ft-0.853 sec., 330ft-2.173, 660ft-3.078/280.84 mph.

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Left Lane: Spencer Massey Runs 3.776/321.42, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.787/317.19, Was #2
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 6.928/92.30, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.773/323.66, Was #1

Schumacher is up in smoke early and clicked it off...Massey launched hard and was straight down the groove with the quickest pass of the round. Spencer Massey's incremental times: 60ft-0.841 sec., 330ft-2.147, 660ft-3.035/286.98 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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