Sat, 18 May 2013, 14:21 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Rick Green

TOPEKA, Kan. - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 25th annual NHRA Kansas 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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Right Lane: Luigi Novelli Runs 11.565/76.98, Now #13; No Prior Run

Weather conditions: air temperature 80 degrees, relative humidity 67 percent, barometer 28.68 inches, adjusted altitude 3,769 feet, track temperature 96 degrees.

Novelli is up in smoke as soon as he hits the throttle and clicks it off.

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Left Lane: Tim Cullinan Runs 4.098/287.41, Now #14; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Scott Palmer Runs 3.995/286.32, Now #13; No Prior Run

Palmer launched hard and keep it hooked up to make his quickest pass of the weekend to go to the number 13 spot. Scott Palmer's incremental times: 60ft-0.869 sec., 330ft-2.220, 660ft-3.169/264.96 mph. Cullinan was on a good pass until right in the lights when it appeared to smoke the tires. Tim Cullinan's incremental times: 60ft-0.887 sec., 330ft-2.272, 660ft-3.259/254.42 mph.

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Left Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 4.273/262.18, Now #16; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 4.003/297.48, Now #14; No Prior Run

Lucas started to lose traction and pedaled it around 300 feet and then dropped a bunch of cylinders on the right side. Vandergriff started to mix up cylinders around half track, but stay with it to go to the number 14 spot. Bob Vandergriff's incremental times: 60ft-0.872 sec., 330ft-2.246, 660ft-3.194/265.17 mph.

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Left Lane: Pat Dakin Runs 4.012/263.82, Now #16; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Brittany Force Runs 3.846/320.89, Now #13; No Prior Run

Force launched hard and was straight down the groove with the quickest pass of the session to go to the number 13 spot. Brittany Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.877 sec., 330ft-2.204, 660ft-3.096/283.43 mph. Dakin clicked it off early, but still gets in the show on the bubble. These two bumped out Cullinan and Lucas.

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Left Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 3.899/316.23, Now #12; Best prior run: 3.842/321.96, Was #12
Right Lane: Leah Pruett Runs 3.843/313.00, Now #11; Best prior run: 3.833/311.85, Was #11

Pruett with a nice pass, but was skating around on the top end. She still runs the quickest pass of the round. Leah Pruett's incremental times: 60ft-0.857 sec., 330ft-2.165, 660ft-3.072/280.14 mph. McMillen with a straight down the groove with the third quickest pass of the round. Terry McMillen's incremental times: 60ft-0.880 sec., 330ft-2.203, 660ft-3.127/272.72 mph.

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Left Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 3.817/319.60, Now #9; Best prior run: 3.822/317.72, Was #10
Right Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 3.836/318.62, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.819/321.27, Was #9

torrence launched hard and keep it hitting on all eight to move up the ladder one spot. Steve Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.847 sec., 330ft-2.157, 660ft-3.059/279.73 mph. No help here for Bernstein, but still a nice pass. Brandon Bernstein's incremental times: 60ft-0.864 sec., 330ft-2.175, 660ft-3.078/280.02 mph.

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Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 3.819/317.27, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.813/319.75, Was #8
Right Lane: Clay Millican Runs 3.820/319.52, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.811/321.12, Was #7

grubnic with a real nice pass, straight down the groove with the second quickest pass of the session. He matches his E.T. from round two. David Grubnic's incremental times: 60ft-0.856 sec., 330ft-2.163, 660ft-3.058/281.42 mph. Millican with the third quickest pass of round. He didn't improve but still a nice pass. Clay Millican's incremental times: 60ft-0.847 sec., 330ft-2.161, 660ft-3.062/279.32 mph.

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Left Lane: Antron Brown Runs 3.883/312.50, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.803/316.15, Was #6
Right Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 3.767/322.50, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.777/317.34, Was #3

Langdon launched hard and keep the big Goodyears stuck with a great looking pass. Langdon goes to the number one spot. Shawn Langdon's incremental times: 60ft-0.838 sec., 330ft-2.138, 660ft-3.020/285.83 mph. Brown with no help here, but good clean pass. Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.861 sec., 330ft-2.175, 660ft-3.103/271.68 mph.

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Left Lane: Spencer Massey Runs 3.822/323.19, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.794/319.75, Was #5
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 5.320/131.83, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.770/324.98, Was #3

Kalitta started to smoke the tires around 300 feet and clicked it off. Massey with the fifth quickest pass of the session. Spencer Massey's incremental times: 60ft-0.855 sec., 330ft-2.173, 660ft-3.072/281.71 mph.

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Left Lane: Khalid alBalooshi Runs 3.795/298.34, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.794/324.44, Was #4
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 7.132/88.85, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.769/326.08, Was #2

Schumacher is up in smoke by 150 feet and clicked it off. alBalooshi with a great looking pass with the second quickest pass of the session right behind his teammate. alBalooshi is just a tick off his qualifying time. Khalid alBalooshi's incremental times: 60ft-0.842 sec., 330ft-2.144, 660ft-3.031/286.62 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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