Thu, 07 Nov 2013, 20:14 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 49th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Ross Stickler Runs 5.453/257.68, Now #1

4:34 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 83 degrees, relative humidity 18 percent, barometer 28.91 inches, adjusted altitude 3,076 feet, track temperature 92 degrees.

Stickler got his cross licence from TAFC last week end at the LODRS 7-7 race in Las Vegas.

He makes a clean and straight pass to start the session.

Ross Stickler's incremental times: 60ft-0.932 sec., 330ft-2.403, 660ft-3.584/208.78 mph, 1,000ft-4.593.

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Left Lane: Brooks Brown Runs 5.615/246.84, Now #2
Right Lane: Casey Grisel Runs 5.903/253.85, Now #3

Grisel is away first and finishes the pass first. The engine struggling on the top end.

Brown was chasing, but started to drop cylinders after half track. He still drives on by into the new #2 spot.

Brooks Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.954 sec., 330ft-2.515, 660ft-3.701/209.95 mph, 1,000ft-4.721.
Casey Grisel's incremental times: 60ft-1.035 sec., 330ft-2.742, 660ft-4.008/203.28 mph, 1,000ft-5.031.

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Left Lane: Larry Miersch Runs 5.767/245.67, Now #3
Right Lane: Ashley Sanford Runs 11.505/79.22, Now #5

Miersch is in his new car and Sanford is in his old car.

Sanford smokes the tires and Miersch has to pump the pedal at the green.

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Left Lane: Jeff Ashwell Runs 5.557/257.19, Now #3
Right Lane: Michael Manners Runs 5.386/269.94, Now #1

Manners finds his old tune up and runs a season best speed and ET to take over the new top spot.

Ashwell makes a representative pass into #3.

Jeff Ashwell's incremental times: 60ft-0.952 sec., 330ft-2.450, 660ft-3.652/205.72 mph, 1,000ft-4.682.
Michael Manners' incremental times: 60ft-0.948 sec., 330ft-2.464, 660ft-3.603/220.69 mph, 1,000ft-4.561.

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Left Lane: Megan McKernan Runs 5.429/268.54, Now #2
Right Lane: William Litton Runs 5.563/255.82, Now #5

Clean pass for McKernan into the #2 spot.

Litton has "stuff" from the engine down track.

Megan McKernan's incremental times: 60ft-0.976 sec., 330ft-2.487, 660ft-3.631/218.83 mph, 1,000ft-4.599.
William Litton's incremental times: 60ft-0.969 sec., 330ft-2.533, 660ft-3.708/212.90 mph, 1,000ft-4.701.

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Left Lane: Greg Hunter Runs 5.571/263.56, Now #7
Right Lane: Mark Taliaferro Runs 5.282/271.02, Now #1

Taliaferro has made the change from nitro and it looks to have been a good idea. He shakes a little after the 60 foot lights and that pushes the car over towards the center line. He runs right down the track next to the line and into the new top spot.

Hunter has a matching sixty foot time, but falls behind going down the track.

Greg Hunter's incremental times: 60ft-0.924 sec., 330ft-2.474, 660ft-3.695/206.29 mph, 1,000ft-4.715.
Mark Taliaferro's incremental times: 60ft-0.924 sec., 330ft-2.364, 660ft-3.491/218.94 mph, 1,000ft-4.458.

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Left Lane: Johnny Ahten Runs 5.489/247.70, Now #6
Right Lane: Don St. Arnaud Runs 5.367/271.57, Now #2

St. Arnaud has a strong leave and runs the fastest run of the session to slide into the latest number two spot.

Ahten was mixing up the cylinders down track and still moves into the current top half of the field.

Johnny Ahten's incremental times: 60ft-0.960 sec., 330ft-2.470, 660ft-3.612/217.56 mph, 1,000ft-4.603.
Don St. Arnaud's incremental times: 60ft-0.946 sec., 330ft-2.457, 660ft-3.591/221.02 mph, 1,000ft-4.547.

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Left Lane: Duane Shields Runs 5.467/261.98, Now #7
Right Lane: Shawn Cowie Runs 5.407/269.94, Now #4

These two have many laps down the track together.

Shields has a strong leave and then does a quick pedal slap to still run a forty-six.

Cowie has no issues and slides three more spots up the ladder into #4.

Duane Shields' incremental times: 60ft-0.938 sec., 330ft-2.497, 660ft-3.647/218.62 mph, 1,000ft-4.621.
Shawn Cowie's incremental times: 60ft-0.969 sec., 330ft-2.442, 660ft-3.593/214.96 mph, 1,000ft-4.574.

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Left Lane: Gord Gingles Runs 10.603/76.66, Now #15
Right Lane: Garrett Bateman Runs 12.049/79.40, Now #17

This pair will set the first bump spot.

Dueling smokers! Both car are up in smoke at the green.

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Left Lane: Ray Martin Runs 5.442/261.93, Now #7
Right Lane: Joey Severance Runs 5.251/271.41, Now #1

Ashley Sanford is on the bump spot at 11.505.

Severance wat the number one qualifier last week at the Vegas LODRS race... and he starts this weekend with the current top spot. The car is very strong off the line and continues to lay down the power to the finish line, just missing top speed too.

Martin makes a clean pass into the top half of the field.

Ray Martin's incremental times: 60ft-0.920 sec., 330ft-2.407, 660ft-3.585/210.18 mph, 1,000ft-4.590.
Joey Severance's incremental times: 60ft-0.909 sec., 330ft-2.338, 660ft-3.459/216.41 mph, 1,000ft-4.425.

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Left Lane: Jim Whiteley Runs 5.223/275.62, Now #1
Right Lane: Chris Demke Runs 5.291/271.57, Now #4

Casey Grisel is on the bump spot at 5.903.

Whiteley shows why he is the World Champ with a superb pass with all of the numbers into the final top spot of the day.

Demke is no slouch either, but will have to settle for the number four spot.

Jim Whiteley's incremental times: 60ft-0.926 sec., 330ft-2.336, 660ft-3.450/221.13 mph, 1,000ft-4.408.
Chris Demke's incremental times: 60ft-0.925 sec., 330ft-2.369, 660ft-3.500/218.76 mph, 1,000ft-4.466.

5:09 p.m. Brooks Brown is on the bump spot at 5.615.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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