Sat, 29 Sep 2001, 06:52 PM CHICAGO-2 - Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Rick Green

JOLIET, Ill. - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the Inaugural 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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Right Lane: Andrew Cowin Runs 11.865/79.51, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.955/237.21, Was #12

Cowin was up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Brady Kalivoda Runs 6.068/139.83, Now #16; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Rob Passey Runs 5.749/182.90, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.072/163.02, Was #15

Brady started dropping cylinders and then there was quick ball of fire out of the right side of the engine around 900 feet. Passey was dropping cylinders all the way down the quarter-mile.

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Left Lane: Don Sosenka Runs 5.516/257.48, Now #15; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Tim Gibson Runs 4.647/310.63, Now #7; Best prior run: 15.099/77.64, Was #19

Sosenka with his first pass of the weekend and they sneak it on down the quarter-mile to get in the show for now. Gibson with a real good pass until around 1000 feet when he got out of the groove and close to the wall and still runs a low 4.60.

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Left Lane: Scott Weis Runs 5.013/219.47, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.928/224.88, Was #12
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.525/320.74, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.532/320.20, Was #3

Dixon with a 0.844 seconds 60-foot time and was running 272.50 mph at half track for his quickest pass of the weekend. Weis with a great pass until he started to loose traction and he pedaled it.

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Left Lane: Rhonda Hartman-Smith Runs 4.633/317.42, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.800/291.89, Was #10
Right Lane: Luigi Novelli Runs 5.016/245.99, Now #14; Best prior run: 10.468/83.01, Was #20

Rhonda with great looking pass keeping all the cylinders lit and the Goodyears stuck all the way through the 1320 for her career best et. Novelli dropped some cylinders on the left bank and then then really started mixing them up on the top end.

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Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 4.581/326.56, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.829/322.27, Was #11
Right Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.576/316.90, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.884/146.26, Was #18

Scelzi was skating around just a little bit, but otherwise these were a pair of picture perfect passes.

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Left Lane: Chris Karamesines Runs 4.876/299.13, Now #14; Best prior run: 9.011/102.63, Was #20
Right Lane: Paul Romine Runs 4.723/317.49, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.182/225.60, Was #16

A couple good clean pass to get them into the show here.

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Left Lane: Darrell Russell Runs 4.641/305.49, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.657/317.42, Was #11
Right Lane: David Grubnic Runs 5.509/158.24, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.622/295.79, Was #8

Russel launched hard and was on good looking pass until around 1000 feet and that was when the car got real loose and Russel did a great job driving it. Grubnic was mixing up the cylinders and then had a big fireball around 400 feet.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.541/319.37, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.588/315.93, Was #7
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 6.043/140.61, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.542/325.69, Was #4

Herbert started to haze the tires around 300 feet and lifted. Kalitta with a good 0.845 60-foot time and was able to keep the tires stuck to move in front of Herbert on the ladder.

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Left Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 7.335/98.83, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.513/325.22, Was #2
Right Lane: Mike Dunn Runs 4.545/284.75, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.511/326.95, Was #1

Bernstein with a 0.842 seconds 60-foot time and then had a quick flash of flame around 200 feet. He trails smoke through the quarter-mile. Dunn was on a great pass until he pitched the blower belt around 1200 feet. He was going 275.79 mph at half track. He will stay number one and Cowin is on the bump with a 4.955.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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