Sat, 20 Oct 2001, 02:46 PM DALLAS - Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Rick Green

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the 16th annual O'Reilly Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec 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: Don Sosenka Runs 5.998/238.98, Now #19; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Rob Passey Runs 5.346/263.77, Now #17; No Prior Run

These two making their first passes of the weekend. Sosenka just labored off the line and never did get it up to speed. Passey with no apparent problems.

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Left Lane: Joe Hartley Runs 6.046/147.13, Now #20; Best prior run: 10.101/86.93, Was #21
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 5.550/171.82, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.546/190.83, Was #18

Hartley launched with the front end in the air and then when they came back down he started to lose traction. Cory Mac started to mix up the cylinders right around half track and then had the big engine explosion with a huge fireball at 800 feet. He got the car stopped and fire put out.

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Left Lane: Mark Kinsella Runs 7.008/117.55, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.195/241.02, Was #15
Right Lane: Steve Smith Runs 5.101/245.63, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.321/273.39, Was #16

Smith is hazing the tires for the first 300 feet and then got it to hook up to get off the bump. Kinsella had a lot smoke starting around half track and trailing him through the 1320.

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Left Lane: Brady Kalivoda Runs 4.907/302.82, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.000/268.17, Was #12
Right Lane: Don Lampus No Time, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.786/302.01, Was #10

Kalivoda launched hard and kept the tires stuck to record his career best pass. He runs his first four-second pass and 300 mph run here. Lampus had problems after he staged and rolled back out of the beams.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.601/321.54, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.092/205.47, Was #13
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.728/306.53, Now #11; Best prior run: 6.326/132.66, Was #21

Kalitta with a 0.861 60-foot time and stretches that into a nice pass to put him into the top half of the field. Herbert is able to get the Goodyears to stick all the way down the 1320 to get in the show.

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Left Lane: Darrell Russell Runs 7.431/105.23, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.678/310.77, Was #8
Right Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 5.925/147.49, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.631/318.02, Was #6

Russel launch hard but then started to have trouble around 400 feet when he started to lose traction and then threw off the blower belt. He then had small engine fire that when out quickly. Scelzi lost the blower belt on the top end.

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Left Lane: Chris Karamesines Runs 4.761/290.60, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.153/266.58, Was #16
Right Lane: Scott Weis Runs 5.009/252.95, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.852/297.42, Was #13

The "Greek" launched hard and motored on through for his career quickest pass here. Weis labored off the starting line and never did get it to hook up.

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Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 4.880/231.36, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.592/320.62, Was #2
Right Lane: Tim Gibson Runs 4.690/309.91, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.724/265.64, Was #10

Schumacher started to haze the tires just past half track, but stayed with it. Gibson with another good looking pass.

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Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.508/321.65, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.644/310.88, Was #7
Right Lane: Mike Dunn Runs 4.558/325.26, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.593/319.82, Was #3

Dixon with a real strong 60-foot time (0.843 seconds) and was going 273.72 mph at half track. He turned that into a great 4.50 for the number one spot. Dunn was going faster at half track and move into the number two spot.

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Left Lane: Andrew Cowin Runs 11.809/78.53, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.599/319.37, Was #5
Right Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 6.572/123.22, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.577/326.56, Was #3

Cowin was up in smoke by 150 feet. Bernstein started to smoke the hides just past the 330-foot mark and clicked it off.

Dixon took away the number one spot and Steve Smith rounds out the top 16.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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