Sun, 21 Oct 2001, 12:13 PM DALLAS - Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the 16th annual O'Reilly Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec:

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   8 Gary Scelzi         4.631 318.02  Q    9 Darrell Russell     4.678 310.77
 *****WINNER***** 0.474  4.604 322.23  E1                  0.454  7.669 100.86

The sun is burning off the morning haze, so we are still under partly cloudy skies. The temperature is around 66 degrees, humidity is 87% and the barometer is 30.06 inches. This is the first time these two have met in top Fuel. Russell was out of the gate first and then started to lose traction around 330-foot mark. The engine let go just before half track with a big fireball out of the right side of the engine. Scelzi with his quickest and fastest pass of the weekend to move on to round two.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   7 Don Lampus          4.626 309.59  Q   10 Rhonda Hartman-Smi  4.680 308.95
 *****WINNER***** 0.514  5.673 195.86  E1                  0.443  6.213 210.52

Hartman-Smith strapped a hole shot on Lampus, but then was up in smoke by 100 feet she pedaled it and lost traction again. Lampus lost traction about the same time Rhonda did, pedaled it and got it to stick just for a little while, when he lost traction again Rhonda got back on the throttle. She went back up in smoke and they both were smoking the hides through the quarter mile.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   6 Andrew Cowin        4.599 319.37  Q   11 Tim Gibson          4.690 309.91
 *****WINNER***** 0.449  4.871 317.23  E1                  0.481  7.418 105.96

Cowin off the starting line first and never looked back to move into round two. Gibson launched hard and then threw the blower belt off around the 330-foot mark to end his weekend.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   5 Tony Schumacher     4.592 320.62  Q   12 Doug Herbert        4.728 306.53
                  0.531  4.759 316.90  E1 *****WINNER***** 0.441  4.668 319.14

Herbert deep staged and was out of the gate first and laid down his quickest and fastest pass of the weekend to move into round two. Schumacher with no apparent problems slowed from his qualifying time.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   4 Kenny Bernstein     4.577 326.56  Q   13 Chris Karamesines   4.761 290.60
 *****WINNER***** 0.477  4.597 324.44  E1                  0.558  8.551 108.45

The Big Bud team looks tough today with Kenny doing his job on the tree and Richards tuning the car to low et of the round, so far. Karamesines started to lose traction around 300 feet and clicked it off.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   3 Doug Kalitta        4.576 320.97  Q   14 Scott Weis          4.852 297.42
 *****WINNER***** 0.497  4.587 319.26  E1                  0.513  4.756 276.15

Kalitta out of the gate first and never looked back as he now has the quickest pass of the round. This pass was nice looking the cylinders hitting on all eight and Goodyears stuck all the way down the 1320. Weis with no apparent problems, but did not have enough for Kalitta.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   2 Mike Dunn           4.558 325.26  Q   15 Brady Kalivoda      4.907 302.82
 *****WINNER***** 0.493  4.562 330.76  E1                  0.000 No Time

Kalivoda made his burnout and then the team shut him off. That Yankee car with the big top end power was going 274.30 mph to take the low et and top speed of the round.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   1 Larry Dixon         4.508 321.65  Q   16 Mark Kinsella       4.952 276.92
 *****WINNER***** 0.487  4.548 326.20  E1                  0.619  4.962 302.62

Dixon out of the gate first and drives that Dick LaHaie tuned dragster to the quickest pass of the round and he will have lane choice over Scelzi in the next round. Kinsella was late on the tree and ran his second quickest pass of his career and his first pass over 300 mph. Bernstein with lane choice over Herbert, Dunn with his pick over Lampus, and kalitta will have lane choice over Cowin in round two.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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