Sun, 11 Nov 2012, 18:33 PM Top Fuel Round 3 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 3 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 48th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  255 Clay Millican                           6 Brandon Bernstein            
E3                   0.081  8.357  82.92     ****WINNER****  0.076  3.793 322.73
 Prior rounds:
E2    (M Salinas   ) 0.077  5.790 251.16      (S Massey    ) 0.052  3.805 323.43
E1    (D Grubnic   ) 0.079  4.421 270.92      (T McMillen  ) 0.048  3.776 323.97
 Qualified:            #11  3.804 320.66                        #2  3.751 328.14

3:19 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 68 degrees, relative humidity 22 percent, barometer 29.07 inches, adjusted altitude 1,855 feet, track temperature 85 degrees.

Bernstein holds an 11-5 record against Millican and is 2-0 against him in semifinals.

Once again Millican was up in smoke almost immediately and once again Bernstein made a nice, smooth, clean run to advance to the final round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   12 Bob Vandergriff                         5 Tony Schumacher              
E3                   0.046  3.842 310.98     ****WINNER****  0.070  3.815 291.95
 Prior rounds:
E2    (C McClenatha) 0.079  3.836 323.35      (K alBalooshi) 0.071  3.764 325.77
E1    (S Torrence  ) 0.060  3.810 324.83      (J Todd      ) 0.055  3.766 324.59
 Qualified:             #9  3.797 324.28                        #4  3.775 325.69

Schumacher is 21-8 against Vandergriff in prior events, including "the run, and won the only other time they met in the semifinals.

Antron Brown was on the starting line, this time wearing soft gloves instead of bandages. He didn't have anything to cheer for, though it was close, both cars popping and banging in the lights. Both cars trailed smoke in the shutdown area, but it was Vandergriff who left oil on the track - Schumacher cannot afford an oildown because that would cost him the championship and he must now win the event because he does not have a backup run for a record.

Tony Schumacher's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.000), 330 ft(0.002), 660ft(0.018). MOV: 0.0033 seconds (approximately 18 inches).

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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