Sun, Oct 25, 05:40 PM ENNIS - Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Ed Dykes

ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the 13th annual NHRA Revell Nationals:

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   8 Eddie Hill          4.626 309.06  Q   9 Jim Head            4.640 314.46
 *****WINNER***** 0.523  4.622 308.32 E1                  0.461  4.688 302.62

11:03 AM ... Did you remember to set your clock back?? We did, and we're ready to rumble today at the Motorplex. It's another beautiful fall day in Texas, the skies clear and the temps already in the low seventies. And we start with what might be the closest T/F race all day, Head with a holeshot and ahead all the way down, until the engine expired at 1100'... so Hill pulls ahead right at the finish, and wins this one by only 0.004 seconds, less that two feet at 300+ miles per hour.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
  11 Cristen Powell      4.652 299.40  Q   6 Doug Kalitta        4.606 308.95
                  0.473  9.178  78.19 E1 *****WINNER***** 0.498  4.641 317.79

Powell was in trouble right from the start, the engine spraying oil early then the oil caught fire and the Reebok car trailed a fireball for a long time. The Safety Safari rolled everything for this one, spreading oildry from the wall to the centerline from 200' to the finishline. We'll be down for a while on this one...

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
  12 Bruce Sarver        4.655 308.43  Q   5 Cory McClenathan    4.590 309.49
                  0.494  8.710  90.26 E1 *****WINNER***** 0.473  4.704 319.94

These two get the go-ahead to fire at 11:19 AM, and we're back in business. Sarver's performance has been spotty since his '97 runner-up at the Mopar nats, and he's up in smoke early this round. Every round is pivotal for the McDonald's machine, in a tight points battle for the championship. Rumors have MBNA replacing McDonald's on this car for '99.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   4 Joe Amato           4.589 319.48  Q  13 Connie Kalitta      4.671 312.60
 *****WINNER***** 0.429  4.644 316.12 E1                  0.483  8.533  94.49

Amato moves past a tire-smoking Kalitta, to the second round where he'll face Cory Mac with lane choice.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
  16 Randy Parks         4.728 307.16  Q   1 Gary Scelzi         4.525 319.37
                  0.469  9.286  86.53 E1 *****WINNER***** 0.490  5.202 194.17

Team Winston dodges a bullet here, Parks up in smoke early and shutting off. No sooner than that happened, the tires started to smoke on Scelzi's dragster, and then the engine fell silent, all before 800'. His aborted run will give lane choice to Hill in the next round.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
  15 Doug Herbert        4.716 310.66  Q   2 Kenny Bernstein     4.564 320.51
 *****WINNER***** 0.537  4.844 304.46 E1                  0.447  7.373 111.01

Herbert returns to Texas from a successful trip to Shreveport yesterday... and his streak continues, the Bud King up in smoke, then he pedals, and the result is more smoke. Maybe the three laps he ran yesterday were good practice for the Snap-on team, and they can string four more together today. Now wouldn't that be a great weekend??

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   3 Larry Dixon         4.564 307.69  Q  14 Tony Schumacher     4.691 313.91
 *****WINNER***** 0.429  4.579 316.78 E1                  0.458  4.708 315.23

Schumacher spun the tires ever so slightly at the 100' mark, allowing the Miller car to pull ahead, and that made all the difference. They were neck and neck to the stripe, Dixon getting the win and lane choice against Doug Kalitta next time.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   7 Bob Vandergriff     4.611 317.23  Q  10 Mike Dunn           4.644 309.70
                  0.512  5.094 298.90 E1 *****WINNER***** 0.469  4.661 315.23

Vandergriff lost traction just 100' off the line, he pedalled but the Mopar dragster was long gone. That will give the Gwynn/Dunn team lane choice when they come back to face off against Doug Herbert. That's all for round one.

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