Sat, Oct 31, 06:04 PM BAYTOWN - Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session # 3

By Larry Sullivan It's a Quick Morning

BAYTOWN, Texas - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the 2nd annual Matco Tools Supernationals, 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: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.614/317.46 Now # 5, (Best prior run: 4.588/318.13 Was # 5)
Right Lane: Eddie Hill Runs 4.680/307.27 Now # 3, (Best prior run: 4.574/313.91 Was # 3)

11:31 AM There are only sixteen Top Fuel cars here, so there won't be any bumping, only shuffling. Conditions are excellent, the Federal-Mogul cars running impressive ETs and speeds an hour or so ago.

Two clean, straight, smooth runs to open the round. Many crew chiefs will be looking for their raceday setup here since this is close to what they hope for tomorrow (despite the pessimistic weather reports).

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Left Lane: Bruce Sarver Runs 4.712/302.62 Now # 8, (Best prior run: 4.634/304.25 Was # 8)
Right Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 10.843/ 78.66 Now # 7, (Best prior run: 4.603/313.15 Was # 7)

Bernstein lost traction after 100 feet. Sarver was on a stout pass to 1,000 feet, but then burned a piston or two and trailed death smoke the rest of the way. But the track stayed dry, so we continue racing.

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Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.574/319.26 Now # 3, (Best prior run: 4.601/313.37 Was # 6)
Right Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.578/321.08 Now # 1, (Best prior run: 4.549/322.23 Was # 1)

This is the title chase, right here, with Joe Amato only having an outside shot at displacing one of these two in the points. It doesn't get any better than this, Cory Mac getting the win light by inches, two almost flawless runs. That puts these two on opposite sides of the ladder, so if the positions hold, they wouldn't meet until the final round Sunday.

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Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 8.504/ 85.27 Now #12, (Best prior run: 4.761/285.53 Was #12)
Right Lane: Joe Amato Runs 10.696/ 85.09 Now # 2, (Best prior run: 4.565/318.02 Was # 2)

Schumacher's contract with Exide runs through 2001, so we can expect to see a lot more of this team on the Winston tour. Here Amato lost traction after 100 feet or so and Schumacher's car was not responding well, out of the groove and close to the wall, so both drivers aborted their runs.

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Left Lane: Allen Hartley Runs 9.811/ 89.83 Now #16, (Best prior run: 11.072/ 85.99 Was #16)

Since Hartley has yet to complete a full pass in Top Fuel competition, he gets to run solo once again today. This time the front wheels just bounced up briefly, with a 0.887 60-foot time, but the tires lost traction about 100 feet out and he shut it off.

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Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.791/299.70 Now #13, (Best prior run: 6.409/133.25 Was #14)
Right Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 4.788/304.98 Now # 9, (Best prior run: 4.672/318.02 Was # 9)

Both cars were spitting "stuff" out the headers, sparklers and such, on the top half of their run.

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Left Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.646/317.12 Now # 9, (Best prior run: 4.681/302.82 Was #10)
Right Lane: Mike Dunn Runs 4.661/314.90 Now #10, (Best prior run: 4.913/275.56 Was #14)

In case you missed the note yesterday, Dunn will be in Gwynn's dragster again next year - so ignore the rumor he'll be moving to a very visible Funny Car team. Two nice passes here, Herbert running career-best ET and speed on that pass.

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Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 5.924/144.53 Now # 5, (Best prior run: 4.584/318.02 Was # 5)
Right Lane: Shelly Anderson Runs 11.072/ 72.19 Now #12, (Best prior run: 4.747/251.04 Was #12)

Dixon was on a pass, a very quick pass, but the tires started to smoke at half track and he shut it off. Shelly lost traction after a few feet, the in-car camera showing her desperately pulling on the brake trying to keep them from breaking loose..

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Right Lane: Connie Kalitta Runs 11.817/ 81.02 Now #15, (Best prior run: 8.670/ 97.69 Was #15)

Connie closed the round with instant tire smoke.




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