Fri, Feb 26, 03:44 PM CHANDLER - Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Larry Sullivan

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Fuel at the 15th annual NHRA Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Paul Romine Runs 4.832/287.11, Now #1
Right Lane: Gina Ferraro Runs 6.762/122.90, Now #2

1:02 PM The dragsters start where the Funny Cars left off - unable to get hold of the right hand lane. Ferraro pedaled twice before calling it off. Romine also had problems, but his appeared to be in the engine bay.

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Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 6.635/126.76, Now #3
Right Lane: Eddie Hill Runs 4.639/304.53, Now #1

Well, those young guys may not know how to get down the right lane, but "Old Man Hill" certainly showed them how it's done, a pretty pass, the car arched nicely and not a trace of tire smoke anywhere in the run. Vandergriff wasn't so lucky, losing traction about 200 feet out.

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Left Lane: Bruce Sarver Runs 4.677/305.84, Now #2
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 8.610/88.82, Now #6

Nice pass by Sarver, a lot like Hill's, the car dangling the front wheels for the first 100 feet or so and then marching right down the middle of the lane. No joy in the Snake Racing camp here, however, Dixon striking the tires before going 100 feet.

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Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 9.132/88.62, Now #8
Right Lane: Andrew Cowin Runs 4.812/258.32, Now #3

Head lost traction after 100 feet. Cowin was on a good run, but pitched the blower belt off around the 1,000-foot mark.

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Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 4.993/221.05, Now #5
Right Lane: Joe Amato Runs 8.638/83.49, Now #9

Amato is still running last-year's car here. He lost traction after a couple hundred feet. Grubnic's car spit out a few sparks from the clutch area on the launch and then the engine let go in a big fireball as he neared the 1,000-foot marker. But the "diaper" did its job and there was no oil on the track.

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Left Lane: Mike Dunn Runs 10.014/78.86, Now #12
Right Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 7.149/114.36, Now #8

Dunn double-stepped the launch and then lost traction. Bernstein did pretty much the same, except for the double-step.

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Left Lane: Connie Kalitta Runs 4.723/292.14, Now #3
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 10.800/77.02, Now #14

Cory Mac's car hiked the front end up in the air quickly on the launch and he shut it down. Kalitta made a pretty good pass, falling off the pace on the top end.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 7.561/99.22, Now #11
Right Lane: Randy Parks Runs 4.833/298.21, Now #6

Kalitta lost traction after 200 feet. Parks dropped a cylinder early in the run and managed to get down the tricky right lane.

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Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.632/308.28, Now #1
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.709/293.47, Now #4

A battle of the tool companies here, Matco Tools in the left lane and Snap-On Tools in the right. Matco wins this matchup, Herbert dropping a cylinder but otherwise making a nice pass in the tough lane.

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Left Lane: Robert Reehl Runs 4.831/304.19, Now #8
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 4.647/314.09, Now #3

Schumacher shook and drove through it for a fine run, apparently using the brake to control the wheelspin. Reehl also shook, pedaling to take it down.

1:31 PM and we're out of cars, see you in 2-12 hours.




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