Sat, Feb 27, 07:08 PM CHANDLER - Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Michael L. Jex Track ET Record Falls Again - 137 Race Qualifying Streak Continues

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Top Fuel at the 15th annual NHRA Checker Shuck's Kragen Nationals 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: Connie Kalitta Runs 6.305/132.39, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.723/292.14, Was #14
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 7.652/99.35, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.580/323.74, Was #2

04:03 PM Round four of qualifying begins with Robert Reehl on the bubble, and Corymac, Randy Parks, and Bob Vandergriff all looking to get into the program on a last ditch effort.

Schumacher was going for a speed record, the car was very aggressive at the start. Then the front wheels left the ground and kept going up. He finally lifted, and banged the front tires back down to earth just past half-track.

Not to be outdone, Connie Kalitta was having a very similar experience in the left lane.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 11.148/79.96, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.581/313.00, Was #3
Right Lane: Gina Ferraro Runs 6.411/126.90, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.935/237.21, Was #18

Gina Ferraro's engine let go in a huge fireball at half-track, the oil is down across half her lane from that point to past the finishline. Kalitta had smoked the tires early on his run, so he had a front row seat on the nitro fireball in the right lane.

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Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 8.182/94.65, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.589/309.70, Was #4
Right Lane: Eddie Hill Runs 10.224/80.15, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.639/304.53, Was #8

04:18 PM The safety safari has been really busy this afternoon, they have the right lane clean and ready to go.

The chassis arch with the application of 6000 horsepower, then both Eddie and Gary lift about the same instant because instead of going quick and fast they are burning lots and lots of Goodyear tire rubber. The edge of the concrete pad seems to be very tricky for the Kings of the Sport so far this afternoon.

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Left Lane: Robert Reehl Runs 9.406/87.50, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.743/297.55, Was #16
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.571/308.71, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.634/312.06, Was #7

With two big guns still in the staging lanes, Robert Reehl would like to get off the bubble in the worst way. He repeats the tire smoke blues at the end of the concrete pad sonata, while Dixon runs like a Titan missle straight down the middle of the right lane. Great pass by Dixon!

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Left Lane: Paul Romine Runs 4.783/300.06, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.738/290.44, Was #15
Right Lane: Andrew Cowin No Time, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.717/303.64, Was #13

Cowins crew doesn't like the looks of something after the burnout and gives the cut throat sign to shut him off, so Romine will have a single.

You could see Romine's chassis working each time another clutch stage came in, but his run fails to move him up the ladder.

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Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 4.798/290.76, Now #17; Best prior run: 6.635/126.76, Was #20
Right Lane: Joe Amato Runs 4.545/325.30, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.619/310.91, Was #7

Jimmy Prock predicted that if they could get down the track on a new set of tires it would run big speed. See why they pay crew chiefs big bucks these days?

Vandergriff fails to qualify for the first time since the 1997 Fram Nationals, ending a 39 race streak...

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Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.660/296.63, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.703/285.05, Was #12
Right Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 4.638/305.77, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.619/317.42, Was #7

Head hiked the front wheels up in the air pretty high, but was able to drive through it. The run wasn't pretty, but it was enough to move him up one spot.

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Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 4.679/305.98, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.679/294.37, Was #12
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.635/313.15, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.427/241.02, Was #20

Cory's MBNA credit was good, he withdraws enough to get into the top half of tomorrows program. He has now qualified in 137 consecutive races that he's entered, the longest streak among active Top Fuel drivers. He did it in fine fashion, another pretty run in the right lane, straight as a string, the header flames were dancing up well past the rear wing.

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Left Lane: Mike Dunn Runs 8.744/79.99, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.547/316.38, Was #2
Right Lane: Randy Parks Runs 9.925/79.55, Now #19; Best prior run: 4.833/298.21, Was #19

Randy Parks ends a long weekend with alot of tire smoke. Dunn lost traction about 100 feet past the concrete pads, and both coasted the rest of the way to the finish line. Paul Romine can breathe a little easier now, his 16th qualifying spot secure.

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Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 0.000/0.00, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.656/301.87, Was #11

100 feet, tire smoke, nuff said....

Tomorrow Joe Amato will face Paul Romine, Dunn against Connie Kalitta, Dixon versus Andrew Cowin, then it's Schumacher against Grubnic, and Doug Kalitta will race Jim Head, Scelzi will face Doug Herbert, Bernstein versus Sarver, and finally Corymac will race future hall of famer Eddie Hill.







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