Fri, Mar 19, 05:35 PM GAINESVILLE - Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By Ed Dykes Hot Weather, Hot Times

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Top Fuel at the 30th annual Mac Tools Gatornationals 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 Herbert Runs 4.977/205.19, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.633/298.80, Was #5
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 9.673/88.39, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.789/278.35, Was #13

04:49 PM and here we go with the final pro category session of the day. The skies are still clear and sunny, and the temps have climbed well into the eighties here. Here, it's the Doug & Doug Show, with Herbert clicking it at

just past half track, while Kalitta was up in smoke right off the bat.

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Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.541/318.24, Now #1; Best prior run: 9.458/74.84, Was #17
Right Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 4.548/318.62, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.701/307.51, Was #9

These guys make it look so easy, a pair of fifties, at 318 in both lanes. Now that's something to watch, poetry in motion.

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Left Lane: Joe Amato Runs 4.836/224.58, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.402/168.94, Was #16
Right Lane: Mike Dunn Runs 11.253/83.14, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.624/315.64, Was #5

Amato had a stellar 0.832 in the first 60', but then clicked it early, just coasting the last eighth-mile. Dunn was up in smoke by the 60' mark, or before. Amato moved off the bubble, leaving that honor to Paul Smith now.

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Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 4.600/318.69, Now #4; Best prior run: 10.642/80.22, Was #19
Right Lane: Randy Parks Runs 11.837/71.95, Now #20; Best prior run: 15.042/65.14, Was #20

Schumacher jumps into the show, not with the 320 that they might have wanted, but a solid pass for sure. That moves the bump spot to a respectable number, Joe Amato's 4.836.

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Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 4.659/244.21, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.612/314.46, Was #5
Right Lane: Connie Kalitta Runs 10.957/86.09, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.694/308.99, Was #10

Another run where all the ET is in the first eighth-mile... look at Vandergriff's elapsed time compared to his speed. He was coasting for a long way on the top end. Kalitta was up in smoke, here.

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Left Lane: Bruce Sarver Runs 4.646/303.16, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.744/305.01, Was #13
Right Lane: Eddie Hill Runs 4.707/295.21, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.577/314.97, Was #3

Several flashes of flame out the headers on the top end for the Sarver machine, while Hill's run looked quicker (from our vantage) than the numbers reflect.

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Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 8.323/89.12, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.775/0.00, Was #14
Right Lane: Jim Head Runs 10.837/87.18, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.721/289.76, Was #13

Both cars are up in smoke by the 100' mark, here... so they both go home tonight without a decent baseline pass.

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Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 4.755/284.45, Now #14; Best prior run: 9.807/84.03, Was #19
Right Lane: Paul Romine Runs 11.052/79.94, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.697/307.02, Was #12

Romine is up in smoke, early, and lots, while Grubnic gets into the show, bumping Amato.

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Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.632/304.46, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.630/309.42, Was #7
Right Lane: Allen Hartley Runs 14.793/40.51, Now #19; Best prior run: 6.637/120.50, Was #19

Another great pass by the MBNA car, while Hartley smokes the tires. The left lane has delivered more than it's share of tire smoking runs this afternoon, that's for sure.

That's the last of the nitro diggers, so it's Larry Dixon on the top of the heap and Doug Kalitta on the bubble.




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