Sun, 29 Oct 2000, 03:16 PM HOUSTON-2 - Top Fuel Round 3 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

BAYTOWN, Texas - Results of round 3 eliminations in Top Fuel at the 4th annual Matco Tools SuperNationals presented by Racing Champions:

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
  13 Joe Amato           4.702 303.30  Q   16 Bobby Baldwin       4.769 304.53
   (G Scelzi    ) 0.482  4.614 315.34  E1   (M Dunn      ) 0.576  5.341 189.07
   (D Grubnic   ) 0.533  4.620 316.23  E2   (D Herbert   ) 0.552  4.860 264.80
                  0.595  7.534 127.45  E3 *****WINNER***** 0.580  5.604 213.00

2:59 PM Baldwin's crew used the full 75 minutes between rounds and was hooking up the clutch as they towed to the lanes. Amato's larger crew had him out here ten minutes early. And Cinderella's Ball continues... both cars were up in smoke immediately. Both drivers pedaled. Amato lost traction again. Baldwin found traction and streaked away. His engine let go in a ball of fire as he passed half track and for the third time he coasted across the finish line - the winner. Now it's a question of whether his team will be able to find enough parts to put a car together in 75 minutes to run in the finals. The oil cleanup starts way back around the 330-foot marker, so Baldwin's engine started coming unglued very early in the run, about where he got it hooked up again.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   2 Cory McClenathan    4.540 321.35  Q    6 Bob Vandergriff     4.649 314.83
   (B Walsh     ) 0.509  4.587 319.37  E1   (M Troxel    ) 0.533  4.749 310.84
   (D Kalitta   ) 0.531  4.548  36.21  E2   (D Lampus    ) 0.467  4.697 313.22
 *****WINNER***** 0.501  4.591 318.24  E3                  0.511  4.676 309.27

Good drag race, but today Cory Mac has the baddest hot rod out there and the big, green MBNA dragster just keeps going right down the middle of the groove with no fuss, no muss. Vandergriff's team did their job, running remarkably well on a limited budget, so they didn't beat themselves, McClenathan's team just flat took the win away from them. Cory will have lane choice against Baldwin in the finals, a classic case of the good against the lucky.




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