Sat, 28 Oct 2000, 07:08 PM HOUSTON-2 - Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Larry Sullivan

BAYTOWN, Texas - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the 4th annual Matco Tools SuperNationals presented by Racing Champions 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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Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.697/306.26, Now #8; Best prior run: 9.066/89.68, Was #15

12:08 PM We open the third session with a single by Dixon. He smoked the tires the first two times around, but the crew got the clutch timing figured out for this one, his first complete pass since the crash. The car was straight and clean all the way through the run.

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Left Lane: Andrew Cowin Runs 4.683/316.38, Now #6; Best prior run: 9.435/84.53, Was #16
Right Lane: Mark Kinsella Runs 5.233/204.57, Now #16; Best prior run: 9.925/93.01, Was #17

Nice pass by the Aussie to move off the bubble and into the top half of the field. Kinsella's pass was clean and straight, just down on power.

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Left Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 4.699/314.97, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.045/224.40, Was #14
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 8.606/86.06, Now #17; Best prior run: 8.722/94.12, Was #17

Both these cars have had problems keeping the tires stuck to the pavement, Kalitta up in smoke early on both his runs, Bernstein at least getting part way there on his second. This time Bernstein got it all the way to the finish line with no tire smoke - now they can start tightening the screws a bit to make it quicker. Meanwhile, Kalitta only got a bit further than before, then once again lost traction.

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Left Lane: Joe Amato Runs 7.217/120.53, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.702/303.30, Was #11
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.696/315.19, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.764/312.78, Was #12

Amato started smoking the tires around 300 feet out and shut it down. Herbert made a nice, clean, smoke-free pass to move into the top half of the field. There's oil in Amato's lane, starting at the launch pad - looks like a very narrow stripe out to the 330-foot marker.

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Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 4.957/215.96, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.641/317.12, Was #5
Right Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 8.332/103.14, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.684/318.32, Was #7

Both got off the launch pad okay, but Troxel started hazing the tires around 300 feet out and Grubnic did the same as he neared the 1,000-foot marker. Once again the Safety Safari rolls in the left lane, so Grubnic will also be asked to make a deposit in the cleanup bank.

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Left Lane: Rhonda Hartman-Smith Runs 9.424/82.84, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.105/219.19, Was #15
Right Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 9.347/86.56, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.589/311.85, Was #4

Synchronized tire smoke, both cars up in smoke in unison before going 300 feet.

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Left Lane: Bill Walsh Runs 5.018/274.94, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.791/307.79, Was #14
Right Lane: Don Lampus Runs 11.717/69.16, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.580/320.36, Was #3

According to Tony Schumacher (on the PA system), Walsh's run last night was his first-ever Top Fuel run at night - most teams only test during daylight. The car is the 330-mph car, so it's no slug. Lampus smoked the tires early and shut it down. Walsh started smoking the tires around half track and tried to drive through it with the brake, the engine pulling way down in RPMs.

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Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 4.649/314.83, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.696/305.36, Was #9
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 6.994/113.13, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.540/321.35, Was #2

Vandergriff's new car makes another good run, this time clean and straight with no engine damage. Cory Mac lost traction right around the 330-foot marker and shut it down.

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Left Lane: Mike Dunn Runs 4.567/319.07, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.530/322.34, Was #1

The Yankees car is sporting both the N.Y. Yankees logo and the World Series logo, and there are pinstripes everywhere. Looks like the long layoff just let the Gwynn team sharpen their skills, the car running right down the groove, trailing black clutch dust, arched up in the middle and pulling all the way to the finish line.

With just one shot left, Mark Kinsella is on the bubble at 5.233 seconds and Doug Kalitta is outside the field.




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