Sun, 8 Oct 2000, 01:08 PM MEMPHIS - Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

MILLINGTON, Tenn. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the 13th annual AutoZone Nationals presented by Pennzoil:

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   1 Tony Schumacher     4.552 318.17  Q   16 Rhonda Hartman-Smi  5.174 203.89
                  0.000 No Time        E1 *****WINNER***** 0.547 10.894  73.89

11:03 AM Schumacher is still in the hospital, with a fractured left tibia, a broken bone in his right ankle, a bruised eye, and general soreness. He should be released later today and hopes to be able to race in Dallas, in two weeks. He will earn 38 points for this event. Hartman-Smith gets a single to advance to the second round and finds the traction difficult, shaking the tires hard before shutting it down.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   8 Bob Vandergriff     4.654 301.87  Q    9 Don Lampus          4.671 308.92
 *****WINNER***** 0.734  5.179 189.42  E1                  0.079 14.470  48.13

The track was 38 degrees at 8:00 AM and only 54 at 9:30, but the sunshine and several laps by the jet driers should have it in the seventies for this first round. These two have only met once before during the 2000 season, Vandergriff the winner. Now Vandergriff is 2-0, Lampus left way early, so early that Vandergriff waited to settle down before making his run. Vandergriff's engine exploded in flames around half track, trailing flames and oil through the lights and into the shutdown area. That will cost him $1,000, 10 points, and lane choice against Hartman-Smith in round two.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   7 David Grubnic       4.633 311.49  Q   10 Larry Dixon         4.675 303.71
                  0.489 12.319  81.47  E1 *****WINNER***** 0.484  4.668 305.98

This two have met twice before during this season, Dixon winning both times. Dixon makes it 3-0, Grubnic up in smoke immediately while the Miller Lite dragster was going right down the groove. Dixon's engine dropped a couple cylinders during the run and ate a few pistons in the lights, with dense white smoke from the headers in the shutdown area, but he advances to round two.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   6 Cory McClenathan    4.619 310.63  Q   11 Kenny Bernstein     4.694 302.62
 *****WINNER***** 0.496  4.699 306.67  E1                  0.478  4.751 295.59

Hard to believe, but this was the first time these two have squared off this season. The race was as good as you'd expect, Bernstein with the better light and then the two side-by-side most of the way down the track. But Bernstein's engine let go as they neared the lights and Cory Mac pulled ahead to win by a margin of victory = 0.034 seconds (approximately 15 feet). There's oil and carbon fibre (there was some bodywork damage to the Bud King dragster) in the right lane, so Bernstein also loses $1,000 and 10 points. And if that's not enough punishment, throw in the fact that if Gary Scelzi wins in this round, Bernstein will be eliminated from championship contention. Talk about kicking a guy when he's down...

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   5 Melanie Troxel      4.617 317.34  Q   12 Paul Romine         4.746 294.95
 *****WINNER***** 0.504  4.655 269.83  E1                  0.503  5.070 221.09

This was the first time these two have met this year. Troxel needed to win to be in a position to block Gary Scelzi in round two should Scelzi also win and she did the job, her car getting very close to the centerline on the top end but staying on her side of the line. Romine fell back early and then really lost ground when his tires started smoking at half track. Melanie's engine was mixing up the cylinders on the top end, usually a sign of tire spin, but showed no major damage with low ET of the round so far.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   4 Gary Scelzi         4.604 311.85  Q   13 Luigi Novelli       4.778 298.40
 *****WINNER***** 0.516  4.601 312.42  E1                  0.510  5.533 169.64

"Big Red" came through like a champion, the car right down the groove and easily a winner on a picture-perfect run, while Novelli's car was busy eating an engine, our third oildown of the round. Scelzi runs better than his qualifying time and speed, with low ET of the round so far, and will have lane choice against Troxel in round two. From the top end we hear a report that all was not a s good on Scelzi's run as we thought - the throttle hung and blew out the supercharger in the shutdown area.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   2 Joe Amato           4.592 306.67  Q   15 Bruce Litton        4.954 243.37
 *****WINNER***** 0.527  4.625 307.51  E1                  0.523  5.357 181.08

They left together and then the first meeting of the year between these two was all Amato's show, Litton out of the throttle and coasting at half track. Amato's car was darting around a bit in the lane, but the run was otherwise clean. Amato will have lane choice against Dixon in round two.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   3 Doug Kalitta        4.598 313.07  Q   14 Bobby Baldwin       4.796 301.67
 *****WINNER***** 0.497  6.497 133.91  E1                  0.619 15.613  35.58

Baldwin deep-staged and hesitated, letting Kalitta get out first. Then Kalitta smoked the tires and Baldwin looked like he was going to get a freebie. Until his engine exploded in a ball of flame, that is. Kalitta pedaled and smoked his way down the track, winning easily against a powerless Baldwin. Four oildowns in a single round - haven't seen that in a long time. Cory Mac will have lane choice against Kalitta in round two.




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