Sat, 22 Sep 2001, 05:34 PM MEMPHIS - Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Rick Green

MILLINGTON, Tenn. - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the 14th annual AutoZone NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil 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: Brady Kalivoda Runs 7.901/98.04, Now #17; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Jerry Freeman Runs 8.718/88.06, Now #15; Best prior run: 6.146/149.10, Was #15

Freeman started to chatter the tires right off the starting line and then it was dropping cylinders, he pedaled it one time before giving up on the run. Kalivoda made it two hundred feet before he started to smoke the tires he pedaled it one time, but before loosing traction again.

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Left Lane: Don Sosenka Runs 5.724/252.66, Now #14; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Luigi Novelli Runs 5.756/169.15, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.179/230.88, Was #13

Sosenka started mixing up cylinders around half track and had a couple holes out on the left bank through the quarter-mile. Luigi was mixing up cylinders and then pushed out a head gasket around 900 feet. He put some oil out on the track, so we be down for a short clean up.

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Left Lane: Rob Passey Runs 5.952/181.62, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.770/192.96, Was #15
Right Lane: David Grubnic Runs 4.793/291.63, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.846/294.50, Was #11

Grubnic was able to get the Goodyears to stick and keep all the cylinders lit all the way through the 1320. Passey slowed from yesterday.

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Right Lane: Andrew Cowin Runs 4.722/303.98, Now #8; Best prior run: 7.093/110.55, Was #17

Cowin launched hard and then got out of the groove and close to the wall around half track, but stayed with it to get in the show and bump out Freeman.

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Left Lane: Darrell Russell Runs 4.759/306.74, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.678/306.81, Was #6
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.681/303.43, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.757/294.37, Was #11

Kalitta launched with the front wheels in the air and then set them back down gently and motored on through the quarter mile for his best pass of the weekend to get into the top half of the show. Russell with a clean pass, but still off his pace from yesterday afternoon.

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Left Lane: Mike Dunn Runs 10.535/77.47, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.624/306.67, Was #5
Right Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 5.790/150.48, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.606/313.44, Was #4

Dunn was up in smoke right off the starting line. Scelzi started to blister the hides around the 330-foot mark and then clicked it off around half track.

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Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 5.597/165.33, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.707/307.37, Was #8
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 13.222/80.79, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.597/313.51, Was #2

Well this was a duplicate of the previous pair except opposite lanes. Herbert was up in smoke immediately. Schumacher started spinning the tires around the 330 feet and then clicked it off just before half track.

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Left Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 6.103/137.48, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.600/318.99, Was #3
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 11.697/69.15, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.581/309.70, Was #1

Dixon was up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle. Bernstein made to the 330-foot mark before he smoked the Goodyears.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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