Sat, 10 Nov 2001, 05:10 PM POMONA 3 - Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Darryl Jackman

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the 37th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals 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: Gary Scelzi Runs 6.577/133.28, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.592/320.97, Was #7
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.580/319.60, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.559/321.81, Was #5

12:40 PM We start out this session of Top Fuel qualifying with the first pair of the Budweiser Shootout. The first four pairs will be covered separately in another posting. ... and we have finished the invocation and national anthem. The first pair come to life. They leave virtually together and run to past the 330. Scelzi's dragster goes up in smoke, as Kalitta can't improve on yesterday's times.

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Left Lane: Mike Dunn Runs 4.700/313.00, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.533/329.67, Was #2
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.973/253.80, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.612/317.42, Was #8

Neither car can improve. Herbert is up in smoke at mid-track in the right lane and Dunn wounds the engine in the lights. No oil on the track, so the next pair are fired.

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Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.555/315.78, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.542/318.24, Was #3
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 4.733/281.89, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.569/316.23, Was #6

It's warned up a lot from earlier today. The right lane continues to be a problem at mid-track for Schumacher. Dixon has a clean pass, but doesn't improve.

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Left Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 4.588/321.04, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.528/324.59, Was #1
Right Lane: Darrell Russell Runs 4.580/313.95, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.722/305.84, Was #12

Russel is looking to improve into the top half of the field and Bernstein already in the number one spot, want's the win. Russel has a great .843 in sixty feet and pulls Bernstein all the way to the finish line. Terrific side by side run. One will be happy, one won't!

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Right Lane: Rob Passey Runs 12.642/76.05, Now #23; No Prior Run

With the last pair of Budweiser Shootout finished, we return to regular qualifying. Passey overpowers the track on his first attempt of the weekend.

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Left Lane: Joe Hartley Runs 5.573/165.78, Now #18; Best prior run: 9.585/84.28, Was #20
Right Lane: Chris Karamesines Runs 4.734/306.81, Now #13; Best prior run: 11.777/86.12, Was #22

Karamesines had the steering arm break as they pulled him up to the burnout box yesterday. Both cars will need to make a big move to get into the field. The bump is 5.494.Hartley is away first and leads the Greek until near the finish line, where he loses a blower belt. Karamesines makes a clean and smooth run into the number 13 spot for now.

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Left Lane: Scott Weis Runs 8.300/97.05, Now #21; Best prior run: 8.939/85.58, Was #21
Right Lane: Arley Langlo Runs 5.043/261.17, Now #17; Best prior run: 6.959/117.91, Was #19

Langlo makes the run of his career and has to settle for the number 17 spot. If he didn't have to lift to keep to keep from hitting the lights, he certainly would have had a four second run. Weis left hard, but was up in smoke by the 330 mark.

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Left Lane: Brady Kalivoda Runs 5.147/252.19, Now #18; Best prior run: 7.175/116.37, Was #20
Right Lane: Tim Gibson Runs 4.651/299.80, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.707/297.88, Was #12

Gibson moves up a little with a clean run. Kalivoda is slow away from the line and drops a cylinder before the first 200 feet.

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Right Lane: Don Garlits Runs 11.054/86.47, Now #22; Best prior run: 9.947/89.94, Was #22

Garlits is down to two attempts now. The team will need to calm the car down without completely killing the power. The sixty foot number was OK, but Garlits was up in smoke by 100 feet.

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Left Lane: Mark Kinsella Runs 4.771/309.91, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.911/253.42, Was #16
Right Lane: Robert Reehl Runs 4.708/307.58, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.786/302.01, Was #15

Both cars are in the field and looking to improve. Reehl has a .867 sixty foot and moves up the ladder. Kinsella moves the bump up a notch or two with a career best run.

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Left Lane: Don Lampus Runs 4.667/303.30, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.654/316.82, Was #12
Right Lane: Rhonda Hartman-Smith Runs 4.702/312.93, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.745/300.73, Was #15

Both cars have 4.60's potential. Lampus nips some pistons before the lights and doesn't improve. Smith hits the numbers and moves up two spots.

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Left Lane: Andrew Cowin Runs 5.756/151.90, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.622/319.60, Was #10
Right Lane: Clay Millican Runs 4.623/318.69, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.555/318.92, Was #4

No help for these two, as Cowin has to shut off at mid-track. That's a wrap for this session. Kinsella is on the bump with one session to go at 4.771.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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