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POMONA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 39th 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: Left Lane: Scott Weis Runs 4.623/317.72, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.159/194.13, Was #22 3:30 PM The Pro Stock cars ran well, but a few thousands slower than this morning's session. The barometer is continuing to fall and the temperature is about the same. Tough to call what the impact to the fuelers will be. Weis finally gets everything together and moves well into the show for now. It's overcast enough to see the header flames as he runs down the track. Strasburg is now on the bubble with a 4.681 ET. Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 4.639/321.81, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.087/209.95, Was #22 Great pass for the BME team. Grubnic runs right down Broadway to get into this tough field for now. Left Lane: Rit Pustari Runs 4.890/250.23, Now #22; Best prior run: 4.917/297.42, Was #22 Right Lane: Steven Chrisman Runs 14.737/69.18, Now #24; Best prior run: 5.761/160.42, Was #24 Chrisman is up in smoke at the hit. Pustari was on a good pass until he lost the blower belt at mid track. Left Lane: KC Spurlock Runs 10.908/98.95, Now #21; Best prior run: 4.819/283.25, Was #21 Right Lane: Bill Ancona Runs 5.356/180.98, Now #23; Best prior run: 5.518/171.38, Was #23 Rhonda Hartman-Smith is on the bump with a 4.644. Spurlock is up in smoke immediately at the hit. Ancona was matching Grubnic's numbers until mid track, where the blower belt goes sailing into the air. Left Lane: John Smith Runs 4.720/312.35, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.703/270.75, Was #18 Right Lane: Joe Hartley Runs 4.937/297.68, Now #20; Best prior run: 4.764/301.40, Was #20 Papa's looking to bump Mama out of the field! Not this time! Smith looks to be on his way into the field with his low end performance numbers, but the engine starts to drop cylinders near the top end. Hartley uses a lot of race track, starts to drop cylinders, and then has the engine expire near the top end. Looks like Hartley's engine problems were definitely terminal, as we are down for clean up in his lane. 3:45 PM Left Lane: Mike Strasburg Runs 4.658/313.44, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.681/307.09, Was #17 Right Lane: Scott Palmer Runs 4.732/304.67, Now #19; Best prior run: 4.706/318.32, Was #19 3:49 PM A quick clean up and we are back to qualifying. These are the last two that can bump the Fram car from the field. Strasburg was that close, but just doesn't quite have enough HP to get in the field. Palmer makes another clean four seventy pass, but doesn't improve. Left Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 6.687/130.57, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.633/314.68, Was #14 Right Lane: Rhonda Hartman-Smith Runs 4.609/313.29, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.644/313.37, Was #16 Rhonda has to be smiling now as this pass moves her well off the bump and the risk of having to meet the #1 qualifier tomorrow. Great pass for the team. Herbert is too agressive in the tune up and is up in smoke before the 330 lights. Left Lane: Shirley Muldowney Runs 4.637/313.95, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.628/326.32, Was #14 Right Lane: Clay Millican Runs 5.430/180.62, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.600/312.42, Was #9 Last qualifying pass for Shirley Muldowney's career and she continues to show great consistency with four passes in the four sixties. Millican was slow off the line and starts to haze the slicks. He does the double pump, but to no avail. Left Lane: Paul Romine Runs 4.509/319.45, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.612/318.99, Was #12 Right Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.604/326.63, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.583/326.79, Was #8 Head is running under the Color Fast Industries banner this weekend. A great career best pass for the Carrier Brother/CARQUEST dragster. Both cars leave together and Romine starts to pull away from Head from the hit. Right in the lights there is a flash and smoke from Romine's engine, but no significant delay for clean up. Left Lane: David Baca Runs 9.497/87.12, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.601/315.19, Was #11 Baca will make a single pass. The clutch comes in too early and the big slicks are up in smoke right after the sixty foot lights. Left Lane: Darrell Russell Runs 4.570/282.60, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.569/314.46, Was #8 Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.534/323.35, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.537/326.16, Was #5 That is the third 4.53 that Dixon has run this weekend, with a "weak" 4.54 as the forth run. Tough numbers. Russell had big numbers down low and was running well, until the engine noses over, and he has to shut off near the lights. Left Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 10.966/77.96, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.556/324.67, Was #7 Right Lane: Scott Kalitta Runs 12.301/66.41, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.521/332.34, Was #4 No joy for these two, as they both go up in smoke right after the hit. Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.479/330.88, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.515/331.45, Was #3 Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 4.471/329.58, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.455/332.10, Was #1 This will be the final pair to qualify in Top Fuel and the last round of the 2003 Budweiser Shootout. Oh, my goodness!! This is the quickest side by side pass in Top Fuel history to move Kalitta into the #2 qualifying spot and wrap up the season on a very high note. They left almost together and ran side by side with header flames high over the wings and ran through the lights side by side. 4:18 PM
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