LAS VEGAS 2 - Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #2

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Fri, 24 Oct 2003, 11:41 PM

Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By Jonathan Adams

LAS VEGAS - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Third annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals 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: Doug Herbert Runs 5.117/256.21, Now #13; No Prior Run
Right Lane: KC Spurlock Runs 11.078/101.57, Now #22; No Prior Run

7:34 p.m. Neither driver made a run in the first session, so they have to run first in this session. Spurlock deep staged and was up in smoke at the hit. Herbert smoked the tires, pedaled it, then clicked it just past the 1000-foot mark.

Left Lane: Paul Romine Runs 13.024/76.90, Now #24; Best prior run: 12.060/77.37, Was #23
Right Lane: Shirley Muldowney Runs 4.643/318.02, Now #5; Best prior run: 14.106/63.65, Was #24

Romine goes up in smoke instantly. Shirley had to drive it a bit at the top end, but muscled it back into the center of her lane.

Left Lane: Joe Hartley Runs 5.007/253.04, Now #13; Best prior run: 9.028/84.64, Was #21
Right Lane: David Baca Runs 9.088/84.76, Now #22; Best prior run: 10.584/87.02, Was #22

This event marks the one-year anniversary of Baca's Top Fuel debut. Here he smokes the tires about 100 feet out. Hartley was on a decent pass until the car went silent just before the 1000-foot mark.

Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.559/324.83, Now #2; Best prior run: 6.258/140.52, Was #21
Right Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.591/322.34, Now #4; Best prior run: 6.114/140.47, Was #20

Strange to see Dixon run this early in the session, but that's what happens when you don't make a good first pass.

He makes a good pass in this session, though. Head with a nice pass as well, as the bump drops to 5.010.

Left Lane: Mike Strasburg Runs 5.805/156.95, Now #21; Best prior run: 5.740/159.66, Was #21
Right Lane: Rit Pustari Runs 4.874/301.60, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.850/295.72, Was #13

No help for either driver, but Pustari stays consistent. We're down for a clean-up in the right lane.

7:49 p.m.

Right Lane: John Smith Runs 4.630/293.35, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.796/291.45, Was #12

8:10 p.m. Smith will have to navigate the right lane now, following Pustari's oil-down.

Great run that could have been better if the blower belt would have stayed on.

Left Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 4.543/327.66, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.507/170.71, Was #19
Right Lane: Clay Millican Runs 4.730/310.48, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.785/280.66, Was #12

Bernstein goes from out of the show to the top spot with a near-perfect pass. Millican made a nice run, but he was probably expecting to be quicker.

Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.545/323.97, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.179/205.94, Was #19
Right Lane: Rhonda Hartman-Smith Runs 10.560/108.71, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.781/263.62, Was #13

Rhonda was up in smoke at the hit. Cory Mac goes right down Broadway and into the top four. The bump is now 4.979.

Left Lane: Scott Weis Runs 7.696/109.87, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.010/217.28, Was #18
Right Lane: Scott Palmer Runs 4.900/274.66, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.762/288.95, Was #13

No help for either driver as they both shut off early.

Left Lane: Chris Karamesines Runs 4.865/285.23, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.979/279.50, Was #16
Right Lane: Scott Kalitta Runs 4.532/329.10, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.633/295.27, Was #9

Both teams are happy after this one. The "Greek" gets in, and Kalitta takes over the top spot. Top speed for the West Coast Choppers team as well.

Left Lane: Bill Ancona Runs 5.323/184.60, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.658/303.16, Was #11
Right Lane: Darrell Russell Runs 5.360/176.58, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.628/310.91, Was #8

Ancona was trailing sparks at the hit until he clicked it at half-track. Russell's incrementals to 330 were better than Kalitta's from the previous pair, but he too shut it off just before the 1/8 mile mark.

Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 4.520/331.45, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.584/325.30, Was #6
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.623/314.83, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.543/325.30, Was #3

We end the night with a great side-by-side race. They were dead-even to the 330-foot mark, and then Sarge just drove away from Kalitta. He was going 273.77 mph at half-track, and takes over the top spot after two sessions.

8:33 p.m.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink