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Sun, 15 Jun 2003, 10:29 AM

Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

HEBRON, Ohio - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 39th annual Pontiac Excitement Nationals presented by Summit Racing:


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   32 Ken Perry                              31 Russ Lindert
E1                         No Time           ****WINNER****  0.119  5.457 240.34
 Qualified:            #13  5.630 222.91                        #4  5.492 251.91

9:45 AM Perry two-stepped the throttle, leaving before the tree was activated. Lindert made a nice run, improving over his qualifying pace.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   77 Steven Cantrell                         1 Arthur Gallant
E1   ****WINNER****  0.097  5.635 247.47                    -0.022  5.482 253.99
 Qualified:            #12  5.617 240.51                        #5  5.495 250.78

Gallant went red and Cantrell was there for the taking, his car very loose for the first 300 feet. Cantrell faces Lindert in the second round, Lindert with lane choice.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   37 Gary Ward                             200 Tony Bartone
E1                   0.012  5.719 225.75     ****WINNER****  0.130  5.387 268.97
 Qualified:            #15  5.649 250.92                        #2  5.422 267.43

This one turned ugly at the finish line. Ward's rear wing came off again, almost the same way it did on his first qualifying pass. After that incident, he borrowed a wing, which collapsed. The wing he ran this morning was pieced together from the first two and it came off as soon as he launched. Ward lost control of the car near the finish line, hit the left wall, lost a rear tire and slid across the track, hitting the right wall very hard. Pieces of the car hit Bartone's, who was slowing with his chutes out, flattening a rear tire. Both drivers are apparently okay, Ward transported for evaluation. The extent of the damage to Bartone's car was not immediately available, but his team expects to have it fixed for the next round.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  307 Jared Dreher                            7 Marty Thacker
E1                  -0.155  5.725 250.51     ****WINNER****  0.057  5.461 258.27
 Qualified:            #14  5.646 250.09                        #3  5.459 258.12

Thacker has been the dominant blown car so far this year and he showed strength here, the car getting very close to the centerline and Thacker never lifting.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   33 Jeff Wilson                           110 Rich McPhillips
E1   ****WINNER****  0.019  5.437 258.37                     0.125  5.482 257.53
 Qualified:             #6  5.506 255.73                       #11  5.598 250.00

Wilson treed McPhillips, then the two paced each other all the way down the track. Wilson will have lane choice against Thacker in round two in an all-blown matchup.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  276 Bill McCornack                        185 Mike Kosky
E1                   0.081  5.807 238.47     ****WINNER****  0.027  5.504 257.43
 Qualified:            #10  5.575 249.90                        #7  5.524 252.57

Kosky had a great light and bettered his qualifying run while McCornack's car left sluggishly, way off his qualifying pace. Kosky faces Bartone next round, Bartone with lane choice.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  312 Keith Stark                             8 Shelly Howard
E1                   0.041  7.640 120.78     ****WINNER****  0.043  5.469 257.38
 Qualified:             #9  5.554 254.52                        #8  5.547 254.66

Stark's car dropped a cylinder immediately and then rattled the tires and dropped a couple more, so he shut it off. Howard got close to the centerline, but that appears to be where the groove is in the right lane and she improved almost a tenth from her qualifying pace.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  311 Jeff Bohr                             318 Dave Hirata
E1   ****WINNER****  0.043  5.667 250.04                     0.086  5.769 247.34
 Qualified:            #16  5.657 241.93                        #1  5.372 264.49

Last pair. Bohr left first and pedaled once, but Hirata was unable to take advantage of it because his car dropped cylinders and was sluggish early in the run, way off his qualifying pace. Big upset, #16 takes out #1. Bohr faces Howard in round two, Howard with lane choice.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink