COLUMBUS - Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #2

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Sat, 14 Jun 2003, 03:45 PM

Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By Larry Sullivan

HEBRON, Ohio - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 39th annual Pontiac Excitement Nationals presented by Summit Racing 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: Don Garlits Runs 6.460/135.91, Now #15; No Prior Run

3:12 PM Current weather conditions: 77 degrees, 71 percent relative humidity, the barometer 30.05 inches, with a track temperature of 97 degrees, under cloudy skies.

Garlits' car was laboring a bit as it approached half track, then the blower belt went sailing across the track.

Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.565/321.35, Now #1; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Chris Karamesines Runs 11.474/59.60, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.960/153.42, Was #14

Dixon's car was shut off after the burnout last night, the car not firing properly. No misfires today, Dixon breaking a five-year-old track elapsed time record, set by Joe Amato in 1998. Karamesines started smoking the tires, pedaled, and then there was a flash from the engine bay and the engine went silent.

Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 5.310/215.27, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.576/124.25, Was #17
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.611/321.88, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.656/156.53, Was #14

Schumacher shut the car down yesterday, the problem not evident from here. Today he launched, started hazing the tires, pedaled, repeated the sequence, and completed the run. Nice pass by Cory Mac, right down the groove, to move him well up the ladder.

Left Lane: Rhonda Hartman-Smith Runs 4.794/302.21, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.507/243.77, Was #15
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.668/314.46, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.284/240.17, Was #13

Both drivers stepped up nicely from yesterday, Herbert smoothly down the track, steadily pulling away from Hartman-Smith.

Left Lane: John Smith Runs 4.767/301.81, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.204/208.62, Was #14
Right Lane: Scott Weis Runs 4.688/315.05, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.848/274.22, Was #11

Smith's car was mixing the cylinders up a bit on the left side as he crossed the line, but he improved a bunch over yesterday's run. Nice run by Weis, moving the RaceGirl dragster into the top half of the field.

Left Lane: Paul Romine Runs 4.954/241.71, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.916/263.67, Was #14
Right Lane: David Baca Runs 4.688/314.24, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.712/310.98, Was #8

Romine's header flames went out around the 1,000-foot marker. Baca duplicated Weis' elapsed time, but stayed eighth because Weis had a better speed.

Left Lane: Bruce Litton Runs 4.838/260.41, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.897/251.63, Was #13
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.533/325.69, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.662/316.30, Was #5

Nice run Dougie! The Wright Brothers' memorial dragster went right down the groove, to the top of the ladder, resetting the track elapsed time record for the second time this round. Litton's car fell back quickly, running slightly quicker than yesterday.

Left Lane: Josh Starcher Runs 9.555/89.27, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.768/300.60, Was #11
Right Lane: Kenny Bernstein No Time, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.615/322.73, Was #5

Bernstein's car didn't even fire before being towed away. Starcher went out about 200 feet and smoked the tires.

Left Lane: Darrell Russell Runs 4.653/317.87, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.730/318.62, Was #9
Right Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.668/297.42, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.579/317.42, Was #3

Russell's car is still sporting the wide-look, one-piece body. He made a nice run, smooth and straight. Head looked like he was going to take a shot at #1, but fell behind Kalitta's pace early and really lost ground on the top end of the run.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink