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ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. - Notes from final, round 2 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 34th annual K&N Filters SuperNationals presented by Pep Boys 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: Rit Pustari Runs 4.857/289.32, Now #8; No Prior Run 4:30 PM Current weather conditions: degrees, percent relative humidity, the barometer inches, with a track temperature of degrees. The round opens with Clay Millican on
the bump spot at 11.825 seconds. Pustari easily betters that, in for now, with dropped
cylinders. Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.580/326.95, Now #3; Best prior run: 15.295/53.70, Was #18 Right Lane: Darrell Russell Runs 4.585/323.04, Now #4; No Prior Run Two good teams with their backs against the wall, and two good teams find the secret to getting down the track. No wasted motion in either lane, no dropped cylinders, just two very good runs. Left Lane: Paul Romine Runs 4.729/301.87, Now #7; Best prior run: 9.079/93.49, Was #18 Right Lane: Clay Millican Runs 4.538/322.96, Now #2; Best prior run: 11.825/69.43, Was #19 Two more teams not used to being on the outside in the final session. Millican's team responded with a flawless tuneup, the car straight down the groove. Romine's loaded it up a bit too much, the engine erupting in flames at half track, but he had enough left to easily get in the field. That put Rhonda Hartman-Smith on the bubble, with Cory McClenathan, Tony Schumacher, and Jim Head on the outside of the field. Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.652/314.83, Now #8; Best prior run: 7.568/103.49, Was #17 Right Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.545/324.12, Now #3; Best prior run: 8.401/92.54, Was #19 Speaking of which...two of the three outsiders were lined up here, with "The Sarge" sitting under the tower, watching them. And they both came through, Cory Mac mixing the cylinders up on the top end while Head was on a nice-looking, career-best run, his ET and speed better than his previous bests of 4.577 and 318.24. Left Lane: Rhonda Hartman-Smith Runs 4.976/282.78, Now #15; Best prior run: 6.115/140.66, Was #18 Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 5.423/241.76, Now #17; Best prior run: 7.798/164.71, Was #19 Head and McClenathan bumped the husband-and-wife team, Rhonda and John Smith, from the field, putting Don Sosenka on the bump spot at 5.859. Both drivers pedaled on this run, Hartman-Smith just puffing the rear tires, Schumacher with full-blown tire smoke. Rhonda's car went into a power-wheelie at half track when she pedaled and she did a great job of driving to get the front end down and finish the run. That left Schumacher still on the outside and David Baca on the bubble at 5.117. Left Lane: John Smith Runs 4.681/308.57, Now #10; Best prior run: 6.055/155.85, Was #19 Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.554/324.67, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.825/305.01, Was #13 Smith dropped a cylinder before half track and legged it out to bump Baca. Herbert made a strong run, but there was a flash of flame and a loud BANG from the blower in the lights, the Safety Safari greeting him as he coasted to a stop. That put Rhonda on the bump spot, with Baca and Don Sosenka still in the lanes. Meanwhile, Luigi Novelli, safely in the field at 13th, pulled out of line and headed for the pits. Left Lane: Don Sosenka Runs 5.039/283.67, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.859/161.40, Was #19 With Novelli pulling out, Sosenka got to make a solo pass to try to get back in the field. In order to do so, he would have to make his first-ever four-second run. He came up short, but made his quickest and fastest run ever and deserved the round of applause the crowd gave his crew as they drove by to go get him. The run was right down the groove, but he dropped a cylinder early in the run and that probably kept him out of the fours. Left Lane: David Baca Runs 4.552/322.81, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.117/192.80, Was #18 Right Lane: Scott Weis No Time, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.804/244.78, Was #12 Baca was the final car in line with a shot at bumping Hartman-Smith from the field. He got to take his shot on a single run, Weis shutting it off after the burnout. With co-car owner Rick Henkelman standing on the starting line, Baca went right down the groove on a pretty run, posting a career-best speed in the process. Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.696/239.91, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.511/327.59, Was #1 Right Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 4.584/324.12, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.563/323.89, Was #6 With the field set, all that remained was to determine the pairings for eliminations. But first, a word from several sponsors as the Safety Safari cleaned up Weis' lane, his engine apparently depositing some fluids on the lane during his burnout. Kalitta led
to half track, then there was a flash of flame from the engine (looked like a head gasket) and
he slowed. He was on a huge pass before half track, clocked at 3.050 seconds and 275.79 mph at
the mid-track speed trap, compared with Clay Millican's 3.072 at 274.00 at the same point in his
run. meanwhile, Brandon Bernstein goes into eliminations with two solid runs under his
belt.
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