Sat, 15 Mar 2003, 05:31 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Larry Sullivan

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 34th annual MAC Tools NHRA Gatornationals 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:

---

Right Lane: Chris Karamesines Runs 8.738/80.94, Now #21; Best prior run: 4.946/239.68, Was #21

4:40 PM Current weather conditions: 76 degrees, 59 percent relative humidity, the barometer 29.88 inches, with a track temperature 104 of degrees.

"The Greek's" final shot ended early with tire shake, followed by a broken blower belt.

---

Left Lane: Paul Romine Runs 4.683/318.58, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.947/216.03, Was #22
Right Lane: Rit Pustari Runs 4.827/311.09, Now #21; Best prior run: 4.779/300.40, Was #20

The bump was Scott Weis' 4.726. Romine beat that mark on a nice run to make this the quickest Top Fuel field in history, the bump now Shirley Muldowney's 4.694. Pustari made a good run, but not good enough, losing too much elapsed time early in the run, then running a career-best speed.

---

Left Lane: Don Garlits Runs 4.790/306.85, Now #20; Best prior run: 4.761/323.04, Was #20
Right Lane: Josh Starcher Runs 5.217/235.29, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.753/301.91, Was #18

Both cars started smoking the tires at half track. Garlits drove out of it, but lost too much time in the process and his weekend is over. Starcher shut it off well before the finish line.

---

Left Lane: Scott Weis Runs 5.627/162.07, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.726/289.48, Was #17
Right Lane: Andrew Cowin Runs 4.864/283.73, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.688/307.48, Was #15

Weis staged with Shirley Muldowney sitting in the water, watching him try to bump her from the field. Cowin left hard, Weis a bit softer. Both had problems before reaching half track, Cowin able to finish the run, Weis coasting across the line.

---

Left Lane: Shirley Muldowney Runs 4.737/305.39, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.694/295.46, Was #16
Right Lane: David Baca Runs 4.698/283.37, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.673/303.43, Was #12

Safely in the field, what Muldowney wanted to do here was move up the ladder, away from a first-round match with the #1 qualifier. She didn't do that, but she will get to run on Sunday. Nice run by Baca, just a couple hundredths off his best run.

---

Left Lane: Bruce Litton Runs 4.877/249.51, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.684/303.95, Was #14
Right Lane: John Smith Runs 10.518/96.49, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.648/312.71, Was #9

Smith was up in smoke quickly. Litton dropped a cylinder or two, also losing a bunch of elapsed time somewhere along the way.

---

Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 12.149/72.78, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.671/310.88, Was #11
Right Lane: Rhonda Hartman-Smith Runs 4.750/301.00, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.644/315.01, Was #8

Head lost traction about 100 feet out and coasted through. Hartman-Smith lost an engine on the top end, the Safety Safari spraying the engine down when she stopped at the turnoff. The cleanup starts near the finish line.

---

Left Lane: Darrell Russell Runs 11.988/87.98, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.651/316.67, Was #10
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.860/230.71, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.597/320.05, Was #7

This would be a first-round matchup if nothing changes. Russell lost traction almost immediately. Cory Mac was on a pretty good pass, but he slowed around the 1,000-foot marker.

---

Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 5.721/157.86, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.578/313.04, Was #6
Right Lane: Clay Millican Runs 4.722/251.67, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.559/316.34, Was #4

Schumacher rattled the tires and shut off. Millican was on a very good run, clocked at 3.116 seconds and 274.22 mph at half track, slightly ahead of his 4.596 run, but the header flames went out near the 1,000 foot marker and he slowed dramatically.

---

Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.535/300.90, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.563/326.08, Was #5
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.556/313.37, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.556/323.50, Was #3

Hello number one - and he coasted across the finish line, the headers spewing raw fuel at least 100 feet before the finish, the blower belt gone! Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.846 sec., 330ft-2.164, 660ft-3.075/277.26mph, 1,000ft-3.843. Meanwhile, Herbert had a screamer of his own going. Doug Herbert's incremental times: 60ft-0.845 sec., 330ft-2.147, 660ft-3.070/271.82mph, 1,000ft-3.861, and his headers were wet at the finish also.

---

Left Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 4.537/327.27, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.547/324.67, Was #3
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.574/324.44, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.541/321.31, Was #2

Beer time, what's your brand? Nice race, but tonight it's Budweiser time, Brandon just missing the top spot, by six thousandths of a second. Nice side-by-side race, Brandon getting the better elapsed time, but Dixon getting the win light because he was quicker on the tree.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



NHRA: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ]

Apr 09- POMONA 1 - Thursday Schedule
Apr 08- Hood Scoops Set to Return to NHRA Pro Stock Category in 2027
Apr 07- PowerEdge Returns as Presenting Sponsor of DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway
Apr 07- GESi Pro Stock No. 1 Qualifier Award Returns for 2026 Season
Apr 06- POMONA 1 - Funny Car Preview
Apr 02- Revchem Composites Plays Critical Role in Ron Capps Motorsports' Continued Success
Apr 01- Second Wave of NHRA 75th Anniversary Commemorative Tickets Include Wealth of Legends
Mar 30- CHARLOTTE - Event Preview
Mar 30- BELLE ROSE - Super Gas Round 5 Eliminations
Mar 30- BELLE ROSE - HEMI Chootout Round 3 Eliminations