Sat, 19 Mar 2005, 01:33 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Larry Sullivan

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 36th 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:

---

Left Lane: Mitch King Runs 9.348/105.79, Now #14; No Prior Run

12:46 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 69 degrees, relative humidity 43 percent, barometer 29.98 inches, adjusted altitude 785 feet, track temperature 90 degrees.

King launched, shook the tires hard, and lifted. he coasted his way into the field, but that may not last long - with 19 cars here, he could get bumped.

---

Left Lane: Luigi Novelli Runs 11.067/85.86, Now #18; Best prior run: 11.500/82.97, Was #17
Right Lane: Chris Karamesines Runs 4.883/243.96, Now #12; No Prior Run

Both these drivers were racing Top Fuel during "the golden years" (and maybe even before). Novelli was up in smoke almost immediately. Karamesines made a nice run, but had a short fuse, the header flames out well before the finish lane. That bumped "Hot Rod" Fuller. Scott Weis is on the bump spot at 10.012.

---

Left Lane: Scott Weis Runs 4.778/315.67, Now #10; Best prior run: 10.012/97.03, Was #16
Right Lane: John Smith Runs 8.882/99.56, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.629/318.58, Was #7

Smith's car is promoting the Drag Racing Association of Women this weekend, a group that does a lot for injured drag racing drivers and their families. He got about 200 feet out, then struck the tires. Weis made a nice run to move well off the bump spot. Mitch King is now on the bump spot at 9.348.

---

Left Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 9.932/94.80, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.774/225.67, Was #9
Right Lane: Andrew Cowin Runs 4.583/314.35, Now #6; Best prior run: 12.287/68.98, Was #19

Herbert was up in smoke before going 100 feet. Cowin made a nice run to about 1,100 feet, then the engine went BOOM in a big fireball, turning a "low fifty" into a "high fifty." Andrew Cowin's incremental times: 60ft-0.853 sec., 330ft-2.175, 660ft-3.103/271.24mph, 1,000ft-3.889. That puts Cowin into the lead - in season oildowns, his fifth of the three-race-old 2005 season (the Top Fuel total is now 12).

---

Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.561/324.09, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.543/326.56, Was #4
Right Lane: Rod Fuller Runs 4.671/316.45, Now #9; Best prior run: 10.773/81.06, Was #18

The Safety Safari did their usual great job of cleaning up the right lane quickly and Fuller got his chance to bump his way back into the field. Bruce Litton was on the bump spot and very vulnerable at 5.888. Nice run sin both lanes, Fuller solidly into the field and Dixon not far off his best run of the weekend. Tony Schumacher is now on the bump spot at 5.396.

---

Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 11.602/78.07, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.396/171.72, Was #16
Right Lane: David Grubnic Runs 6.049/131.27, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.481/331.85, Was #1

What a first-round pairing this would make!! It could happen, Schumacher up in smoke almost instantly. Grubnic was on a strong pace for the first 330 feet, 2.154 seconds, but then he lost traction and lifted.

---

Left Lane: Bruce Litton Runs 9.117/85.64, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.888/148.00, Was #17
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.529/330.15, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.506/331.00, Was #3

Litton had a shot at bumping Schumacher, the last car in line with that opportunity this round, but lost traction about 100 feet out and shut it off. Cory Mac made his second strong run of the event with yet another 330 mph speed, a plateau that only he and David Grubnic have reached at this track.

---

Left Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 6.978/109.24, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.835/219.03, Was #14
Right Lane: David Baca Runs 9.017/84.73, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.805/222.05, Was #13

Three hundred feet and a cloud of smoke...both lanes. Actually, Baca lost traction first, before the 330-foot marker, and Lucas second, beyond that mark.

---

Left Lane: Clay Millican Runs 4.625/315.90, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.677/308.95, Was #10
Right Lane: Scott Kalitta Runs 4.657/310.88, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.592/326.20, Was #7

The Peter Lehman team is running the Werner Enterprises blue colors here instead of the 104-Plus Octane Booster black paint scheme, debuting their new, 2005 Hadman car. The new pipe seems to be working well, Millican outrunning Scott Kalitta in this pairing.

---

Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 8.154/98.11, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.488/325.14, Was #2
Right Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 9.721/81.61, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.551/325.85, Was #5

Last pair and another pair of "300 feet and a cloud of smoke" runs. With one qualifying session to go, it's still David Grubnic on the top of the ladder at 4.481 seconds and now it's points-leader Tony Schumacher on the bump spot at 5.396 seconds.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



NHRA: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ]

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
Mar 30- BELLE ROSE - Competition Eliminator Final, Round 5 Eliminations