Mon, 3 Sep 2007, 01:30 PM Top Fuel Round 2 Eliminations

By Dan Bennett

CLERMONT, Ind. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 53rd annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   91 Larry Dixon                            10 Hillary Will                 
E2   ****WINNER****  0.061  4.699 308.43                     0.088 12.738  77.45
 Prior rounds:
E1    (A Bradshaw  ) 0.044  4.578 321.81      (D Foley     ) 0.093  5.238 198.58
 Qualified:             #2  4.481 327.74                       #10  4.553 329.83

1:17 p.m. and the track crew has just finished a scrape.

Dixon in the left lane.

I'm not sure Hillary's rear slicks made a single revolution before they exploded into billowing smoke.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Rod Fuller                             12 Bob Vandergriff              
E2   ****WINNER****  0.072  4.734 312.93                     0.071  9.311 102.54
 Prior rounds:
E1    (D Herbert   ) 0.094  4.556 322.27      (T Zizzo     ) 0.066  4.582 322.11
 Qualified:             #6  4.524 325.85                        #3  4.513 329.91

This pair looked like an instant replay with different car colors. The UPS car smoked the tires immediately and Fuller went through with no problems.

Dixon will have lane choice over Fuller in the semis.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Brandon Bernstein                       4 Melanie Troxel               
E2                   0.098  4.620 319.82     ****WINNER****  0.096  4.606 325.77
 Prior rounds:
E1    (D Grubnic   ) 0.092  4.525 324.90      (B Litton    ) 0.087  4.556 329.34
 Qualified:            #12  4.568 324.36                        #4  4.520 329.18

In what would have to be considered a big upset if you look at the previous passes in the round, Melanie gets a big, big win.

The cars left pretty much together but Troxel's tuneup in the tricky lane looked to be just about perfect as she outruns Bernstein by about 8 feet.

Melanie Troxel's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.012), 330 ft(-0.001), 660ft(-0.002), 1,000ft(0.005). MOV: 0.0166 seconds (approximately 8 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Tony Schumacher                         9 Cory McClenathan             
E2   ****WINNER****  0.068  4.544 327.98                     0.122  5.154 202.94
 Prior rounds:
E1    (C Millican  ) 0.078  4.546 324.59      (M Lucas     ) 0.069  4.621 321.58
 Qualified:             #1  4.477 333.66                        #9  4.544 281.54

Schumacher (or Alan Johnson) is making this look easy. Mc Clenathan was never really in the race and shuts off early.

Melanie has to face the Army next round without lane choice.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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