Sat, 20 Oct 2007, 05:04 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By Larry Sullivan

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Torco Top Fuel at the 2007 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series, IHRA World Finals Presented by The U.S. Air Force featuring UTI CHampionship Sunday 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:

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Left Lane: Kevin Jones No Time, Now #10; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Luigi Novelli Runs 4.760/291.82, Now #2; Best prior run: 12.833/84.97, Was #8

4:41 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 80 degrees, relative humidity 49 percent, barometer 29.52 inches, adjusted altitude 2,145 feet, track temperature 112 degrees.

Nice pass by Novelli, quick enough for him to be ahead of Jones when Jones drifted to the right and clipped the 1,000-foot timing reflector, sending it sailing across the right lane. The run would have put Jones in the field, albeit with a strong chance of being bumped out, had it counted.

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Left Lane: Dave Gallegos Runs 4.907/286.01, Now #5; Best prior run: 8.627/84.91, Was #8

Gallegos was still in the field after Jones' run was DQ'ed, but this run would have put him solidly in the field anyway, the best of his short Top Fuel career. The engine started mixing cylinders up on the top end, dropped a couple, then expired in a heavy cloud of smoke just short of the finish line. However, the track was clear and the racing continued.

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Left Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 4.617/314.83, Now #1; Best prior run: 8.079/87.94, Was #8
Right Lane: Bobby Lagana Jr. Runs 4.947/233.03, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.586/176.95, Was #7

Lagana's car had a short fuse, the header flames out and the pipes wet well before the finish line, the car slowing from a 260 mph half-track speed. McMillen sacrificed several pistons in the lights on a career-best run to put him at the top of the list.

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Left Lane: T.J. Zizzo Runs 4.622/321.42, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.161/250.92, Was #8
Right Lane: Jeff O'Neill Runs 4.869/299.06, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.841/301.33, Was #4

Two nice runs, O'Neill's car very consistent and Zizzo getting off the bump spot, moving ahead of Bruce Litton on the qualifying list.

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Left Lane: Scotty Cannon Runs 4.716/291.76, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.856/282.78, Was #6
Right Lane: Bruce Litton Runs 4.688/313.66, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.736/251.44, Was #3

Last pair, Cannon with a slim mathematical chance at the championship and Litton just 21 points behind Zizzo.

Cannon dropped a couple cylinders on the right side past half track, but he still improved. Litton ran it all the way through with no visible problems, but stayed third.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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