Sat, 27 Oct 2007, 07:52 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Dave Rowe

LAS VEGAS - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Seventh annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals 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: J.R. Todd Runs 4.574/326.95, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.550/325.30, Was #7
Right Lane: Rod Fuller Runs 4.529/326.32, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.558/320.13, Was #11

4:03 p.m. A couple of really impressive runs, both right down the groove, candles lit all the way through the run for both drivers. Fuller makes his quickest run of the weekend and moves all the way to the third spot. Todd doesn't improve and drops a notch to eighth.

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Left Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 4.534/330.31, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.529/330.55, Was #2
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 4.506/327.90, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.482/327.59, Was #1

Schumacher continues to lead the way, another great run, the quickest of the day so far. Troxel makes a good run, just a little behind Schumacher.

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Left Lane: Mike Strasburg Runs 4.819/303.23, Now #21; Best prior run: 4.669/316.82, Was #21

Strasburg makes a clean pass but slows and will not make the show.

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Left Lane: Scotty Cannon Runs 4.630/284.75, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.650/287.23, Was #20

Cannon was on a decent run but looked like he lost the blower belt at the end of the run.

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Left Lane: Hillary Will Runs 4.625/324.05, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.629/326.48, Was #17
Right Lane: Steven Chrisman Runs 5.024/279.44, Now #22; Best prior run: 5.013/281.48, Was #22

Will needs to improve a little to get in the show. She does improve, just enough, but is on the bump spot with Hartley in the next pair. Chrisman makes a decent pass but doesn't improve.

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Left Lane: Joe Hartley Runs 4.629/325.85, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.627/309.42, Was #17
Right Lane: Alan Bradshaw Runs 4.670/314.68, Now #20; Best prior run: 4.645/310.63, Was #20

Hartley gets out of the groove early, moves to the left, then back to the right. The move cost him, just missing getting back in the show. Bradshaw makes a decent pass, then goes up in flames just as he goes through the lights. He pulls the chutes, the flames get bigger, then the chutes come off the car. he finally gets the dragster to stop, the right tire deflates, and the rear of the car is still engulfed in flames. He climbs out of the car and the Safety Safari rushes over to extinguish the flames.

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Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.557/323.58, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.577/326.56, Was #13
Right Lane: Clay Millican Runs 4.582/322.73, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.645/322.19, Was #19

4:24 p.m. and we're back from the cleanup in the right lane. McClenethan is in the show, Millicans last chance to get in.

Millican takes advantage of his last chance, going right down the groove with his best run of the weekend to get in the show, bumping out Will. Will misses the show for the first time in her career. McClenethan makes a good run, his quickest of the weekend, and he moves up a couple of notches to the 12th spot.

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Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 10.100/82.30, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.561/328.94, Was #13
Right Lane: Doug Foley Runs 4.608/320.74, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.597/324.05, Was #16

Grubnic gets about 300 feet out and goes up in smoke. Foley makes a decent pass but stays on the bump.

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Left Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 4.534/325.69, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.557/327.59, Was #11
Right Lane: Urs Erbacher Runs 4.769/264.23, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.594/326.48, Was #15

Erbacher has already had a pretty good weekend. He made his career best run and qualified in his first attempt in NHRA drag racing. He was on a decent pass here, then drifts toward the center-line and has to back off the throttle about 800 feet out. Bernstein steps it up and moves into the top half of the field.

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Left Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 6.981/109.87, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.555/317.42, Was #10
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.528/331.04, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.556/329.42, Was #11

Herbert gets about 300 feet out and strikes the tires. Kalitta makes an impressive run and moves all the way to the second spot.

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Left Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 8.992/97.93, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.543/328.22, Was #9
Right Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 9.557/81.12, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.536/330.72, Was #8

Vandergriff gets about 200 feet out and goes up in smoke, Lucas just a little further.

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Left Lane: David Baca Runs 4.557/326.16, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.532/326.79, Was #5
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 5.013/198.61, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.534/321.42, Was #7

Dixon gets about 400 feet out and goes up in flames. He stays on the throttle until just pas thalf-track, then gives up on the run. Baca's dragster is running like a bracket car, a .53, .54, .55, and a .56 this weekend.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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