Fri, 30 May 2008, 04:52 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Bob Orme

TOPEKA, Kan. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 20th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Brittany Force Runs 5.844/235.64, Now #2
Right Lane: Dana Stripe Runs 5.600/242.89, Now #1

3:11 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 91 degrees, relative humidity 48 percent, barometer 28.63 inches, adjusted altitude 4,508 feet, track temperature 119 degrees.

Force's burnout was very brief. She had a cylinder out on the hit, and it stayed out for the entire pass. No visible problems for Stripe.

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Left Lane: Jeff Hamelink Runs 5.844/247.70, Now #2
Right Lane: Jared Dreher Runs 14.092/78.94, Now #4

Dreher was off the throttle before the car traveled 60 feet. No problems for Hamelink.

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Left Lane: Justin Davis Runs 5.580/257.28, Now #1
Right Lane: Malcolm Wahle No Time, Now #6

Wahle rolled through the beams before the tree was activated. A good looking pass for Davis.

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Left Lane: Mark Niver Runs 5.751/247.02, Now #3
Right Lane: Richard Putz Runs 12.017/71.76, Now #6

Putz's rear-end looked like a paint can shaker on the hit. That was some very violent tire shake in the right lane.

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Left Lane: Thomas Bayer Runs 5.496/259.46, Now #1
Right Lane: Brandon Pierce Runs 5.721/260.06, Now #4

Some early tire shake in both lanes, but otherwise, a good looking pair.

Thomas Bayer's incremental times: 60ft-0.954 sec., 330ft-2.438, 660ft-3.612/209.14mph, 1,000ft-4.630

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Left Lane: Travis Nicholson Runs 6.343/194.55, Now #9
Right Lane: Chris Demke Runs 5.511/262.33, Now #2

Tom Conway is being shown as Nicholson's crew chief. Early tire shake in both lanes, and Nicholson had cylinders out for most of this pass.

Chris Demke's incremental times: 60ft-0.951 sec., 330ft-2.465, 660ft-3.642/209.56mph, 1,000ft-4.655

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Left Lane: Edwin Schmeeckle Runs 5.968/178.64, Now #10
Right Lane: Cody Perkins Runs 5.633/254.42, Now #5

A good looking drag race until just past the 1000-foot mark when Schmeeckle's engine expired with a loud boom.

Edwin Schmeeckle's incremental times: 60ft-0.962 sec., 330ft-2.468, 660ft-3.653/208.04mph, 1,000ft-4.798
Cody Perkins' incremental times: 60ft-0.999 sec., 330ft-2.519, 660ft-3.720/204.79mph, 1,000ft-4.755

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Left Lane: Jim Whiteley Runs 5.418/265.17, Now #1
Right Lane: Shawn Cowie Runs 5.418/264.80, Now #2

It isn't very often you see the numbers this close (or identical) in the same run.

Jim Whiteley's incremental times: 60ft-0.948 sec., 330ft-2.415, 660ft-3.574/212.90mph, 1,000ft-4.571
Shawn Cowie's incremental times: 60ft-0.948 sec., 330ft-2.418, 660ft-3.578/211.93mph, 1,000ft-4.574

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Left Lane: Diana Harker Runs 5.754/243.94, Now #11
Right Lane: Aaron Tatum Runs 5.734/243.63, Now #9

Harker's engine was laboring on this pass. Tatum dropped a couple cylinders on the top end of the track.

Diana Harker's incremental times: 60ft-0.995 sec., 330ft-2.596, 660ft-3.818/204.54mph, 1,000ft-4.855
Aaron Tatum's incremental times: 60ft-1.018 sec., 330ft-2.628, 660ft-3.830/209.92mph, 1,000ft-4.838

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Left Lane: Brandon Lewis Runs 5.984/240.47, Now #16
Right Lane: Spencer Massey Runs 5.835/256.84, Now #12

The injected cars aren't liking the conditions today.

Brandon Lewis' incremental times: 60ft-1.038 sec., 330ft-2.673, 660ft-3.968/192.71mph, 1,000ft-5.057
Spencer Massey's incremental times: 60ft-1.027 sec., 330ft-2.686, 660ft-3.937/201.22mph, 1,000ft-4.967

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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