Thu, 13 Nov 2008, 04:46 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 44th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Bobby Mirizio Runs 5.476/262.23, Now #1
Right Lane: Larry Miersch Runs 6.146/192.47, Now #2

12:42 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 78 degrees, relative humidity 30 percent, barometer 28.84 inches, adjusted altitude 2,991 feet, track temperature 99 degrees.

We had a new record eight car field at the Las Vegas LODRS event last weekend with a strong 5.370. The current sixteen car show record is 5.39.

Lots of dead holes on Miersch's new fueler. Mirizio runs close to his career best with a strong 0.941 sixty foot time in his blown car.

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Left Lane: Mike Austin Runs 5.611/254.38, Now #3
Right Lane: Brittany Force Runs 5.416/265.80, Now #1

Fore, Brittany in the right lane, with her sister, Courtney, up next behind her. Nice pass with all of cylinder lit moves the current #1 spot up a bunch. Austin's car was lazy off the line and may not make the show in this session.

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Left Lane: Johnny Ahten Runs 5.637/252.71, Now #5
Right Lane: Courtney Force Runs 5.282/263.62, Now #1

WOW!! A new career best. Team Force: One and Two for now. The engine had at least one cylinder out after mid-track. Ahten is dropping a lot of cylinders down the track and may not make the field.

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Left Lane: Kimmelyn Buff Pesz Runs 5.392/266.16, Now #2
Right Lane: Michael Manners Runs 15.908/70.51, Now #8

...and the hits keep coming! With Pesz's pass we now have three women in the top three. She's going to have to work on her RT, as a 0.324 isn't going to get it on Saturday! Manners ran well at last weeks Vegas points race, but strikes the tires at the green today.

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Left Lane: Cody Perkins Runs 6.052/175.37, Now #8
Right Lane: Del Cox Jr. Runs 5.499/257.24, Now #5

Perkins leave hard with a strong 0.923 and then has his hands full before the 330 lights when the blown car makes a hard right move towards the guard rail. He gets it straightened back out and then has a Boomer just past mid-track. Cox's fueler doen't have an drama, but is dropping cylinders after mid-track.

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Left Lane: Brandon Johnson Runs 5.821/253.52, Now #9
Right Lane: Justin Davis Runs 5.609/222.91, Now #6

Two clean passes, and Davis gets into the top half of the field for now.

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Left Lane: Randy Eakins Runs 5.492/250.69, Now #6
Right Lane: Chris Demke Runs 5.340/261.88, Now #2

A little shake off the line for Eakins and he recovers to card a high five forty pass. Demke has a better 0.920 sixty foot time and breaks up the ladies on the top of the ladder.

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Left Lane: Mark Niver Runs 8.436/147.62, Now #14
Right Lane: Joey Severance Runs 9.200/79.34, Now #15

Double your problems! Niver strikes the tires at the hit and Severance is off the throttle before the 330 lights wit traction problems too.

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Left Lane: Brandon Lewis Runs 12.603/59.77, Now #17
Right Lane: Shawn Cowie Runs 5.556/262.08, Now #8

Michael Manners is on the bump spot at 15.908. Cowie pumps it early in the runs a still runs a mid-five fifty. Lewis' car looked like it ran over a bump at the 100 foot mark, as the car jumps up and down on the tires. He clicks it and coasts on down.

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Left Lane: Duane Shields Runs 5.457/271.24, Now #6
Right Lane: Marty Thacker Runs 5.443/258.52, Now #5

Joey Severance is on the bump spot at 9.200.

Shake in the left lane and dropped cylinders in the right lane they both run mid-five forties into top half of the field.

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Left Lane: Jim Whiteley Runs 5.408/265.74, Now #5
Right Lane: Bill Reichert Runs 5.340/273.55, Now #2

Larry Miersch is on the bump spot at 6.146. WOW!! Reichert's engine is dropping cylinders on the top end and he still runs a 273.550 MPH pass into the new #2 spot Whiteley didn't qualify at the Vegas point race, but makes up for it here with a nice pass into the top half of the field.

1:21 p.m. Courtney Force stays #1 with a 5.282 ET Brandon Johnson is on the bump spot at 5.821.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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