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Sun, 8 Feb 2009, 07:34 PM

Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations
By David Gerard





POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 49th annual Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   72 Mike Strasburg                        421 Spencer Massey               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.106  3.997 253.71                     0.072  4.195 260.36
 Qualified:             #9  3.980 305.01                        #8  3.968   NS  
11:46 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 63 degrees, relative humidity 59 percent, barometer 28.90 inches, adjusted altitude 1,975 feet, track temperature 64 degrees Lots of dark cloud over the track.

This is the first time Strasburg and Massey have faced each other in NHRA eliminations. It's Strasburg from before the sixty foot lights to the finish line. Massey is away first but can't match the B&J Transmissions cars pace.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  700 Steven Chrisman                        13 David Baca                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.135  4.086 285.59                     0.116  7.632  93.26
 Qualified:            #10  4.000   NS                          #7  3.920   NS  
This is the first time Chrisman and Baca have faced each other in eliminations. Baca gets a small advantage off the line and them has wacky header flames after the 330 lights. It starts to spin the tires and then went hard towards the center line.

Chrisman runs straight and true down the track, close to his qualifying time, for the easy win.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   22 Doug Kalitta                          111 Urs Erbacher                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.154  4.648 194.49                     0.143 No Time      
 Qualified:            #11 4.016 NS                              #6  3.915 305.63
Kalitta is 2 - 0 against Erbacher in prior events. Well, that was interesting! Erbacher gets off the line first and has to watch Kalitta fly on by before the 60 foot lights. Kalitta Big Yellow Car then has a big time fire off the engine, but stays on the throttle to take the win.

Erbacher matches the Yellow Cars 330 foot times and then gets out of it to coast on down. He gets no time for his efforts.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   34 Morgan Lucas                          524 Joe Hartley                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.063  3.846 310.20                     0.097  3.955 307.37
 Qualified:            #15  4.548 270.81                        #2  3.748   NS  
After a brief delay to clean up Kalitta's mess, we start the next pair. Lucas is 1 - 0 against Hartley in prior events.

OK! We finally get a pair together through the lights. Lucas nails the tree and just pulls steadily away from Hartley for a significant MOV. Morgan Lucas' MOV: 0.1433 seconds (approximately 65 feet).

Morgan Lucas' incremental times: 60ft-0.852 sec., 330ft-2.165, 660ft-3.075/278.86 mph.
Joe Hartley's incremental times: 60ft-0.887 sec., 330ft-2.228, 660ft-3.170/269.19 mph.

Lucas will race Chrisman in round two.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  735 Steve Faria                             5 Antron Brown                 
E1                   0.087  5.099 155.10     ****WINNER****  0.090  4.222 279.79
 Qualified:            #16  4.854 252.61                        #1  3.708   NS  
First pass in eliminations for Faria and he gets the advantage off the line over Brown. Things start to go bad after that and he too has a boomer to slow.

Brown had a soft 0.882 sixty foot time, but is out in from before sixty feet. He then has to lift for severe tire shake after the 100 foot mark. He nails it again, runs hard on down the track . He has his own problems after that with a lot of smoke from the engine in the lights.

Interesting! He gives up lane choice to Strasburg in the next round.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  261 Andy Carter                             7 Brandon Bernstein            
E1                   0.080 No Time           ****WINNER****  0.061  4.758 192.69
 Qualified:            #13  4.020   NS                          #4  3.866 317.42
This is the first pass in US eliminations for European Champion, Andy Carter, and he has an exciting run.

Bernstein gets away first and spins and shakes first. He gets the car way sideways and has to get completely out of the throttle to settle the car down. He was a sitting duck at that point.

Carter's times were weak down low, but he quickly drove on by. Down track he has his own shake problems has to pump several times. He joins Lucas in the flying body panel club, with the same right side panels flying off the car after the 660 lights. He has to manhandle the car to try to stay in his lane, but loses the battle near the finish line, crossing just into Bernstein's lane.

Bernstein will get the win. Lucky man!

12:10 p.m. Time out for clean up.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   33 Shawn Langdon                           3 Cory McClenathan             
E1                   0.066  4.221 217.81     ****WINNER****  0.093  3.934 313.37
 Qualified:            #14  4.091 307.79                        #3  3.851 313.66
4:04 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 58 degrees, relative humidity 64 percent, barometer 28.88 inches, adjusted altitude 1,703 feet, track temperature 64 degrees.

Well, that took a lot longer than expected. These two were ready to start the engines after the clean up when Mother Nature decided to delay the show. Lots of rain for a long time.

Langdon gets a small advantage off the line and is still ahead to near the 330 lights. The engine goes bang and he slows.

Cory Mac Fram car had the same sixty foot time, by he had to pedal right after that. He does a clean pump job and still runs under four seconds to take the big win.

He'll have lane choice big time over Kalitta, whenever we actually get to run round two. Another delay to clean up the Stuff" in the left lane.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  744 Del Cox Jr                              1 Tony Schumacher              
E1                   0.095  4.008 302.08     ****WINNER****  0.093  3.845 312.42
 Qualified:            #12  4.020   NS                          #5  3.897 311.99
4:17 p.m. It took a while to clean up the left lane from the 660 to almost the 1000 foot lights!

This is Cox's first professional round of eliminations and he gets The Sarge!

Great race and Schumacher gets the win and will have lane choice over Bernstein in the next round.They left almost together and the US Army car was well ahead by 60 feet. Cox was game, but didn't have the power to stay with him. It got a little more exciting near the finish line, as Schumacher's car got very close to the centerline.

Tony Schumacher's MOV: 0.1653 seconds (approximately 73 feet).

Tony Schumacher's incremental times: 60ft-0.855 sec., 330ft-2.163, 660ft-3.077/276.80 mph

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink




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