Sat, 17 Jul 2010, 07:14 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Rick Green

SONOMA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual FRAM-Autolite 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: Steven Chrisman Runs 4.078/292.96, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.164/276.63, Was #16
Right Lane: Steve Faria Runs 8.534/85.03, Now #18; Best prior run: 8.482/82.03, Was #18

Weather conditions: air temperature 76 degrees, relative humidity 54 percent, barometer 29.92 inches, adjusted altitude 1,783 feet, track temperature 121 degrees.

Faria was up in smoke right off the starting line and he will not get in the show. Chrisman with his quickest pass of the weekend to get off the bump spot. Steven Chrisman's incremental times: 60ft-0.903 sec., 330ft-2.257, 660ft-3.247/252.66 mph.

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Left Lane: Mike Strasburg No Time, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.042/300.20, Was #13
Right Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 4.015/300.33, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.878/122.89, Was #17

Strasburg chose to pull out of line when he saw that he would race tomorrow. Vandergriff launched hard and keep the Goodyears hooked up to get in the show. Bob Vandergriff's incremental times: 60ft-0.844 sec., 330ft-2.223, 660ft-3.206/260.21 mph.

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Left Lane: Troy Buff Runs 7.095/79.19, Now #11; Best prior run: 3.981/259.81, Was #11
Right Lane: Terry Haddock Runs 4.412/203.83, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.129/278.40, Was #17

buff started to smoke the tires early and clicked it off. Haddock was dropping cylinders right off the starting line and then was mixing them all up before it pushed out a head gasket. Then it appeared to bang the blower. The Safety Safari trucks are rolling and Haddock won't get in the show.

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Left Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 6.883/86.93, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.966/294.88, Was #10
Right Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 4.794/160.81, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.066/282.01, Was #15

Lucas starts to smoke the tires around 250 feet and clicks it off. McMillen starts to lose traction around half track and he clicks it off.

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Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 3.962/295.34, Now #9; Best prior run: 3.944/299.86, Was #9
Right Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 4.217/202.48, Now #12; Best prior run: 3.987/288.64, Was #12

Langdon dropped some cylinders early and then started to haze the tires around the 660-foot mark and clicked it off. Grubnic was dropping cylinders early, but keep it hooked up all the way through the 1000 feet. Grubnic with the quickest pass of the round...David Grubnic's incremental times: 60ft-0.845 sec., 330ft-2.179, 660ft-3.147/260.11 mph.

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Left Lane: Rod Fuller Runs 3.873/310.13, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.942/299.93, Was #7
Right Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 4.171/295.46, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.943/305.08, Was #8

Torrence with just a whisp of tire smoke, but drove through it...Fuller with a great looking pass, and he moved up the ladder four spots. Fuller with the quickest pass of the round. Rod Fuller's incremental times: 60ft-0.853 sec., 330ft-2.176, 660ft-3.102/274.66 mph.

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Left Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 3.912/307.23, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.914/305.29, Was #6
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 3.930/305.98, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.926/305.98, Was #7

This was a good side-by-side drag race...Bernstein with his quickest pass of the weekend, but will stay in the number six spot. Brandon Bernstein's incremental times: 60ft-0.839 sec., 330ft-2.173, 660ft-3.123/267.59 mph. Schumacher just a few ticks off his qualifying time and he will stay in the number seven spot.

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Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.241/200.35, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.896/309.06, Was #4
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 6.447/93.55, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.899/309.49, Was #5

Kalitta smoked the tires early and he clicked it off. McClenathan was on a good pass until he banged the blower on the top end.

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Left Lane: Antron Brown Runs 4.925/148.40, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.863/315.86, Was #2
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 3.887/316.23, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.839/317.79, Was #1

Brown started to lose traction just before half track and clicked it off. Dixon launched hard and keep the Goodyears hooked with the second quickest pass of the round. Larry Dixon's incremental times: 60ft-0.848 sec., 330ft-2.189, 660ft-3.119/274.16 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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