Sat, 18 Sep 2010, 01:36 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Larry Sullivan

CONCORD, N.C. - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, Third annual O'Reilly Auto Parts 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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Right Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 4.153/256.80, Now #13; No Prior Run

12:30 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 80 degrees, relative humidity 46 percent, barometer 29.51 inches, adjusted altitude 2,468 feet, track temperature 118 degrees.

McMillen was oh-for-two yesterday, starts off fresh today just like everybody else not in the top twelve yesterday.

McMillen made a decent-looking pass, but his car spit out the blower belt on the top end.

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Right Lane: Pat Dakin Runs 6.942/82.25, Now #14; No Prior Run

Dakin missed the top twelve by five hundredths of a second yesterday, also starts over today. He got about 100 feet, then smoked the tires and shut off.

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Left Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 3.930/306.05, Now #9; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Rod Fuller Runs 4.370/183.89, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.893/311.49, Was #8

Good run by Langdon to put him solidly in the field (for now anyway). Fuller had a strong launch and was quicker than Fuller to 330 feet, but slowed before reaching the 660-foot marker and coasted across the stripe. He had a good run yesterday, however, stays in the middle of the pack.

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Left Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 8.921/85.11, Now #16; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 3.977/306.74, Now #11; Best prior run: 3.954/305.08, Was #11

Lucas smoked the tires early in the run and probably won't stay in the field very long. Torrence made a full pass, slightly slower than his best run yesterday.

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Left Lane: Doug Foley Runs 4.749/168.51, Now #15; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 3.870/312.35, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.866/308.64, Was #5

Nice run by Schumacher, almost matching his first run yesterday. Foley dropped cylinders early in the run and slowed before the 660-foot marker.

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Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 3.964/307.02, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.954/311.27, Was #10
Right Lane: Fred Farndon Runs 5.845/117.63, Now #16; No Prior Run

Farndon lost the engine in a huge fireball about 250 feet out - but he still coasted through quickly enough to make the field, for now anyway. Good pass for Vandergriff, just a hundredth slower than his best run yesterday.

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Left Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 5.296/272.34, Now #16; No Prior Run
Right Lane: T.J. Zizzo Runs 3.982/307.51, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.867/308.21, Was #6

1:16 p.m. These two teams patiently waited through a very long cleanup before they were signaled to start their engines.

Herbert was up in smoke after 100 feet or so. Zizzo made a full pass, but did not improve. However, he's been down the track three times in three tries and not many teams have been able to do that this weekend.

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Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 5.238/125.65, Now #12; Best prior run: 3.996/264.80, Was #12
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 3.863/316.90, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.846/315.93, Was #4

Grubnic lost traction early in the run. Dixon made a good run, best of the session so far, but he banged the blower in the lights, the intake scoop wobbling atop the engine as he slowed.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 3.896/313.29, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.879/316.08, Was #7
Right Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 4.703/163.61, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.839/317.34, Was #3

Bernstein hazed the tires around the 660-foot marker and lifted. Kalitta made a nice run, not quite as quick as his best, but one of the better runs for this session - in fact, it's the third-quickest so far, only Schumacher and Dixon quicker.

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Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 3.879/314.39, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.831/321.12, Was #1
Right Lane: Antron Brown Runs 4.799/152.81, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.832/315.93, Was #2

Last pair. Brown hazed the tires at about the same place as Bernstein. Cory Mac made a nice, full pass, replacing Kalitta as third-quickest of the session.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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