Fri, 12 Nov 2010, 09:44 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 46th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals 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:

---

Left Lane: Johnny Ahten Runs 5.404/260.31, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.590/230.76, Was #19

4:53 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 74 degrees, relative humidity 25 percent, barometer 29.09 inches, adjusted altitude 2,278 feet, track temperature 79 degrees.

Duane Shields is on the bump spot at 5.459.

Ahten gets an almost clean pass to move into the current #14 spot. There was some flashing from the top of the engine near the lights, so it might be a little expensive.

Johnny Ahten's incremental times: 60ft-0.941 sec., 330ft-2.444, 660ft-3.583/219.12 mph, 1,000ft-4.557.

---

Left Lane: Ashley Bart Runs 5.523/263.62, Now #19; Best prior run: 5.479/253.37, Was #19
Right Lane: Buddy Domingue Runs 5.460/241.97, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.460/235.84, Was #18

Megan Mc Kernan is on the bump spot at 5.416.

No joy, as neither dragster can improve.

Ashley Bart's incremental times: 60ft-0.925 sec., 330ft-2.434, 660ft-3.644/205.13 mph, 1,000ft-4.667.
Buddy Domingue's incremental times: 60ft-0.917 sec., 330ft-2.402, 660ft-3.553/214.08 mph, 1,000ft-4.558.

---

Left Lane: Megan Mc Kernan No Time, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.416/243.28, Was #16
Right Lane: Duane Shields Runs 5.493/259.11, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.459/253.04, Was #17

McKernan's engine goes silent after the burn out, before she staged. Odd!

She lucks out, as Shields can't run well enough to qualify!

Duane Shields' incremental times: 60ft-0.992 sec., 330ft-2.528, 660ft-3.676/218.90 mph, 1,000ft-4.644.

---

Left Lane: Joey Severance Runs 10.466/49.59, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.378/263.82, Was #12
Right Lane: Don St. Arnaud Runs 5.362/269.94, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.408/269.62, Was #15

Severance is away first, but slow in sixty feet. The car picked up the pace after that and then went BOOM, with a flash and sparks off the top of the engine right after the 330 foot lights.

St. Arnaud runs a career best ET and speed to move off the near bottom of the ladder position and into the #10 spot. Great pass for the team...

Joey Severance's incremental times: 60ft-1.024 sec., 330ft-2.433, 660ft-4.192/121.42 mph, 1,000ft-6.714.
Don St. Arnaud's incremental times: 60ft-0.934 sec., 330ft-2.436, 660ft-3.572/220.22 mph, 1,000ft-4.535.

---

Left Lane: Kyle Rizzoli Runs 8.470/104.67, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.362/270.32, Was #9
Right Lane: Bill Reichert Runs 5.362/260.91, Now #11; Best prior run: 5.385/259.51, Was #14

5:11 p.m. Clean up is over and we are back to racing.

Rizzoli, fueler is lazy off the line and then slows.

Reichert runs the third 5.362, but will only get the #11 spot on MPH!

Kyle Rizzoli's incremental times: 60ft-0.983 sec., 330ft-2.792, 660ft-4.616/124.94 mph, 1,000ft-6.489.
Bill Reichert's incremental times: 60ft-0.934 sec., 330ft-2.407, 660ft-3.539/220.22 mph, 1,000ft-4.512.

---

Left Lane: Monroe Guest Runs 8.562/106.21, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.348/266.06, Was #8
Right Lane: Mike Austin Runs 5.346/268.28, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.378/265.64, Was #13

Guest gets a big jump off the line and the car moves hard towards the wall and slows from there.

Austin makes a strong pass into the top half of the field for now.

Mike Austin's incremental times: 60ft-0.902 sec., 330ft-2.377, 660ft-3.527/215.13 mph, 1,000ft-4.510.

---

Left Lane: Chris Demke Runs 5.273/273.55, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.345/269.19, Was #7
Right Lane: Brandon Pierce Runs 5.398/264.80, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.373/263.87, Was #13

Two clean and straight passes and Demke makes a strong move to near the top of the ladder in the new #3 spot. Pierce slows just a little to stay #13

Chris Demke's incremental times: 60ft-0.919 sec., 330ft-2.353, 660ft-3.482/218.05 mph, 1,000ft-4.451.
Brandon Pierce's incremental times: 60ft-0.948 sec., 330ft-2.458, 660ft-3.588/222.95 mph, 1,000ft-4.555.

---

Left Lane: Darren Nicholson Runs 5.384/265.22, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.307/268.22, Was #7
Right Lane: Shawn Cowie Runs 5.352/268.49, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.307/268.54, Was #6

Two more good passes and they both stay in their current spots on the ladder.

Darren Nicholson's incremental times: 60ft-0.933 sec., 330ft-2.392, 660ft-3.545/214.21 mph, 1,000ft-4.537.
Shawn Cowie's incremental times: 60ft-0.936 sec., 330ft-2.381, 660ft-3.527/215.03 mph, 1,000ft-4.514.

---

Left Lane: Larry Miersch Runs 13.443/77.77, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.298/269.46, Was #4
Right Lane: Michael Manners Runs 5.286/273.72, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.305/268.71, Was #5

Miersch fires and falls back.

Manners continues to improve and moves the car into the twenties and the current number four spot on the ladder.

Michael Manners' incremental times: 60ft-0.943 sec., 330ft-2.408, 660ft-3.524/224.73 mph, 1,000ft-4.469.

---

Left Lane: Jim Whiteley Runs 10.547/76.12, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.266/270.43, Was #2
Right Lane: Chase Copeland Runs 9.310/87.87, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.218/276.58, Was #1

Last pair to try to improve, but is over quickly. Both cars engines go silent by 100 feet out.

5:27 p.m. Megan Mc Kernan stays on the bump spot at 5.416.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



NHRA: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ]

Feb 10- Wally Parks 75th Anniversary Appreciation Fund Part of $27 Million Overall Purse
Feb 08- NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League Releases 2026 Schedule
Feb 07- Huge List of Legends Set to Appear at Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
Feb 05- NHRA and Legends Global Extend Merchandise Partnership Ahead of 75th Anniversary Season
Feb 04- Doug Foley Announces Addition of Ron Douglas as Consultant to Foley Lewis Racing Top Fuel Team
Feb 04- Tickets Now on Sale for NHRA's Debut at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park and Rockingham Dragway
Feb 04- Reed, Zetterström to Share Driving Duties of Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel Dragster
Jan 29- NHRA to Honor Iconic John Force in 2027 with "50 Years Of Force"
Jan 28- Top Fuel All-Star Callout Returns to Open NHRA's 75th Anniversary Season at Gatornationals
Jan 28- John Force Racing Announces Crew Chiefs for NHRA's 75th Anniversary Season