Sat, 12 Nov 2011, 18:11 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 47th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Duane Shields                         465 Michael Manners              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.053  5.422 267.00                     0.040  6.193 253.18
 Qualified:             #8  5.333 266.90                        #9  5.334 277.66

1:54 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 65 degrees, relative humidity 53 percent, barometer 28.71 inches, adjusted altitude 2,327 feet, track temperature 74 degrees.

Shields has done everything he can to secure the Championship and he will have to wait and see how Severance fairs.

These are the two middle of the pack qualifiers with just 0.001 difference in their qualifying times.

Manners gets the starting line advantage then is shortly up in smoke.

Shields has a straight and clean pass to go on to round two.

Duane Shields' incremental times: 60ft-0.932 sec., 330ft-2.504, 660ft-3.634/223.17 mph, 1,000ft-4.588.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  487 Mark Taliaferro                        73 Johnny Ahten                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.033  5.386 274.83                     0.054  6.034 220.04
 Qualified:            #11  5.344 280.89                        #6  5.327 253.56

Ahten's car starts to shake at the green and he has to pedal. That kills his momentum and the car slows.

Another strong pass for Taliaferro and he gets the easy win and a trip to round two.

Mark Taliaferro's incremental times: 60ft-0.942 sec., 330ft-2.502, 660ft-3.628/223.50 mph, 1,000ft-4.577.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7599 Megan McKernan                        256 Blake Alexander              
E1                   0.098  5.507 267.96     ****WINNER****  0.080  5.427 271.90
 Qualified:             #4  5.316 271.24                       #13  5.521 261.37

McKerrnan has run consistent low five thirties all through qualifying and has performance issues this run.

Alexander leaves first and stays out in front to the finish line.

McKernan has better incrementals until near the 330 lights and then can't match the pace.

Megan McKernan's incremental times: 60ft-0.942 sec., 330ft-2.530, 660ft-3.699/216.17 mph, 1,000ft-4.673.
Blake Alexander's incremental times: 60ft-0.954 sec., 330ft-2.477, 660ft-3.626/221.63 mph, 1,000ft-4.598.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   55 Cody Perkins                            2 Chris Demke                  
E1                   0.025  6.503 183.49     ****WINNER****  0.056  5.369 265.64
 Qualified:             #7  5.328 265.80                       #10  5.343 267.53

Perkins strikes the tires after the initial starting line advantage. He day gets expensive down track, as the blower goes bang down track. Th scoop goes flying and the car stops on the track.

Demke runs another strong five thirty and will get the easy win.

Cody Perkins' incremental times: 60ft-1.073 sec., 330ft-2.948, 660ft-4.219/197.94 mph, 1,000ft-5.352.
Chris Demke's incremental times: 60ft-0.920 sec., 330ft-2.374, 660ft-3.530/214.14 mph, 1,000ft-4.523.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 Chase Copeland                        663 Ray Martin                   
E1                   0.048  5.445 268.06     ****WINNER****  0.049  5.425 264.70
 Qualified:             #5  5.326 278.29                       #12  5.398 265.17

Great race with only 0.001 difference in their RT's. Martin has the better incrementals down low and Copeland starts to catch him on the top end. Her runs out of room and Martin gets the close win.

Martin will have lane choice over Alexander by 0.002 in round two.

Ray Martin's incremental margins: 60ft(0.032), 330 ft(0.108), 660ft(0.073), 1,000ft(0.036). MOV: 0.0190 seconds (approximately 7 feet).

Chase Copeland's incremental times: 60ft-0.968 sec., 330ft-2.504, 660ft-3.645/219.86 mph, 1,000ft-4.612.
Ray Martin's incremental times: 60ft-0.935 sec., 330ft-2.395, 660ft-3.571/209.92 mph, 1,000ft-4.575.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  613 Joey Severance                         12 John Finke                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.156  5.444 264.65                           No Time      
 Qualified:            #14  5.747 246.48                        #3  5.309 260.81

It's do or die for Severance to win the Championship.

The alcohol Gods smile on him and Finke leaves before the tree to give him the free pass to round two. He makes his best run of the weekend and will have to give lane choice to Taliaferro next round. One down, one to go!

Joey Severance's incremental times: 60ft-0.928 sec., 330ft-2.422, 660ft-3.593/211.49 mph, 1,000ft-4.595.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Jim Whiteley                         7303 Brooks Brown                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.068  5.294 269.19                     0.088  7.434 136.95
 Qualified:             #2  5.307 269.89                       #15 11.592 115.47

Brown has a bunch of dead holes at the green and Whiteley just disappears down the track for the easy win.

Whiteley runs the second twenty of the weekend on a terrific looking pass and keeps lane choice in the next round over Demke.

Jim Whiteley's incremental times: 60ft-0.913 sec., 330ft-2.344, 660ft-3.482/216.76 mph, 1,000ft-4.461.

2:21 p.m. We have Stuff falling from the skies!

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
        Bye                                 471 Aaron Tatum                  
E1                                            ****WINNER****  0.042  5.335 266.42
 Qualified:                                                       #1  5.253 271.68

Tatum has the bye run and had the engine running when he was told to click it off for wet stuff.

2:58 p.m. Well, that took a while!

Nice clean and straight pass. He has a good 0.935 sixty foot time and never falters down the track. He will have lane choice over Shields.

Aaron Tatum's incremental times: 60ft-0.935 sec., 330ft-2.428, 660ft-3.555/223.65 mph, 1,000ft-4.506.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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