Sun, 13 Nov 2011, 14:35 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, 47th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   22 Doug Kalitta                           44 David Grubnic                
E1                   0.087  3.863 308.14     ****WINNER****  0.071  3.846 313.22
 Qualified:             #9  3.851 319.22                        #8  3.848 314.61

10:57 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 70 degrees, relative humidity 45 percent, barometer 28.81 inches, adjusted altitude 2,559 feet, track temperature 86 degrees.

Today is a lot different than Friday and Saturday with only a few high clouds and lots of sun. Kalitta is 19 - 5 against Grubnic in prior events. If Kalitta wins this round he will move ahead of Grubnic to seventh place in the Championship.

Grubnic makes sure that isn't going to happen, as he gets away first and stays there going down the track. Kalitta starts to pull up on him by the 660 lights and then the engine begins to get unhappy and there is a lot of smoke from the engine.

David Grubnic's incremental margins: 60ft(0.005), 330 ft(0.004), 660ft(0.020). MOV: 0.0337 seconds (approximately 15 feet).

Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.848 sec., 330ft-2.170, 660ft-3.083/275.73 mph.
David Grubnic's incremental times: 60ft-0.859 sec., 330ft-2.182, 660ft-3.079/280.08 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Antron Brown                           12 Bob Vandergriff              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.050  3.833 313.66                     0.052  3.842 322.58
 Qualified:             #7  3.848 319.37                       #10  3.853 317.64

Brown is 6 - 1 against Vandergriff in prior events. It's do or die for all four of the top contenders for the Championship.

Brown has his hands full with just a 0.002 advantage off the line. They run together right on down the track with the differences in positions staying steady.

Brown keeps his hopes alive with a close five foot win.

Antron Brown's incremental margins: 60ft(0.022), 330 ft(0.021), 660ft(0.023). MOV: 0.0115 seconds (approximately 5 feet).

Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.841 sec., 330ft-2.156, 660ft-3.065/279.04 mph.
Bob Vandergriff's incremental times: 60ft-0.861 sec., 330ft-2.175, 660ft-3.086/278.35 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   34 Morgan Lucas                          497 Troy Buff                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.052  4.132 230.10                     0.046 11.497  44.88
 Qualified:             #5  3.838 317.87                       #12  3.892 307.44

Lucas is 3 - 1 against Buff in prior events. Lucas made three strong qualifying passes this weekend.

Lucas gets lucky, as Buff's tires go up in smoke right after the 60 foot lights. Buff had the advantage off the line until smoking the tires.

Lucas way pulling away until dropping a cylinder and then pushing a head gasket right at the 660 lights to slow.

Morgan Lucas' incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.012), 330 ft(0.875), 660ft(3.506). MOV: 7.3597 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Morgan Lucas' incremental times: 60ft-0.890 sec., 330ft-2.246, 660ft-3.196/260.26 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  255 Clay Millican                           2 Tony Schumacher              
E1                   0.066  9.982  73.70     ****WINNER****  0.096  3.801 325.53
 Qualified:            #14  3.900 311.34                        #3  3.801 322.19

Schumacher is 14 - 2 against Millican in prior events.

Millican strikes the tires at the green. Schumacher is the first high qualifier to take the right lane and it's the right choice, as he flies off the line and makes the best pass of the session. Great looking pass.

Tony Schumacher's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.012), 330 ft(0.875), 660ft(3.506). MOV: 7.3597 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Tony Schumacher's incremental times: 60ft-0.846 sec., 330ft-2.157, 660ft-3.056/284.27 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Larry Dixon                           357 Keith Murt                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.071 No Time                          -0.071  3.947 302.69
 Qualified:             #2  3.791 321.12                       #15  3.914 312.64

This is the first time Dixon and Murt have faced each other in eliminations. This is a must win for Dixon in the Championship.

Dixon is the luckiest man on the property right now. Dixon's car takes the green and then goes silent right away. I didn't see a problem, but the safety system shuts off the engine and deploys the parachutes. The car is dead on the track before 100 feet.

Murt is still a rookie and makes a huge rookie mistake, by leaving before the green.

Brown will have lane choice next round and this will be the pair of contenders to race each other.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   99 Del Worsham                          5772 Mike Ashley                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.069  3.865 316.08                     0.107  3.904 314.39
 Qualified:             #1  3.773 320.05                       #16  3.956 178.38

Worsham is 7 - 2 against Ashley in prior events in Funny Car.

Ashley is late off the line and although improving on his qualifying times, can't match the Al-Anabi pace.

Worsham is clean from start to finish and will give up lane choice to Grubnic next round.

Del Worsham's incremental margins: 60ft(0.042), 330 ft(0.054), 660ft(0.064). MOV: 0.0776 seconds (approximately 36 feet).

Del Worsham's incremental times: 60ft-0.868 sec., 330ft-2.189, 660ft-3.104/278.86 mph.
Mike Ashley's incremental times: 60ft-0.872 sec., 330ft-2.205, 660ft-3.130/273.55 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  421 Spencer Massey                          3 Cory McClenathan             
E1   ****WINNER****  0.065  3.824 324.75                     0.086  3.908 282.84
 Qualified:             #4  3.804 325.06                       #13  3.898 312.93

Massey is 1 - 0 against McClenathan in prior events.

It's Massey staying in the hunt with a great looking pass and the second quickest quickest of the round. He will have lane choice over Lucas later today.

Spencer Massey's incremental margins: 60ft(0.028), 330 ft(0.037), 660ft(0.057). MOV: 0.1054 seconds (approximately 44 feet).

Spencer Massey's incremental times: 60ft-0.854 sec., 330ft-2.175, 660ft-3.076/282.42 mph.
Cory McClenathan's incremental times: 60ft-0.861 sec., 330ft-2.191, 660ft-3.112/275.11 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Brandon Bernstein                     317 T.J. Zizzo                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.079  4.095 275.96                     0.126  4.414 180.26
 Qualified:             #6  3.846 316.08                       #11  3.888 311.70

Bernstein is 4 - 0 against Zizzo in prior events.

Bernstein uses a lot of track and a lot of pistons getting the win. Zizzo was second off the line and caught up and passed Bernstein before the 330 lights. The tires start to spin at that point and slows after the 660 lights to give the easy win to Bernstein.

Schumacher will have lane choice in the next round.

Brandon Bernstein's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.025), 330 ft(-0.018), 660ft(0.018). MOV: 0.3660 seconds (approximately 97 feet).

Brandon Bernstein's incremental times: 60ft-0.886 sec., 330ft-2.246, 660ft-3.232/251.16 mph.
T.J. Zizzo's incremental times: 60ft-0.864 sec., 330ft-2.181, 660ft-3.203/210.73 mph.

11:28 a.m.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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