Sat, 18 Feb 2012, 17:57 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Larry Sullivan

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Notes from final, round 2 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division, event at Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville 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: Douglas Foley Runs 5.446/258.76, Now #3; Best prior run: 16.309/67.94, Was #11

5:31 p.m. Chase Copeland is on the bump spot at 5.564.

Foley went zero feet before losing traction on his first pass today in the Randy Meyer Racing dragster. The car went down the right side of the groove and was a little twitchy, but Foley kept it off the concrete and stuck it well into the field.

Now Aaron Tatum is on the bump spot at 5.549.

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Right Lane: Artie Allen Runs 5.582/244.65, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.592/234.94, Was #10

Allen needed to step up at least five hundredths to get into the field, more than that if he wanted to stay there.

His header flames were flickering and he only improved a hundredth from his first run, staying tenth and out of the field.

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Left Lane: Duane Shields Runs 5.377/270.75, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.465/257.48, Was #6
Right Lane: Chase Copeland Runs 5.512/260.76, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.564/253.95, Was #9

Shields improved nicely to move into the second spot and Copeland moved into the field, bumping Tatum. That puts Dan Mercier on the bump spot at 5.526.

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Left Lane: Dan Page Runs 5.429/260.91, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.461/261.78, Was #6
Right Lane: Aaron Tatum Runs 5.447/264.96, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.549/246.93, Was #9

Nice side-by-side show and Tatum gets back into the field, bumping Mercier. Now Chase Copeland is on the bump spot at 5.512.

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Left Lane: Sidnei Frigo Runs 5.364/265.69, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.385/259.11, Was #3
Right Lane: Dan Mercier Runs 5.360/268.49, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.526/255.82, Was #9

Either Copeland or Mercier will be on the ladder, not both.

It will be MerCier, who went from outhouse to penthouse on a pretty run, nipping Rich McPhillips by a thousandth for the top spot. Frigo was right beside him all the way, will start third.

Sidnei Frigo's incremental times: 60ft-0.926 sec., 330ft-2.422, 660ft-3.562/219.72 mph, 1,000ft-4.528.
Dan Mercier's incremental times: 60ft-0.943 sec., 330ft-2.442, 660ft-3.574/221.49 mph, 1,000ft-4.533.

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Left Lane: Rich McPhillips Runs 5.421/259.61, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.361/260.66, Was #2
Right Lane: Mark Taliaferro Runs 5.339/274.05, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.458/272.67, Was #8

McPhillips had a nice launch, but was trailing raw fuel on the top end. Taliaferro went from last to first on a nice run, taking the #1 spot with "air to spare."

Mark Taliaferro's incremental times: 60ft-0.962 sec., 330ft-2.460, 660ft-3.579/226.43 mph, 1,000ft-4.526.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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