Fri, 14 Nov 2014, 13:58 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 50th 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: Dan Mercier Runs 15.353/68.26, Now #19; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Derik Milanesio No Time, Now #21; No Prior Run

10:04 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 66 degrees, relative humidity 65 percent, barometer 28.93 inches, adjusted altitude 2,273 feet, track temperature 81 degrees.

Ashley Sanford is on the bump spot at 10.812.

Milanesio takes a long time getting the car to start, does the burnout, and then is shut off. The team pushes the car away.

Mercier strikes the tires at the green and coasts on down.

---

Left Lane: Ashley Sanford Runs 23.004/29.80, Now #16; Best prior run: 10.812/80.00, Was #16
Right Lane: Jeff Ashwell No Time, Now #22; No Prior Run

BANG! Ashwell blower backfires hard at the attempt to do the burnout and stops before the starting line. Expensive!

Another "up in smoke" at the hit in the left lane.

---

Left Lane: Bill Litton Runs 6.369/234.61, Now #12; Best prior run: 10.003/87.15, Was #15
Right Lane: Jackie Fricke Runs 5.470/262.59, Now #8; Best prior run: 15.485/50.81, Was #20

Both cars smoked the tires yesterday.

Fricke gets a full pass this time and move up into the top half of the field.

Lots of raw fuel out of Litton's engine, but he moves up three spots on the ladder.

Bill Litton's incremental times: 60ft-1.155 sec., 330ft-3.044, 660ft-4.344/194.74 mph, 1,000ft-5.427.
Jackie Fricke's incremental times: 60ft-0.986 sec., 330ft-2.530, 660ft-3.672/220.48 mph, 1,000ft-4.631.

---

Left Lane: Mark Taliaferro Runs 5.584/237.13, Now #12; Best prior run: 9.916/90.69, Was #16
Right Lane: John Finke Runs 5.497/255.10, Now #10; Best prior run: 13.402/52.19, Was #19

Finke gets to the finish line under power this time and moves nine spots up the ladder into the number ten spot.

Taliaferro is dropping cylinders going down the track and moves off the bump spot to number twelve.

---

Left Lane: Chase Copeland Runs 5.279/270.92, Now #2; Best prior run: 8.063/102.00, Was #16
Right Lane: Johnny Ahten Runs 5.580/260.16, Now #13; Best prior run: 11.733/86.40, Was #19

Chase Copeland is on the bump spot at 8.063 and has Gene Snow power. He uses it well, this time, and makes a strong pass all the way up to the new #2 spot, missing number one by 0.003.

Ahten gets to the finish line and into the field, but had dead cylinders all the way down.

Chase Copeland's incremental times: 60ft-0.942 sec., 330ft-2.421, 660ft-3.523/227.57 mph, 1,000ft-4.462.
Johnny Ahten's incremental times: 60ft-0.963 sec., 330ft-2.544, 660ft-3.727/212.76 mph, 1,000ft-4.723.

---

Left Lane: Casey Grisel Runs 5.474/263.82, Now #12; Best prior run: 7.288/128.11, Was #17
Right Lane: Fred Hanssen Runs 5.366/263.46, Now #8; Best prior run: 9.308/88.61, Was #18

Bill Litton is on the bump spot at 6.369.

Much better for both drives. They leave within 0.002 of each other and run together to the finish line. It's a season best ET and speed for Hanssen and a spot in the top half of the field.

Career best ET for Grisel and the number twelve spot.

Casey Grisel's incremental times: 60ft-0.965 sec., 330ft-2.501, 660ft-3.659/217.32 mph, 1,000ft-4.632.
Fred Hanssen's incremental times: 60ft-0.944 sec., 330ft-2.371, 660ft-3.524/213.33 mph, 1,000ft-4.519.

---

Left Lane: Duane Shields Runs 5.352/269.24, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.618/262.08, Was #17
Right Lane: Ross Stickler Runs 5.448/263.31, Now #11; Best prior run: 5.532/245.05, Was #14

Mark Taliaferro is on the bump spot at 5.584.

Two more good passes and Shields moves from outhouse to penthouse and into the top half of the field on a great looking pass.

Big improvement in ET and a two spots up the ladder for Stickler. The engine wasn't on eight cylinders in the lights, but he moves further away from the improving bump spot.

Duane Shields' incremental times: 60ft-0.974 sec., 330ft-2.466, 660ft-3.580/225.07 mph, 1,000ft-4.529.
Ross Stickler's incremental times: 60ft-0.935 sec., 330ft-2.431, 660ft-3.595/211.99 mph, 1,000ft-4.595.

---

Left Lane: Aaron Olivarez Runs 5.435/264.86, Now #11; Best prior run: 5.419/268.65, Was #10
Right Lane: Megan McKernan Runs 5.411/270.37, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.473/266.58, Was #13

Johnny Ahten is on the bump spot at 5.580.

Olivarez paces McKernan down the track until neat the 1000 foot lights. There is a puff of smoke from the engine and he slows.

McKernan keeps all of the candles lit and moves three spots up the ladder to #10.

Aaron Olivarez's incremental times: 60ft-0.966 sec., 330ft-2.492, 660ft-3.635/219.97 mph, 1,000ft-4.599.
Megan McKernan's incremental times: 60ft-0.965 sec., 330ft-2.492, 660ft-3.628/220.80 mph, 1,000ft-4.586.

---

Left Lane: Tripp Tatum Runs 5.309/273.50, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.363/274.44, Was #8
Right Lane: Joey Severance Runs 5.336/266.21, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.349/269.29, Was #5

Tatum is away first and stays there from start to finish. A nice clean pass into the top four, close to the season best.

Severance has better incrementals all the way to past the 1000 foot lights, where there is smoke from the engine. He doesn't improve.

Tripp Tatum's incremental times: 60ft-0.966 sec., 330ft-2.473, 660ft-3.567/229.08 mph, 1,000ft-4.498.
Joey Severance's incremental times: 60ft-0.908 sec., 330ft-2.360, 660ft-3.506/215.93 mph, 1,000ft-4.492.

---

Left Lane: Garrett Bateman Runs 5.356/267.91, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.355/270.21, Was #8
Right Lane: Cameron Ferre Runs 5.356/276.24, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.330/273.33, Was #5

Ferre is running a 30th Anniversary RACEPAK scheme this weekend. Looks like the team took advantage of the information nd runs a career best speed, after a career best ET yesterday.

Both cars ran well together and Bateman was just 0.001 slower than yesterday.

Garrett Bateman's incremental times: 60ft-0.940 sec., 330ft-2.438, 660ft-3.566/221.96 mph, 1,000ft-4.525.
Cameron Ferre's incremental times: 60ft-0.963 sec., 330ft-2.477, 660ft-3.610/222.77 mph, 1,000ft-4.552.

---

Right Lane: Shawn Cowie Runs 5.269/271.79, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.303/273.05, Was #3

Demke is sitting out this session, so Cowie will get a single.

Cowie makes Demke regret his decision, with a terrific looking pass right into the new top spot and a season best ET. Nice way to wrap up the session!

Shawn Cowie's incremental times: 60ft-0.934 sec., 330ft-2.349, 660ft-3.475/218.41 mph, 1,000ft-4.443.

10:40 a.m. Johnny Ahten is on the bump spot at 5.580.

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