Sun, 20 Sep 2015, 13:52 PM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

CONCORD, N.C. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Eighth annual NHRA Carolina Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  335 Dave Connolly                           5 Doug Kalitta                 
E1                  -0.176  3.922 297.94     ****WINNER****  0.053  3.851 322.11
 Qualified:             #7  3.859 307.58                       #10  3.881 314.17

Weather conditions: air temperature 87 degrees, relative humidity 47 percent, barometer 29.29 inches, adjusted altitude 3,401 feet, track temperature 110 degrees.

Kalitta is 1 - 0 against Connolly in prior events. Connolly is too quick on the tree and turns on the red light. Connolly's engine lets go on the top end with a fireball. The word from the top end is there is oil, so that will cost him $6,000. Kalitta launched hard and keep it hooked up with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win. Kalitta with the fastest pass of the event in the win. Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.854 sec., 330ft-2.189, 660ft-3.100/281.54 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  303 Pat Dakin                             777 Leah Pritchett               
E1                   0.058  4.149 232.79     ****WINNER****  0.067  3.814 318.09
 Qualified:            #13  3.931 277.26                        #4  3.803 319.45

This will be the first time that Leah Pritchett and Pat Dakin have faced each other. She will be the 86th driver he has faced and she joins a list that includes James Warren, Don Prudhomme and Marvin Schwartz among others. Dakin with the starting line advantage, but Pritchett has the difference made up by the time they go by the Christmas tree and makes a great looking pass for the win. Dakin started mixing up cylinders early and then then engine let go with a big fireball. The word is there is oil on the track, so that will cost Dakin $4000.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
        Bye                                 255 Clay Millican                
E1                                            ****WINNER****  0.100  5.882 106.37
 Qualified:                                                       #1  3.758 318.77

This is the third time overall and the first since the Brainerd race in 2013 that Clay Millican has qualified #1. Because of the short field he will get a single run in round one and it is the first time in his career (214 races) that he has ever earned a bye run. Millican is up in smoke right at the hit and clicks it off and coast on through for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  323 Chris Karamesines                       1 Tony Schumacher              
E1                   0.099  4.452 188.04     ****WINNER****  0.099  3.844 321.19
 Qualified:            #15  4.494 183.94                        #2  3.774 319.75

Tony Schumacher is the defending event champion and is the only TF driver to have won this event twice (2008). Schumacher is 6 - 1 against Karamesines in prior events. They have identical reaction times, but then it is all Schumacher for the win. Schumacher will have lane choice over Kalitta in the next round. Karamesines was on a good pass until around half track when he clicked it off.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 Brittany Force                         91 Larry Dixon                  
E1                   0.056  5.327 131.02     ****WINNER****  0.059  5.174 262.54
 Qualified:            #12  3.902 308.21                        #5  3.839 316.60

Larry Dixon won this event in 2010. Larry is 4-0 against Brittany Force. In his career Larry has raced 100 different drivers and Brittany is one of 49 of those drivers who have never beaten Larry. Force with the slight starting line advantage and then Dixon is up in smoke right at the hit. Force has a big lead and then starts to haze the tires just past half track and she pedals it, but Dixon had pedal it and gets back on the throttle and chases her down right in the lights for the win. Larry Dixon's MOV: 0.1508 seconds (approximately 29 feet). Dixon will give up lane choice to Pritchett in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   21 Terry McMillen                          7 Antron Brown                 
E1                   0.066  4.739 148.46     ****WINNER****  0.098  3.849 312.64
 Qualified:            #11  3.886 314.68                        #6  3.852 298.80

Antron Brown won here in 2011. McMillen with the starting line and the lead until the car started to mix up cylinders and then the engine let go with a huge fireball and Brown chased him down around half track. Brown with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win. The word from the Safety Safari is there is oil in McMillen's lane and that is his fifth oil down of the season and will cost him $8000.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Shawn Langdon                           2 J.R. Todd                    
E1                   0.068  6.111 138.36     ****WINNER****  0.065  4.516 228.11
 Qualified:             #9  3.868 315.86                        #8  3.860 314.61

Shawn Langdon won here in 2012 and gets a reprieve to race in the Countdown thanks to Don Schumacher. Langdon is 4 - 3 against Todd in prior events. Todd with the starting line advantage and then starts to haze the tires, but drives through it to get the win as Langdon is up in smoke right at the hit. Todd will have lane choice over Millican in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  358 Richie Crampton                         6 Steve Torrence               
E1                   0.075  3.895 310.13     ****WINNER****  0.072  3.887 312.21
 Qualified:            #14  4.021 278.92                        #3  3.786 320.36

This is the 6th time this year and the second consecutive race where Richie Crampton has qualified in the bottom half of the field..This race is a re-match of the first round at Indy, a round that Crampton won. Crampton is 4 - 3 against Torrence in prior events. Torrence with the slight starting line and never trailed for the win. Torrence will give uplane choice to Brown in the next round. Crampton with his quickest pass of the weekend in the losing effort.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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