Thu, 09 Nov 2017, 19:04 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Rick Green

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 53rd annual Auto Club NHRA Finals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Cameron Ferre Runs 5.339/262.33, Now #1
Right Lane: Tiffany Januik Runs 5.830/182.45, Now #2

Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 48 percent, barometer 28.89 inches, adjusted altitude 2,832 feet, track temperature 93 degrees.

Ferre launched hard and was on a good pass until right in the lights when it appeared to drop a cylinder or two. He still runs his season quickest and fastest pass. Cameron Ferre's incremental times: 60ft-0.938 sec., 330ft-2.444, 660ft-3.559/224.77 mph, 1,000ft-4.507.

Januik run was looking good early and then started mixing up cylinders before she clicked it off.

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Left Lane: James Day Runs 12.107/65.84, Now #3
Right Lane: Don St. Arnaud Runs 15.155/72.54, Now #4

Day lost traction right at the hit and pedaled it, but couldn't get it to hook back up and clicked it off.

St. Arnaud was up in smoke right at the hit and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Bill Litton Runs 5.211/280.14, Now #1
Right Lane: Ken Webster Runs 6.961/134.23, Now #4

Litton launched hard and kept it hooked up to go to the number one spot. Litton runs a career quickest and fastest pass. Bill Litton's incremental times: 60ft-0.938 sec., 330ft-2.395, 660ft-3.491/228.96 mph, 1,000ft-4.415.

Webster started to lose traction and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Julie Nataas Runs 10.240/55.25, Now #6
Right Lane: Randy Eakins Runs 5.411/264.80, Now #3

Nataas started to lose traction right at the hit and made a move toward the wall before he clicked it off.

Eakins was on a good looking pass to start the weekend. Randy Eakins' incremental times: 60ft-0.954 sec., 330ft-2.471, 660ft-3.608/218.51 mph, 1,000ft-4.574.

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Left Lane: Ashley Sanford Runs 5.374/270.64, Now #3
Right Lane: Krista Baldwin Runs 5.391/239.87, Now #4

This was a good side-by-side drag race.

Sanford was right down the groove to go to the number three spot. Ashley Sanford's incremental times: 60ft-0.962 sec., 330ft-2.478, 660ft-3.608/222.77 mph, 1,000ft-4.556.

Baldwin was on a great pass until it started to mix up cylinders on the top end, but she still goes to the number four spot. Krista Baldwin's incremental times: 60ft-0.951 sec., 330ft-2.442, 660ft-3.554/224.51 mph, 1,000ft-4.508.

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Left Lane: Fred Hanssen Runs 5.448/268.87, Now #7
Right Lane: Dan Mercier Runs 5.361/272.67, Now #3

Hanssen started to drift out of the groove and was close to the wall, but stayed with it to go to the number seven spot. Fred Hanssen's incremental times: 60ft-0.995 sec., 330ft-2.482, 660ft-3.631/216.13 mph, 1,000ft-4.614.

Mercier with a real nice pass, straight down the groove to the number three spot. Dan Mercier's incremental times: 60ft-0.939 sec., 330ft-2.453, 660ft-3.586/221.49 mph, 1,000ft-4.541.

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Left Lane: Kim Parker Runs 5.318/270.37, Now #2
Right Lane: Casey Grisel Runs 5.376/263.31, Now #6

Parker launched hard and kept it hooked up to go to the number two spot. Kim Parker's incremental times: 60ft-0.986 sec., 330ft-2.456, 660ft-3.557/227.04 mph, 1,000ft-4.498.

Grissel was straight down the groove with a nice pass to get in the top half of the show. Casey Grisel's incremental times: 60ft-0.934 sec., 330ft-2.428, 660ft-3.566/219.79 mph, 1,000ft-4.535.

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Left Lane: Alex Laughlin Runs 13.925/72.10, Now #15
Right Lane: James Stevens Runs 5.316/269.24, Now #2

Laughlin is up in smoke right at the hit and then is on and off the throttle two or three more times before he coast on down the track.

Stevens had it hitting on all eight all the way down the track to go to the number two spot. James Stevens' incremental times: 60ft-0.927 sec., 330ft-2.366, 660ft-3.505/217.56 mph, 1,000ft-4.483.

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Left Lane: Garrett Bateman Runs 5.370/245.99, Now #7
Right Lane: Duane Shields Runs 5.331/275.62, Now #4

Bateman was on a good looking pass until right in the lights when it started dropping cylinders. He still gets into the top half of the show. Garrett Bateman's incremental times: 60ft-0.958 sec., 330ft-2.429, 660ft-3.537/226.47 mph, 1,000ft-4.495.

Shields is straight down the groove to the number four spot. Duane Shields' incremental times: 60ft-0.968 sec., 330ft-2.478, 660ft-3.584/227.04 mph, 1,000ft-4.522.

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Left Lane: Chris Demke Runs 10.434/76.03, Now #16
Right Lane: Jackie Fricke Runs 13.624/50.26, Now #18

Demke with severe tire shake right at the hit and clicked it off.

Fricke loses traction right at the hit and clicks it off.

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Left Lane: Shawn Cowie Runs 5.291/270.48, Now #2
Right Lane: Joey Severance Runs 11.173/71.45, Now #18

Cowie won the West Region Championship last weekend. Severance clinched the National Championship the weekend before at the LAs Vegas National event.

Cowie launched hard and kept it hooked up to go to the number two spot. Shawn Cowie's incremental times: 60ft-0.916 sec., 330ft-2.351, 660ft-3.482/218.87 mph, 1,000ft-4.462.

Severance started to lose traction early and clicked it off.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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