Fri, 10 Nov 2023, 21:48 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Dave Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, 58th annual In-N-Out 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:

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Left Lane: Jerry Kumre Runs 6.051/221.23, Now #23; Best prior run: 5.943/224.21, Was #23
Right Lane: Kirk Wolf Runs 6.970/135.62, Now #24; Best prior run: 8.376/100.25, Was #24

5:55 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 70 degrees, relative humidity 25 percent, barometer 29.99 inches, adjusted altitude 1,668 feet.

Shawn Cowie is number one at 5.162 and Ron Anderson is on the bump spot at 5.368. It's full dark and this will be the last class of the day to run.

Kumre slows a little and Wolf picks up a little to stay in their current spots.

Kumre makes a near full pas and Wolf in off the throttle early.

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Left Lane: Chris Demke Runs 5.658/243.19, Now #22; Best prior run: 5.676/247.52, Was #21
Right Lane: Shaunda Blinzler Runs 5.559/215.58, Now #21; Best prior run: 5.858/186.51, Was #22

Demke has struggled on his first two passes and can't improve enough to bump into the field. He gets bumped back to #22 by an improved pass by Blinzler.

Blinzler makes his best run of the weekend to move up one spot to #21. Career best ET and Speed!

Chris Demke's incremental times: 60ft-0.914 sec., 330ft-2.409, 660ft-3.648/196.76 mph, 1,000ft-4.737.
Shaunda Blinzler's incremental times: 60ft-0.925 sec., 330ft-2.416, 660ft-3.585/212.16 mph, 1,000ft-4.588.

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Left Lane: Eric Chesleigh Runs 7.122/140.63, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.397/262.39, Was #18
Right Lane: Trevor Larkin Runs 9.611/92.60, Now #20; Best prior run: 5.465/260.51, Was #20

No joy here as both cars are in trouble right off the line and coasting!

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Left Lane: Mitch Myers Runs 5.327/270.64, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.379/267.96, Was #17
Right Lane: Jackie Fricke Runs 5.290/269.73, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.401/264.34, Was #19

That's much better!

Two strong passes and both cars finally bump into the field!

A season best ET for Myer's to move him up four spots into the field to the current #13 spot.

Fricke get a full pull too and it's a good one to get her into the top half of the field.

Mitch Myers' incremental times: 60ft-0.937 sec., 330ft-2.443, 660ft-3.563/224.70 mph, 1,000ft-4.508.
Jackie Fricke's incremental times: 60ft-0.935 sec., 330ft-2.422, 660ft-3.525/227.23 mph, 1,000ft-4.467.

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Left Lane: Hunter Green Runs 5.270/278.40, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.335/271.79, Was #16
Right Lane: Ron Anderson Runs 5.389/254.57, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.368/273.16, Was #18

Hunter Green is in an unfamiliar spot on the bump spot at 5.335. He gets all together this time and move up eight sots to #8 for now.

Anderson continues to struggle and slows after half track to stay #18.

Hunter Green's incremental times: 60ft-0.975 sec., 330ft-2.463, 660ft-3.551/230.65 mph, 1,000ft-4.473.
Ron Anderson's incremental times: 60ft-0.953 sec., 330ft-2.456, 660ft-3.575/222.58 mph, 1,000ft-4.540.

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Left Lane: James Stevens Runs 5.290/271.90, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.331/267.91, Was #15
Right Lane: Mike Austin Runs 12.947/34.81, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.360/270.10, Was #17

Krista Baldwin is on the bump spot at 5.331.

Stevens finds his tune up this time and powers up six spots to the #9 position on a strong pass.

Austin gets loose before the 330 lights and slows. He will stay #17 for this weekend.

James Stevens' incremental times: 60ft-0.900 sec., 330ft-2.369, 660ft-3.497/219.22 mph, 1,000ft-4.466.

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Left Lane: Garrett Bateman Runs 5.164/278.75, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.311/274.22, Was #14
Right Lane: Krista Baldwin No Time, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.331/267.59, Was #16

Krista Baldwin is on the bump spot at 5.331 and can't be bumped out. I don't know why they didn't run, but the dragster get pushed off the starting line.

Great looking pass for Bateman and a career best ET and season best speed to move twelve positions up the ladder to #2.

Garrett Bateman's incremental times: 60ft-0.922 sec., 330ft-2.364, 660ft-3.443/231.32 mph, 1,000ft-4.365.

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Left Lane: Matthew Cummings Runs 5.264/273.94, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.269/266.06, Was #8
Right Lane: Casey Grisel Runs 5.305/276.58, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.311/275.06, Was #14

Two great looking passe and both drivers will improve.

Cummings is off the line second, but powers on down the track to move up a position to #7.

Grisel runs near a season best ET and speed to move up one position into the number thirteen position on the ladder.

Matthew Cummings' incremental times: 60ft-0.938 sec., 330ft-2.411, 660ft-3.513/227.69 mph, 1,000ft-4.451.
Casey Grisel's incremental times: 60ft-0.929 sec., 330ft-2.422, 660ft-3.549/223.47 mph, 1,000ft-4.496.

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Left Lane: Madison Payne Runs 5.249/276.80, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.266/275.67, Was #8
Right Lane: Kim Parker Runs 5.197/268.22, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.306/266.79, Was #14

Parker finds the missing HP and drives right up to the #3 position on a great looking pass. A season best ET!

Payne runs a little quicker and faster to stay #8

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Left Lane: Julie Nataas Runs 5.216/274.05, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.221/274.61, Was #7
Right Lane: Joey Severance Runs 5.177/275.96, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.296/236.09, Was #13

It's Severance turn to make the big move upo the ladder and he does so with style. All the way up ten positions to #3. A season best ET!

Nataas is a little quicker and faster to stay #7 on a clean pass.

Julie Nataas' incremental times: 60ft-0.908 sec., 330ft-2.375, 660ft-3.471/228.81 mph, 1,000ft-4.405.
Joey Severance's incremental times: 60ft-0.874 sec., 330ft-2.296, 660ft-3.409/222.77 mph, 1,000ft-4.364.

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Left Lane: Angelle Sampey Runs 7.916/105.43, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.207/276.13, Was #6
Right Lane: Tony Stewart Runs 5.278/274.00, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.218/276.92, Was #8

Sampey's dragster goes silent early and she will not improve.

Stewart get a full pass but can't improve either.

Tony Stewart's incremental times: 60ft-0.910 sec., 330ft-2.405, 660ft-3.520/225.94 mph, 1,000ft-4.463.

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Left Lane: Shawn Cowie Runs 23.346/32.73, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.162/279.09, Was #1
Right Lane: Taylor Vetter Runs 5.179/281.01, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.198/279.21, Was #5

Cowie's dragster smokes the tires hard right off the line and he slowly coasts on down to stay #1. He is the only Blown Alcohol Dragster driver to qualify in the number one spot this year. Third of the season. This is his twenty-first career number one qualifying position.

Vetter runs strong and straight to move up a spot to the final #4 spot. That's a career best ET and speed too!

Shawn Cowie's incremental times: 60ft-1.425 sec., 330ft-5.584, 660ft-11.126/039.37 mph, 1,000ft-17.135.
Taylor Vetter's incremental times: 60ft-0.912 sec., 330ft-2.347, 660ft-3.442/226.24 mph, 1,000ft-4.381.

6:37 p.m. Krista Baldwin is on the bump spot at 5.331.

That ET makes this the quickest Top Alcohol Dragster field ever. It was last set at the Vegas Two race a couple of weeks ago.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink

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