Sun, 10 Oct 2004, 02:43 PM Top Fuel Round 3 Eliminations

By Jim Samuel

MOHNTON, Pa. - Results of round 3 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 20th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  319 Scott Kalitta                          12 Bob Vandergriff
E3                   0.148  6.530 141.80     ****WINNER****  0.064  5.056 283.43
 Prior rounds:
E2    (D Herbert   ) 0.101  4.497 321.27      (D Grubnic   ) 0.084  4.611 295.66
E1    (T Paton     ) 0.072  4.563 320.13      (C McClenatha) 0.089  5.577 283.19
 Qualified:             #3  4.495 321.27                       #10  4.640 299.46

2:30 p.m. - Weather conditions: air temperature 60 degrees, relative humidity 59 percent, barometer 29.42 inches, adjusted altitude 874 feet, track temperature 84 degrees.

Kalitta launched and started smoking the tires. He stayed with it and smoked the tires for about 700 feet until the blower belt broke and the car shut down. Vandergriff shook the tires but drove through it for the win. Vandergriff will be going to the final round for the seventh time in his career. He's lost all six previous final-round appearances.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Tony Schumacher                        10 Rhonda Hartman-Smith
E3   ****WINNER****  0.079  4.500 328.54                     0.096  8.513 101.76
 Prior rounds:
E2    (B Bernstein ) 0.091  4.467 324.36      (D Kalitta   ) 0.095  4.658 310.77
E1    (S Weis      ) 0.102  4.482 329.34      (L Dixon     ) 0.100  4.632 310.05
 Qualified:             #4  4.516 319.60                        #9  4.610 317.34

Hartman-Smith has made it to the semi-final rounds eight times before this but has never been to a final round. She spun the tires at 100 feet, pedaled it and smoked the tires again before she shut it down. Schumacher got the win and will have lane choice over Vandergriff in the final round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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