Sat, 13 Nov 2010, 05:48 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 46th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 4843 Monroe Guest                           69 Mike Austin                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.038  5.340 272.83                     0.079  5.332 267.00
 Qualified:             #9  5.348 266.06                        #8  5.346 268.28

2:14 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 76 degrees, relative humidity 18 percent, barometer 29.01 inches, adjusted altitude 2,478 feet, track temperature 101 degrees.

Six drivers in today's field set either ET and/or MPH Career Best records this weekend. There are seven drivers that have never won an event competing in this round. Only Reichert and Whiteley have won this race more than once before: Whiteley in 2008/2009 and Reichert in 2005/2006/2007.

This is the first time Guest and Austin have faced each other in eliminations.

Guest gets a big lead off the line and holds off a quicker Austin for the hole shot win. That's his fifth of the year.

Monroe Guest's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.019), 330 ft(-0.069), 660ft(-0.032), 1,000ft(0.008). MOV: 0.0334 seconds (approximately 13 feet).

Monroe Guest's incremental times: 60ft-0.969 sec., 330ft-2.459, 660ft-3.575/224.77 mph, 1,000ft-4.523.
Mike Austin's incremental times: 60ft-0.909 sec., 330ft-2.349, 660ft-3.502/214.96 mph, 1,000ft-4.490.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 6067 Don St. Arnaud                          4 Shawn Cowie                  
E1                   0.061  5.451 266.64     ****WINNER****  0.069  5.384 267.06
 Qualified:            #11  5.362 269.94                        #6  5.307 268.54

This St. Arnaud's second start at a National Event.

A lot of shake for Cowie off the line and he takes back a small lead by St. Arnaud right after the sixty foot lights and pulls steadily ahead for the win.

Shawn Cowie's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.001), 330 ft(0.080), 660ft(0.080), 1,000ft(0.063). MOV: 0.0595 seconds (approximately 23 feet).

Don St. Arnaud's incremental times: 60ft-0.960 sec., 330ft-2.486, 660ft-3.637/217.32 mph, 1,000ft-4.613.
Shawn Cowie's incremental times: 60ft-0.953 sec., 330ft-2.398, 660ft-3.549/214.04 mph, 1,000ft-4.542.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 703D Kyle Rizzoli                         7051 Darren Nicholson             
E1   ****WINNER****  0.054  5.403 266.64                     0.140  5.393 266.37
 Qualified:            #10  5.362 270.32                        #7  5.307 268.22

This is Nicholson's seventieth start in TAD and the first time Rizzoli and Nicholson have faced each other in eliminations.

Rizzoli gets away first and stays there for a big hole shot win. Only his second win as a driver.

Kyle Rizzoli's incremental margins: 60ft(0.078), 330 ft(0.011), 660ft(0.027), 1,000ft(0.063). MOV: 0.0764 seconds (approximately 30 feet).

Kyle Rizzoli's incremental times: 60ft-0.984 sec., 330ft-2.495, 660ft-3.624/222.44 mph, 1,000ft-4.575.
Darren Nicholson's incremental times: 60ft-0.976 sec., 330ft-2.420, 660ft-3.565/215.75 mph, 1,000ft-4.552.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  712 Larry Miersch                           1 Bill Reichert                
E1                   0.050 13.054  77.35     ****WINNER****  0.046  5.494 253.47
 Qualified:             #5  5.298 269.46                       #12  5.362 260.91

It's been fifteen races since Reichert has qualified in the bottom half of the field and only the third time in the last sixty events.

Miersch is up in smoke at the green. Lots of dropped cylinder down track for Reichert, but an easy win.

Bill Reichert's incremental times: 60ft-0.953 sec., 330ft-2.457, 660ft-3.613/214.62 mph, 1,000ft-4.618.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   47 Brandon Pierce                          9 Michael Manners              
E1                   0.034  5.643 256.89     ****WINNER****  0.071  5.330 270.81
 Qualified:            #13  5.373 263.87                        #4  5.286 273.72

This is the first time Pierce and Manners have faced each other in eliminations.

Pierce gets a starting line advantage, but starts to drop cylinders on the right bank. Manners has his way at that point for the win.

Michael Manners' incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.031), 330 ft(0.066), 660ft(0.162), 1,000ft(0.229). MOV: 0.2762 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Brandon Pierce's incremental times: 60ft-0.963 sec., 330ft-2.541, 660ft-3.758/207.27 mph, 1,000ft-4.774.
Michael Manners' incremental times: 60ft-0.957 sec., 330ft-2.438, 660ft-3.559/223.76 mph, 1,000ft-4.508.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  613 Joey Severance                          7 Chris Demke                  
E1                   0.024  5.883 154.65     ****WINNER****  0.013  5.299 272.23
 Qualified:            #14  5.378 263.82                        #3  5.273 273.55

Here's the rerun of this year's WinterNations final round. Severance and Demke have each won 1 times against the other in prior events.

Demke is away first, but Severance has the better incrementals down low. It was looking bad until the blower went BANG on Severance's dragster after mid-track.

Chris Demke's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.025), 330 ft(0.011), 660ft(0.044), 1,000ft(0.185). MOV: 0.5957 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Joey Severance's incremental times: 60ft-0.911 sec., 330ft-2.372, 660ft-3.535/211.59 mph, 1,000ft-4.648.
Chris Demke's incremental times: 60ft-0.947 sec., 330ft-2.372, 660ft-3.502/218.51 mph, 1,000ft-4.474.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Jim Whiteley                          734 Johnny Ahten                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.065  5.306 270.59                     0.058  5.549 252.76
 Qualified:             #2  5.266 270.43                       #15  5.404 260.31

This is Whiteley's 36th race with 31 of them in the top half of the field.Whiteley is 2 - 0 against Ahten in prior events.

Ahten gets a small advantage off the line and then starts to drop cylinders. Strong pass for Whiteley running faster than he qualified in the easy win.

Jim Whiteley's incremental margins: 60ft(0.040), 330 ft(0.116), 660ft(0.153), 1,000ft(0.188). MOV: 0.2366 seconds (approximately 88 feet).

Jim Whiteley's incremental times: 60ft-0.920 sec., 330ft-2.366, 660ft-3.502/217.67 mph, 1,000ft-4.476.
Johnny Ahten's incremental times: 60ft-0.967 sec., 330ft-2.489, 660ft-3.662/211.76 mph, 1,000ft-4.671.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7599 Megan Mc Kernan                       489 Chase Copeland               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.183  5.730 261.78                     0.070 10.589  75.10
 Qualified:            #16  5.416 243.28                        #1  5.218 276.58

This is Copeland's second time to be the #1 qualifier.This is the first time Mc Kernan and Copeland have faced each other in eliminations.

The tune up goes away for Copeland and McKeran gets her first win from the bump spot. Her engine wasn't happy either and the fueler slows a bunch from qualifying.

This is the first time since 1994 that the number one qualifier has lost in round one here.

Megan Mc Kernan's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.202), 330 ft(-0.017), 660ft(1.128), 1,000ft(2.810). MOV: 4.7469 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Megan Mc Kernan's incremental times: 60ft-1.026 sec., 330ft-2.676, 660ft-3.883/211.76 mph, 1,000ft-4.877.
Chase Copeland's incremental times: 60ft-0.937 sec., 330ft-2.772, 660ft-5.124/092.12 mph, 1,000ft-7.800.

2:39 p.m. Round two: McKernan vs. Guest; Manners vs. Reichert; Whiteley vs. Rizzoli; and Demke vs. Cowie.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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