Sat, 19 May 2012, 21:48 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Larry Sullivan

NORWALK, Ohio - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, North Central Division, B'laster Cavalcade of Stars presented by Budweiser 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: Ray Hack No Time, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.488/230.49, Was #14
Right Lane: Karen Stalba Runs 7.132/151.14, Now #13; Best prior run: 6.213/229.12, Was #13

9:19 p.m. Robin Samsel is on the bump spot at 5.568.

Hack's team made a couple of attempts to start his car, but it did not want to cooperate, so Stalba made a solo pass. Her car dropped a couple of cylinders and misfired immediately. She shut it off after a couple hundred feet.

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Right Lane: Dave Hill Runs 5.906/245.32, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.863/246.57, Was #12

Hill had good early numbers, but the car laid down on the top end and Samsel can take another breath.

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Left Lane: Brian Mans No Time, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.717/251.67, Was #10
Right Lane: Jerry Powell Runs 5.503/265.33, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.537/262.44, Was #6

Including Mans, there are still three cars in the lanes with a shot at bumping Samsel.

Count Mans out, he failed to stage properly and ended up with no time when the car jumped through the beams. Powell, already in, inproved slightly and moved up one spot, but he won't have lane choice tomorrow.

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Left Lane: Ken Perry Runs 5.370/264.80, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.574/261.37, Was #9
Right Lane: Mike Kosky Runs 5.372/263.26, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.519/260.91, Was #6

Perry had the best chance of unseating Samsel, who bumped Perry from the field in the first session today.

These two were locked together all the way down the track and they moved into the second and third spots on the ladder, bumping Samsel in the process.

Ken Perry's incremental times: 60ft-0.903 sec., 330ft-2.371, 660ft-3.530/214.18 mph, 1,000ft-4.524.
Mike Kosky's incremental times: 60ft-0.943 sec., 330ft-2.383, 660ft-3.530/215.44 mph, 1,000ft-4.523.

Now Dave Hirata is on the bump spot at 5.549. Denny Hummel and Samsel still have a run left, but Hummel may not make it out this evening.

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Left Lane: Robin Samsel Runs 5.473/261.17, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.568/257.53, Was #9
Right Lane: Marty Thacker Runs 5.560/235.76, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.450/262.28, Was #5

Samsel got the job done, running alongside Thacker most of the way, then pulling ahead on the top end. That bumps Hirata (who has not run yet) and puts Jerry Powell (who has already made his final run) on the bump spot 503.

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Left Lane: Dave Hirata Runs 14.088/88.28, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.549/251.20, Was #9
Right Lane: Paul Fishburn No Time, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.436/260.86, Was #4

Hirata's run will determine which eight cars will be on the ladder - either he willrace, or Powell will race, not both.

Fishburn was supposed to be in the right lane, but did not pull out of the staging lanes.

Hirata lost traction immediately, so his weekend is over and the field is set.

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Left Lane: Jared Dreher Runs 5.513/247.75, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.479/246.84, Was #7
Right Lane: Bill Reichert Runs 15.356/56.89, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.284/264.23, Was #1

Final pair. Reichert could have passed on this round, but he doesn't pass up many opportunities to make a run. He was apparently in "test mode" because he lost traction immediately. Dreher made a good run, but failed to improve and qualifying is completed.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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