Thu, 14 Feb 2013, 16:04 PM Competition Eliminator Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Competition Eliminator at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 53rd annual O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, amount over/under index, and position in order following run, class and class index:

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Left Lane: Chip Rumis Runs 9.966/104.62/2.816, Now #2 A/AA Index: 7.15
Right Lane: Gary Ross Runs 6.606/209.59/-0.544, Now #1 A/AA Index: 7.15

12:27 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 69 degrees, relative humidity 31 percent, barometer 28.99 inches, adjusted altitude 2,126 feet, track temperature 92 degrees.

Rumis usually run Top Sportsman and are running A/AA this weekend.

Rumis' Cobalt goes dead right towards the center line at the green and he drives through it, but finally gives it up. Wild!

Ross makes a clean straight pass right into the fifty under range to start the session.

There may have been a little stuff from Rumis' car, as the starting line crew is out mopping and sweeping before the asphalt Zamboni makes a couple of passes.

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Left Lane: Joe Roubicek Runs 7.246/146.67/0.096, Now #3 A/AA Index: 7.15
Right Lane: Scott Hedlund Runs 7.718/175.50/-0.632, Now #1 A/SM Index: 8.35

12:34 p.m. Back to racing.

Roubicek is also part of the West Coast Top Sportsman group. He makes a clean pass into the field.

Hedlund's great looking Cobalt runs well too and runs our first sixty under of the session to set the mark for the rest of the field.

Scott Hedlund's incremental times: 60ft-1.126 sec., 330ft-3.195, 660ft-4.935/140.96 mph, 1,000ft-6.442.

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Left Lane: Mark Lelchook Runs 7.721/143.81/-0.219, Now #4 D/ED Index: 7.94
Right Lane: Jeff Lane Runs 8.057/167.43/-0.563, Now #2 I/SM Index: 8.62

Two more clean passes and Lane gets the best of it.

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Left Lane: Scott McClay Runs 7.287/181.08/-0.583, Now #2 C/ED Index: 7.87
Right Lane: Alan Ellis Runs 6.592/203.61/-0.558, Now #4 E/SM Index: 7.15

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Left Lane: Tyler Hogan Runs 6.982/189.15/-0.618, Now #2 C/DA Index: 7.60
Right Lane: Dean Carter Runs 7.031/187.94/-0.529, Now #7 A/ND Index: 7.56

WOW! Team Hogan did their hope work over the winter and powers into the new number two spot on a great looking pass. He started the pass with a 0.998 sixty foot time!

Carter makes a clean pass in the tough B/ND class.

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Left Lane: Aaron Strong Runs 8.331/164.17/-0.599, Now #3 G/A Index: 8.93
Right Lane: Lou Ficco Jr. Runs 6.998/196.76/-0.572, Now #5 B/AP Index: 7.57

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Left Lane: Brian Fitzpatrick Runs 6.814/213.30/-0.116, Now #12 H/D Index: 6.93
Right Lane: John Edwards Runs 7.443/181.37/-0.467, Now #10 C/AA Index: 7.91

A ton of tire shake off the line for Fitzpatrick and then the engine goes bang just past the sixty foot lights.

The safety truck are sitting on the track at the turnout, but the sweepers haven't moved yet.

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Left Lane: Steve Graham Runs 7.452/183.34/-0.478, Now #10 C/A Index: 7.93
Right Lane: Randy Jones Runs 8.697/156.05/-0.353, Now #12 C/TA Index: 9.05

12:51 p.m. ...and we are back.

Jones leaves with the wheels up and the pickup drove right towards the guard rail. He has to pump it and drives on down the track.

Clean pass for Graham.

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Left Lane: Ross Wilson Runs 8.230/164.89/-0.530, Now #9 C/SM Index: 8.76
Right Lane: Ed Sigmon Runs 8.767/118.53/-0.273, Now #14 C/SR Index: 9.04

Sigmon has competed at all of the 53 NHRA Winternationals. He makes an off the pace pass.

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Left Lane: Tom Mettler Runs 7.482/181.32/-0.738, Now #1 PSTA Index: 8.22
Right Lane: Doug Lambeck Runs 8.376/160.00/-0.574, Now #6 D/SMA Index: 8.95

Whoa!! Major improvement for Mettler, running well into the seventy under range and nails the new top spot with ease.

Lambeck makes a clean pass into the top half of the field.

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Left Lane: Justin Lamb No Time, Now #22 D/AA Index: 8.17
Right Lane: Joe Mozeris Runs 7.117/182.40/-0.403, Now #15 B/ED Index: 7.52

Lamb doesn't makes the pass.

Mozeris has a new car and makes a strong tune up pass.

12:57 p.m. Field not filled, no bump spot.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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