Sun, 4 May 2003, 11:41 AM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

COMMERCE, Ga. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  104 Clay Millican                         461 Don Lampus
E1   ****WINNER****  0.063  4.905 239.48                     0.087 10.244  72.54
 Qualified:             #9  4.641 312.64                        #8  4.631 312.35

11:00 AM Current weather conditions: 70 degrees, 78 percent relative humidity, the barometer 30.09 inches, with a track temperature of 95 degrees under clear, blue skies.

This is the first time Lampus and Millican have raced each other in NHRA competition. Lampus dropped a cylinder at the hit and then lost traction. Millican also dropped a cylinder (or two) but the tires stayed glued down to the track and he won easily.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Doug Herbert                            6 Darrell Russell
E1                   0.069  4.617 316.97     ****WINNER****  0.073  4.597 320.13
 Qualified:             #7  4.598 318.62                       #10  4.644 316.52

This is the eighth time Russell and Herbert have squared off, Herbert holding a 5-2 edge in prior races. This was a great drag race, Herbert with the starting line advantage, but Russell ahead by the time they reached 60-foot timer. Russell pulled away in the first half of the track, then Herbert started reeling him back in, but ran out of racetrack. Darrell Russell's incremental margins: 60ft(0.014), 330 ft(0.022), 660ft(0.013), 1,000ft(0.011). MOV: 0.0164 seconds (approximately 8 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Doug Kalitta                            9 Rhonda Hartman-Smith
E1                   0.046  7.591 135.39     ****WINNER****  0.069  5.042 269.83
 Qualified:             #6  4.582 322.96                       #11  4.655 309.70

This is the ninth time Kalitta and Hartman-Smith have faced each other. Kalitta held a 7-1 edge in those prior races, including a second-round win at the earlier Summit-sponsored race this year, in Las Vegas. Hartman-Smith evened their 2003 record in a pedaling contest, though it wasn't much of a contest because Kalitta lost traction immediately and never did get it hooked up again, while Hartman-Smith got out about 300 feet before starting to haze the tires.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Cory McClenathan                       10 John Smith
E1                   0.052  7.452 115.11     ****WINNER****  0.053  5.074 274.33
 Qualified:             #4  4.569 324.83                       #13  4.671 287.90

This is the seventh time Cory Mac and John Smith have raced each other, McClenathan holding a 5-1 edge in prior contests. Cory Mac looked very solid during three qualifying runs here, but his string of good runs ended with this one, his car losing traction early in the run. He pedaled it, but Smith got further down the track before starting to lose traction and was able to pedal it to the finish line, virtually duplicating of his wife's run in the prior pair. Cory Mac stayed with it to half track, where the engine let go in a huge fireball.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Brandon Bernstein                     204 Don Garlits
E1   ****WINNER****  0.079  4.615 321.42                     0.064  4.737 307.44
 Qualified:             #1  4.505 327.98                       #16  4.788 319.98

As amazing as it seems, this is the first time a driver named Bernstein has raced a driver named Garlits in Top Fuel competition, Kenny Bernstein's switch from Funny Car to Top Fuel coming after Garlits' most active years of competition. It was another very good drag race, Garlits leaving the line first, but unable to quite keep pace with "Big Red." Both teams did their job nicely, Garlits making his best run of the year and no tire smoke in either lane, but next round it's Bernstein with lane choice against Millican.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Tony Schumacher                       337 Paul Romine
E1   ****WINNER****  0.032  4.689 314.75                     0.077  5.047 229.63
 Qualified:             #2  4.553 326.48                       #15  4.776 261.47

Romine and Schumacher meet for the sixth time in their careers, Schumacher with a 3-2 edge before today. Schumacher has his "game face" on today, with a great light and a clean, straight pass. Romine lost ground quickly, then started hazing the tires at half track, followed by a big fireball from the engine. Another cleanup in the right lane. Schumacher meets Russell next round and Russell will get to choose his lane.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  797 David Baca                            250 Chris Vandergriff
E1   ****WINNER****  0.128  4.603 314.83                     0.083  4.749 301.33
 Qualified:             #3  4.566 318.99                       #14  4.701 306.95

Two second-generation rookies faced off here, Baca in his ninth race in Top Fuel, Vandergriff in his first. Vandergriff was away first, but Baca caught him by the 330-foot marker and then steadily opened the gap. Both cars were smoke-free, but Baca made the second-quickest run of the round (so far) and won handily. He will have lane choice against Hartman-Smith next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Larry Dixon                           223 Mike Smith
E1   ****WINNER****  0.049  4.650 310.20                     0.101  4.918 235.10
 Qualified:             #5  4.573 323.35                       #12  4.664 314.83

Mike Smith and Larry Dixon have met three times before today, Dixon the victor all three times. However, no Paul Smith-tuned car is ever a pushover, so Dixon had to be on his game. He was, despite tire haze that followed the car on the top end. Smith was late and shut it off about 1,000 feet down the track. Dixon advances to face Millican, Dixon with lane choice.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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