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Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #3
Sat, 2 Aug 2003, 03:57 PM
Notes from round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 16th
annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals 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:
Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 5.908/149.22, Now #7; Best prior run:
4.702/316.15, Was #7
Right Lane: Don Lampus Runs 8.721/88.46, Now #14; Best prior run:
4.861/292.71, Was #14
11:57 AM Current weather conditions: 69 degrees, 62 percent relative humidity,
the barometer 30.06 inches. I don't have the track temperatures, but they have to be much
higher than the earlier Pro stock session with direct sun beating down on the track. There
is no wind at all this morning.Lampus has Manik Tequila on the side of the car. This
will be the paint scheme for a new Keananu Reeves movie on drag racing. No joy for either
team as Lampus in in trouble first, before the 330 lights. McClenathan gets to mid-track
and is too loose to continue.
Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 13.643/75.66, Now #8; Best prior run:
4.707/315.27, Was #8
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 5.631/163.06, Now #2; Best prior run:
4.584/322.50, Was #2
By passing on last nights late session. Dixon will get an early pass this
morning. Both cars are already in the show, with Mitch King on the bump with a 5.145 ET.
Grubnic is up in smoke at the hit. Dixon has a .844 60 foot ET, but yields to tire smoke
around the 330 foot lights.
Left Lane: Chris Karamesines Runs 4.677/310.13, Now #6; Best prior run:
7.435/103.81, Was #18
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 4.821/293.47, Now #15; Best prior run:
5.167/198.35, Was #17
Both of these teams need a good safe pass to get into the show. Schumacher
hasn't had the tune up and Karamesines has only made one pass so far. Oh WOW!! The 73 year
old driver nails the Army kid and stuns the crowd. Schumacher may still be in trouble, as
the car just didn't pick up enough on the top end to ensure staying in the show.
Left Lane: David Baca Runs 8.706/90.19, Now #10; Best prior run:
4.711/306.74, Was #10
Right Lane: Mike Strasburg Runs 6.922/111.43, Now #14; Best prior run:
4.821/303.30, Was #14
Lampus is now on the bump with a 4.861 and it looks like King won't contest in
this session. Baca is very strong off the line with an .827 sixty foot time, but is up in
smoke before the 330 lights. Strasburg was softer off the line, but gets very loose at
mid-track and has to lift.
Right Lane: Scott Weis No Time, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.745/265.06, Was #12
Weis has a single. He has the engine running a long time before he makes his
burnout. He backs up and the crew goes through the normal drill and then must have seen
something they didn't like. The sign is made to shut it off and the fueler goes silent.
The car is pulled back for the next pair to fire.
Left Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 5.247/197.28, Now #17; Best prior run:
4.918/287.66, Was #17
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 5.350/0.00, Now #7; Best prior run:
4.686/302.14, Was #7
Troxel just needs to improve a little to get into the field. She pushes it too
hard, with a dropped cylinder early in the run. Just after mid-track the tires start to
smoke and there is fire and smoke off the engine through the lights. Herbert was strong
off the line, but was up in smoke before mid-track. We are down for a brief cleanup in
Troxel's lane.
Left Lane: John Smith Runs 6.830/118.53, Now #13; Best prior run:
4.764/296.89, Was #13
Right Lane: Rhonda Hartman-Smith Runs 8.241/111.63, Now #5; Best prior run:
4.669/312.50, Was #5
12:29 PM ... and we are back. The Family Feud continues with the two team cars
qualifying together. Rhonda made a great pass last night and John is looking to move into
the top half of the field. It's not to be, as first Rhonda, then John, smoke the tires
before mid-track.
Left Lane: Paul Romine Runs 5.484/173.72, Now #11; Best prior run:
4.731/313.37, Was #11
Right Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 4.737/256.16, Now #4; Best prior run:
4.651/294.43, Was #4
Karamesines is looking like a genius, as most of the hitters are struggling to
get down the track. Bernstein needs to ask the General for a longer fuze, as his great
pass is slowed by a big flash/bang off the top of the engine near the top end. There is
Safety Safari dusting and cleaning in his lane after the lights to almost the turn out.
Romine had a good pass going, until he joined the crowd of before half track smokers and
shut it off early. 12:33 PM
Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 6.052/139.85, Now #1; Best prior run:
4.531/325.77, Was #1
Right Lane: Darrell Russell Runs 5.166/194.52, Now #3; Best prior run:
4.636/309.91, Was #3
12:43 PM This should be the last pair and the time of day for this session
will be similar to what they will see in the first round tomorrow. Last year was a all new
race track surface, so the race book will be slim for all of these teams. No joy for
either team, as they both had .840/.845 60 foot times, but couldn't negotiate the
transition off the cement. Kalitta was the first to smoke the tires and Russell was
spinning right after.
Timing data courtesy of
CompuLink
By Dave Gerard
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