Sun, 10 Oct 2004, 11:33 AM
Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations
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By Jim Samuel
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MOHNTON, Pa. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 20th annual
Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1 Larry Dixon 10 Rhonda Hartman-Smith
E1 0.082 7.803 98.66 ****WINNER**** 0.100 4.632 310.05
Qualified: #8 4.581 318.47 #9 4.610 317.34
11:00 a.m. - Weather conditions: air temperature 63 degrees, relative humidity 68 percent,
barometer 29.45 inches, adjusted altitude 1,070 feet, track temperature 80 degrees.
Dixon and Hartman-Smith have raced each other 17 times before this. Dixon has won 16 of those
meeting with Hartman-Smith winning their first meeting in 1997. This is the third time they've
raced this year and Dixon has won the previous two races.
Hartman-Smith got the win this time after Dixon shook the tires hard and backed off the
throttle.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
5 Cory McClenathan 12 Bob Vandergriff
E1 0.099 9.980 75.29 ****WINNER**** 0.089 5.577 283.19
Qualified: #7 4.573 310.27 #10 4.640 299.46
McClenathan won here in 1997. He is 12 and 4 against Vandergriff in eliminations. Both
drivers smoked the tires when they launched. Both pedaled, Vandergriff got it hooked up again,
McClenathan shook the tires one more time and had to give up this run.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
743 Morgan Lucas 9 Doug Herbert
E1 0.050 4.848 228.61 ****WINNER**** 0.089 4.575 324.98
Qualified: #6 4.559 322.81 #11 4.652 305.01
Lucas beat Herbert the only time they'v met in eliminations before this round. Lucas got
off the starting line first and was ahead at mid track. Herbert drove by him to take the
win.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
6 Brandon Bernstein 8 John Smith
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.123 4.565 327.59 0.090 8.472 113.35
Qualified: #5 4.545 326.48 #12 4.659 311.56
This is Bernstein's 29th start and 28 have been in the top half of the field. Bernstein won
three of the four times they've met before this race. Smith's crew took a long time to get his
car started. By the time they did, Bernstein had already done his burnout and was backing up to
stage. Bernstein and his crew waited to stage and gave Smith the time he needed to do his
burnout, backup and stage. When they started, Smith had the better light but started smoking
the tires at 60 feet and shut the car down by the time they reached the 330 foot marker.
Bernstein had a good run for the win, with just a little bit of smoke trailing his car at the
end of the race.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
3 Tony Schumacher 36 Scott Weis
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.102 4.482 329.34 0.105 4.648 317.57
Qualified: #4 4.516 319.60 #13 4.665 318.62
This is the 10th time that Weis has started from the 13th spot in the qualifying order. He
has won one round of eliminations from that starting position. Schumacher had six wins and no
losses against Weis coming into this race.
Make that seven wins. The two drivers got off the starting line just 0.003 seconds apart but
then Schumacher used the power in his car to pull away and take the win. He'll have lane choice
over Bernstein in the next round.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
319 Scott Kalitta 304 Todd Paton
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.072 4.563 320.13 0.073 10.085 91.27
Qualified: #3 4.495 321.27 #14 5.115 222.95
Kalitta won here in 1994 and 1995. This is Paton's first NHRA Top Fuel start. Paton shook
the tires hard when he launched. He tried to drive through it but couldn't so he shut the car
down at 330 feet. Kalitta had a clean run for the win. He'll have lane choice over Herbert in
round two.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
757 David Grubnic 141 Bobby Lagana Jr.
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.103 4.540 324.51 0.126 8.196 97.89
Qualified: #2 4.481 326.16 #15 5.260 260.71
Lagana raced in the IHRA national event in Norwalk, Ohio and won a round there. The team
got back here in time for eliminations today. Lagana's father was in the Funny car field in the
first NHRA national event here in 1985.
Lagana started smoking the tires as soon as he launched and clicked it off at 330 feet. Grubnic
had a nice run for the win. He'll have lane choice over Vandergriff in the next round.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
2 Doug Kalitta 443 Mitch King
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.087 4.504 329.83 0.144 13.178 62.92
Qualified: #1 4.460 330.88 #16 11.404 68.62
This was the 22nd time that Kalitta started eliminations from the number one spot in the
order. He is 2-0 against King this year. King is starting his 15th Top Fuel race here today.
King launched and shook the tires, then shut it down. Kalitta had a nice run to take the win
and earn lane choice over Hartman-Smith in the next round.
Timing data courtesy of
CompuLink
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