Tue, 10 Feb 2009, 05:16 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 49th annual Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Duane Shields                        7222 Dennis Swearingen            
E1                  -0.025  5.381 256.50     ****WINNER****  0.038  5.564 250.41
 Qualified:             #3  5.396 264.55                       #14  5.629 252.57

12:53 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 62 degrees, relative humidity 23 percent, barometer 29.04 inches, adjusted altitude 1,538 feet, track temperature 72 degrees.

Ouch! It's Shields from start to finish with times better than he qualified with. Unfortunately, the -0.025 red light spoils his day.

Swearingen makes a clean pass and improves on his qualifying time to get the free pass to round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Shawn Cowie                           712 Larry Miersch                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.128  5.333 266.48                     0.047 12.610  83.08
 Qualified:             #1  5.356 268.65                       #16  5.784 247.70

Miersch gets a big advantage off the line and then has the tires go up in smoke.

Cowie is way late and all over the lane down low. He pulls the blown car back into the center of the lane without further drama.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Jim Whiteley                          744 Courtney Force               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.145  5.516 263.46                     0.093  5.858 232.35
 Qualified:             #2  5.374 266.64                       #15  5.687 251.58

Lots of shake and spin off the line for Force at the green. She recovers well and then dropped cylinders doom her efforts.

Whiteley was late off the line. He has his own shake issues and gets back by Force just before the 660 lights to take the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   72 Chris Demke                          6121 Ashley Bart                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.216  5.307 265.06                           No Time      
 Qualified:             #4  5.408 263.62                       #13  5.607 217.21

Bart is a no show.

Demke makes a strong pass after a big move towards the center line at the 330 lights. Over a tenth better than he qualified. Chris Demke's incremental times: 60ft-0.898 sec., 330ft-2.334, 660ft-3.480/216.00 mph, 1,000ft-4.464.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   74 Randy Eakins                           78 Kevin Wayman                 
E1                   0.092  5.785 249.90     ****WINNER****  0.095  5.706 235.43
 Qualified:             #5  5.421 261.88                       #12  5.586 243.19

Both cars took a long time to start to stage and then went in quickly. They leave together and Wayman's blown car pulls away until after the 330 lights, where there is a big flash and flame off the top of the engine. He legs it on down the track to take the car length win. Thing got a lot worse for Eakins after that, as he is not able to get the dragster stopped. The car went well into the trap at the end of the track and almost to the net. No emergency vehicle , so he is likely OK

1:11 p.m. Demke will get lane choice in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 6715 Doug Hegge                            734 Johnny Ahten                 
E1                   0.132  5.584 262.49     ****WINNER****  0.068  5.517 239.91
 Qualified:            #11  5.579 263.92                        #6  5.427 256.26

1:49 p.m. There is no "Instant Replay" or announcer feed for us today, but it looked like the Eakins' car was basically in one big piece when the the crain pulled it out of the gravel trap. The call goes out to start the next pair.

Ahten gets a big advantage off the line and wins the first half of the track easily. The engine starts to drop cylinders and Hegge begins to reel him back in. There is not enough race track and Ahten stays well out in front for the win.

He will have lane choice over Swearingen in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   65 Justin Davis                          745 Brittany Force               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.061  5.366 265.43                     0.092  5.453 265.53
 Qualified:             #7  5.467 250.41                       #10  5.547 246.89

The Steve Federlin tuned dragster is out first and pull strong until past track. Force gives it a valiant try, improving on her qualifying time, but is no match for the blown car.

Davis will have lane choice over Whiteley in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 6610 Brandon Johnson                        51 Edwin Schmeeckle             
E1                   0.065  5.497 260.41     ****WINNER****  0.044  5.405 245.81
 Qualified:             #8  5.512 258.67                        #9  5.537 243.37

Johnson's car was late to start, but makes a strong pass, better than his qualifying times. Schmeeckle is away first and picks up a bunch over his qualifying times and drives away for a forty foot plus win.

2:00 p.m. Cowie will have lane choice later today.

Just got a note from NHRA that Eakins was checked out released by NHRA emergency services officials...the front of the dragster was damaged.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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