Sun, 6 Jun 2010, 11:24 AM
Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations
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By Larry Sullivan
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JOLIET, Ill. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 13th annual United Association
Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Miller Welders:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
3 Duane Shields 3662 Brian Mans
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.110 5.418 269.51 0.017 5.615 246.17
Qualified: #1 5.333 268.92 #16 5.654 250.32
9:55 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 71 degrees, relative humidity 58 percent, barometer 29.17 inches, adjusted
altitude 2,275 feet, track temperature 92 degrees.This is Shields' 100th race and he has qualified #1 13 times.
Mans rolled in
deep, turning off the pre-stage bulb and led past half track, but then Shields took charge and won going away. Duane Shields'
incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.039), 330 ft(-0.090), 660ft(-0.031), 1,000ft(0.047). MOV: 0.1049 seconds
(approximately 38 feet). Mans made his best run of the weekend, just didn't have enough muscle to hold off the Shortline Express
freight train.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
4 Shawn Cowie 24 Robin Samsel
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.080 5.375 263.67 0.132 5.552 250.23
Qualified: #2 5.338 262.59 #15 5.542 252.99
Cowie left first and made another mid-thirties run for the win. Samsel was consistent all weekend, but needed to find a couple
more tenths to have a chance here.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
7051 Darren Nicholson 4843 Monroe Guest
E1 0.093 5.352 260.97 ****WINNER**** 0.050 5.295 260.76
Qualified: #12 5.452 256.70 #5 5.363 255.48
Guest had a good light, then ran low ET of the weekend, but Nicholson kept it close, even led briefly before falling back on the
top end. Monroe Guest's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.043), 330 ft(-0.015), 660ft(0.030), 1,000ft(0.078). MOV:
0.1003 seconds (approximately 38 feet).
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
9 Michael Manners 54 Jared Dreher
E1 0.045 9.074 93.86 ****WINNER**** 0.059 5.498 255.53
Qualified: #3 5.351 271.73 #14 5.515 251.44
Manners left first, then lost traction in a cloud of tire smoke, giving Dreher an upset win.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
2 Jim Whiteley 53 Edwin Schmeeckle
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.130 5.329 269.24 0.078 5.411 261.47
Qualified: #4 5.353 261.47 #13 5.474 260.11
Defending event champion Whiteley came in with a 57-22 round win record in national events.Schmeeckle did all he could to
change that to 57-23, leaving first and leading past half track, but Whiteley ran him down to win by half a car length. Jim
Whiteley's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.039), 330 ft(-0.049), 660ft(-0.017), 1,000ft(0.008). MOV: 0.0308
seconds (approximately 12 feet). There was a flash of flame and a loud POP from Schmeeckle's engine in the lights, but the fire
appeared to be out by the time the car stopped, surrounded by Safety Safari trucks. Whiteley faces Guest in round 2, Guest has lane
choice.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
6 Ken Perry 35 Brandon Booher
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.073 5.349 263.36 -0.016 5.426 260.51
Qualified: #6 5.385 260.71 #11 5.452 256.99
Perry won this event in '05. Booher left early and Perry made his best run of the weekend to earn lane choice against Dreher
in Round 2.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
33 Marty Thacker 422 Malcolm Wahle
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.120 5.377 265.53 0.092 5.448 247.38
Qualified: #10 5.444 264.44 #7 5.389 250.78
Wahle outqualified Thacker this weekend, but he can never be called an underdog. Wahle had a small starting line advantage, but
Thacker led before the 330-foot marker. Then it was close to 1,000 feet before Thacker pulled away as Wahle's engine started
trailing a light haze. Marty Thacker's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.013), 330 ft(0.047), 660ft(0.031),
1,000ft(0.012). MOV: 0.0433 seconds (approximately 16 feet). Thacker made his best run of the weekend, but gives up lane choice to
Cowie by two thousandths.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1 Bill Reichert 487 Mark Taliaferro
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.154 5.278 267.53 No Time
Qualified: #8 5.415 266.79 #9 5.431 262.74
As the two cars staged, Taliaferro two-stepped the throttle and rolled through the beams. Probably didn't matter, Reichert came
back to form after struggling through qualifying and the Allstars and ran low ET of the weekend. He will have lane choice against
Shields in Round 2.
Timing data courtesy of CompuLink
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