Sun, 25 May 2003, 12:39 PM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

TOPEKA, Kan. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 15th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  337 Paul Romine                             3 Tony Schumacher
E1   ****WINNER****  0.046  4.850 286.38                     0.052  4.850 292.71
 Qualified:             #9  4.629 318.17                        #8  4.624 323.81

11:02 AM Current weather conditions: 64 degrees, 54 percent relative humidity, the barometer 30.13 inches under sunny skies.

Schumacher holds a 4-2 career edge over Romine in previous races. But none of them were as close as this one! Romine had a slight edge at the tree, but Schumacher was slightly ahead at the 60-foot marker. They were locked together all the way down the track, both cars hazing the tires at half track and both drivers doing a good job of handling it. Paul Romine's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.003), 330 ft(0.007), 660ft(0.024), 1,000ft(0.021). MOV: 0.0067 seconds (approximately 3 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  201 Scott Weis                              7 Doug Herbert
E1                   0.095  4.731 252.85     ****WINNER****  0.098  4.703 306.40
 Qualified:            #10  4.644 318.92                        #7  4.602 315.05

Herbert won both prior meetings between these two. They left together and Herbert had a small lead to half track, then started hazing the tires. Weis went by, pulling away with a half-track speed of 269.40 mph at half track, leading past the 1,000-foot marker. Then it appeared that Weis lost the blower belt, his car slowing abruptly, and Herbert took the lead just before the finish line. Doug Herbert's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.011), 330 ft(0.014), 660ft(-0.019), 1,000ft(-0.066). MOV: 0.0252 seconds (approximately 9 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Doug Kalitta                           10 John Smith
E1   ****WINNER****  0.048  4.566 328.54                     0.094  7.167 114.54
 Qualified:             #6  4.600 319.60                       #11  4.653 316.08

Kalitta came in with a 3-2 career edge over Smith. He extended that to 4-2 when Smith lost traction and then lost the blower belt. Kalitta's run was flawless, straight down the groove, a welcome sight to that team because Kalitta struggled during qualifying.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 5050 Scott Palmer                            5 Cory McClenathan
E1                   0.106  5.133 221.16     ****WINNER****  0.101  4.848 277.43
 Qualified:            #14  4.883 287.90                        #3  4.577 315.56

This was Palmer's first round of eliminations in Top Fuel, his car sporting the race sponsor's O'Reilly colors. He kept Cory Mac honest, but dropped a cylinder early in the run, then lost the blower belt and was unable to take advantage of McClenathan's tire smoke and engine problems on the top end. McClenathan slowed and trailed oil through the shutdown area. he faces Kalitta in round two, Kalitta with lane choice.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Darrell Russell                       757 David Grubnic
E1   ****WINNER****  0.082  4.604 321.58                     0.043  5.655 160.33
 Qualified:             #5  4.596 322.19                       #12  4.678 315.78

Russell came into this round with a 3-2 career edge over Grubnic. Grubnic tattooed Russell on the tree, but started smoking the tires just before half track and the defending event winner went on to win by a big margin.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  797 David Baca                              9 Rhonda Hartman-Smith
E1                   0.055  6.964 118.48     ****WINNER****  0.056  4.765 301.60
 Qualified:             #4  4.585 317.42                       #13  4.687 311.92

Baca's team swapped lanes under the tower, even before Grubnic smoked the tires. Baca and Hartman-Smith have met twice before during their careers, each winning once. Baca lost traction about 100 feet out. He pedaled once, then watched Hartman-Smith disappear down the track. "Momma" faces Russell next round and Russell will get to choose the lanes, but as this one showed, lane choice isn't everything.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Kenny Bernstein                       507 Melanie Troxel
E1   ****WINNER****  0.092  4.572 328.70                     0.103  5.174 243.55
 Qualified:             #2  4.545 327.03                       #15  4.884 286.62

Bernstein and Troxel have only raced each other once before, in the first round at Dallas in 2000. She went to the finals at that race. Reports from the hospital are good, Brandon responding well to his current medication and working in physical therapy to get ready to go home soon. This time, Bernstein overcame his "first round female opponent jinx" and won going away, troxel's car dropping a cylinder immediately and trailing smoke all the way down the track. KB faces Herbert next round and will have lane choice.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Larry Dixon                           323 Chris Karamesines
E1   ****WINNER****  0.074  4.533 329.67                     0.182  4.862 285.59
 Qualified:             #1  4.509 327.11                       #16  5.212 213.74

Karamesines and Dixon have raced each other twice before, Dixon winning both times. Karamesines' last round win came at Maple Grove, during the 1990 season, when he defeated Michael Brotherton. Karamesines is the only member of this year's Top Fuel; field who was also in the Top Fuel field at the first race here, in 1989. Kenny Bernstein was in the field at that 1989 race, but he was in the Funny Car field. "The Golden Greek" kept Dixon honest, with no tire smoke from the tires on either car. The Miller team turned in low ET of the round and will have lane choice against Romine in round two.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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