Sun, 4 May 2003, 01:23 PM Top Fuel Round 2 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

COMMERCE, Ga. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 John Smith                              1 Larry Dixon
E2                   0.092 11.209  96.12     ****WINNER****  0.110  4.562 327.98
 Prior rounds:
E1    (C Mc Clenath) 0.053  5.074 274.33      (M Smith     ) 0.049  4.650 310.20
 Qualified:            #13  4.671 287.90                        #5  4.573 323.35

1:09 PM Current weather conditions: 77 degrees, 53 percent relative humidity, the barometer 30.08 inches, with a track temperature of 113 degrees.

Smith was up in smoke instantly, getting very sideways before lifting, but it probably didn't matter because Dixon made his best run of the weekend, tying Brandon Bernstein's track speed record.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Brandon Bernstein                     104 Clay Millican
E2                   0.094  6.403 142.79     ****WINNER****  0.080  4.781 298.21
 Prior rounds:
E1    (D Garlits   ) 0.079  4.615 321.42      (D Lampus    ) 0.063  4.905 239.48
 Qualified:             #1  4.505 327.98                        #9  4.641 312.64

Stuff happens - Bernstein chose the left lane after watching Dixon make an awesome run in the right and he was up in smoke before half track. The rear tires shook so bad when he pedaled it that the rear tires jumped off the pavement. Meanwhile, Millican went right down the groove for the win - nothing spectacular, but the win light is what counts. He faces Dixon next round and Dixon will have lane choice.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 Rhonda Hartman-Smith                  797 David Baca
E2                   0.105  5.751 165.68     ****WINNER****  0.146  4.783 301.60
 Prior rounds:
E1    (D Kalitta   ) 0.069  5.042 269.83      (C Vandergrif) 0.128  4.603 314.83
 Qualified:            #11  4.655 309.70                        #3  4.566 318.99

Baca's car trailed tire smoke on the top half of the run, but Hartman-Smith started smoking the tires in almost the same spot as Bernstein. She pedaled it, then threw in the towel.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Tony Schumacher                         6 Darrell Russell
E2                   0.041  4.707 310.91     ****WINNER****  0.079  4.640 318.62
 Prior rounds:
E1    (P Romine    ) 0.032  4.689 314.75      (D Herbert   ) 0.073  4.597 320.13
 Qualified:             #2  4.553 326.48                       #10  4.644 316.52

Russell put Schumacher in the right lane, but Schumacher's team was able to avoid the tire smoke that bit the other three cars in that lane this round and Russell had to duplicate his qualifying performance to go by on the top end for the win when Schumacher dropped a cylinder. Darrell Russell's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.028), 330 ft(-0.030), 660ft(-0.020), 1,000ft(0.013). MOV: 0.0296 seconds (approximately 13 feet). Russell faces Baca in the semifinals and will have lane choice.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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