Sat, 8 Oct 2005, 04:15 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 20th annual O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   45 Lee Callaway                           33 Marty Thacker                
E1                   0.137  5.422 262.64     ****WINNER****  0.020  5.407 264.60
 Qualified:             #8  5.394 261.32                        #9  5.419 263.77

Weather conditions: air temperature 79 degrees, relative humidity 25 percent, barometer 29.89 inches, adjusted altitude 1,587 feet, track temperature 99 degrees.

Thacker with a big starting line advantage and then just drives away for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Randy Meyer                           412 David Brounkowski            
E1                   0.069  5.796 237.00     ****WINNER****  0.122  5.495 249.16
 Qualified:             #7  5.335 251.16                       #10  5.428 256.36

Meyer started to spin the tire around 200 feet and then started mixing up the cylinders. Brounkowski with a good clean pass to take the win light.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  405 Carl Magee                             74 Duane Shields                
E1                   0.143  5.745 248.52     ****WINNER****  0.113  5.425 260.56
 Qualified:            #12  5.662 251.11                        #5  5.283 267.48

Shields out of the gate first and never looked back for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Ashley Force                         4111 Brandon Pierce               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.116  5.356 270.27                     0.062  5.489 244.92
 Qualified:             #6  5.317 268.22                       #11  5.568 253.85

force with another good looking pass to move into round two. Force with the quickest pass of the session.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  709 James Day                            7116 Joe Windham                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.065  6.065 244.56                           No Time      
 Qualified:            #13  5.704 256.50                        #4  5.277 269.62

Windham couldn't get it to start, so Day will get the freebie here. Day just labored it on through the 1320. Day will give up lane choice to Shields in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  416 James Thompson                        518 John Haley                   
E1                   0.167 11.248  82.60     ****WINNER****  0.068  7.220 141.03
 Qualified:             #3  5.260 270.70                       #14  6.047 167.91

Thompson was up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle and the got off the throttle and then back on the throttle only to back up in smoke. Haley had problems, but was able to hold on for the victory. Haley will give up lane choice to Force in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
        Bye                                717M Aaron Olivarez               
E1                                            ****WINNER****  0.087  5.309 267.96
 Qualified:                                                       #1  5.249 273.22

Olivarez with the bye here and great pass, straight down the groove for the quickest pass of the session and lane choice over Thacker in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  475 Steve Torrence                         42 Gene Snow                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.091  5.275 272.17                     0.069 18.373  60.31
 Qualified:             #2  5.254 273.94                       #15 14.068  49.63

Snow is up in smoke as soon as he hits the throttle. Torrence with a great pass and now has the quickest pass of the session. Torrence will have lane choice over Brounkowski in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink