Sat, 15 Jul 2006, 06:13 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Rick Green

MORRISON, Colo. - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 27th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time/top speed this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time/speed, and position in order prior to run:

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Right Lane: Rob Passey No Time, Now #17; Best prior run: 10.931/78.34, Was #17

Weather conditions: air temperature 100 degrees, relative humidity 21 percent, barometer 24.87 inches,adjusted altitude 8,305 feet, track temperature 142 degrees.

Passey fires the car and then has some problems, and shut the car off before the burnout.

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Left Lane: Rod Fuller Runs 10.036/85.19, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.673/316.60, Was #8
Right Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 10.009/85.40, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.785/312.42, Was #12

They are both up in smoke like they were last night.

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Left Lane: Mike Strasburg Runs 9.692/101.82, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.902/254.38, Was #14
Right Lane: Scott Palmer Runs 8.666/107.37, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.563/176.47, Was #15

A couple more up in smoke as soon as they hit the throttle.

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Left Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 8.791/93.59, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.854/288.15, Was #13
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 5.269/285.89, Now #15; Best prior run: 6.034/150.16, Was #16

Lucas is up in smoke right off the starting line. Cory Mac is the first driver to negotiate this hot, tricky track.

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Left Lane: David Baca Runs 9.858/80.76, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.703/308.71, Was #9
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 5.046/268.97, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.739/305.29, Was #11

Baca is up in smoke right off the starting line. Herbert starts lose traction and then mix up cylinders before the engine let go with a big fireball. the Safety Safari rolls and has the fire out immediately, and this one will cost Herbert $1500.

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Left Lane: Hillary Will Runs 5.678/177.84, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.662/318.69, Was #7
Right Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 7.863/98.46, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.704/311.41, Was #10

Vandergriff is up in smoke just before the 330-foot mark, and Will makes to just past the 330-foot mark before she boils the hides.

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Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 8.350/97.85, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.642/321.96, Was #4
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 8.379/106.67, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.654/314.90, Was #6

They are both up in smoke and off the throttle by 150 feet.

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Left Lane: J.R. Todd Runs 11.911/83.73, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.638/316.45, Was #2
Right Lane: David Grubnic Runs 4.971/295.79, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.643/327.82, Was #5

todd is up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle. Grubnic with just a whisp of tire smoke at half track, but keep it hooked up and makes the best pass of the session. David Grubnic's incremental times: 60ft-0.885 sec., 330ft-2.293, 660ft-3.323/239.10mph, 1,000ft-4.214

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 5.432/188.38, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.631/319.60, Was #1
Right Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 9.416/85.73, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.640/324.28, Was #3

Bernstein is up in smoke early and clicks it off. Kalitta had it hooked up until about half track and then lost traction and pedal it one time to go back up in smoke. He then clicked it off and coasted on through the 1320.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink