Sun, 16 Jul 2006, 04:55 PM Top Fuel Round 2 Eliminations

By Rick Green

MORRISON, Colo. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 27th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  763 Hillary Will                          373 J.R. Todd                    
E2                   0.097  5.070 265.01     ****WINNER****  0.047  5.070 289.14
 Prior rounds:
E1    (B Vandergrif) 0.089  4.992 291.19      (C McClenatha) 0.081  5.488 265.06
 Qualified:             #7  4.662 318.69                        #2  4.638 316.45

Weather conditions: air temperature 97 degrees, relative humidity 21 percent, barometer 24.84 inches,adjusted altitude 8,153 feet, track temperature 142 degrees.

Todd with the starting line advantage and then hazes the tires and is off and on the throttle a couple times. Will was about to chase him down when her chutes came out around 1000 feet and Todd was able to hold on for the hole shot win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Doug Kalitta                           13 David Baca                   
E2   ****WINNER****  0.079  5.023 302.28                     0.139  5.013 295.01
 Prior rounds:
E1    (S Palmer    ) 0.079  4.937 302.89      (R Fuller    ) 0.098  5.171 268.49
 Qualified:             #1  4.631 319.60                        #9  4.703 308.71

Kalitta is out of the gate first and never looked back to hold off the hard charging Baca. Kalitta wins this one on a hole shot.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   91 Larry Dixon                            72 Mike Strasburg               
E2   ****WINNER****  0.096  4.967 302.62                     0.123  5.319 229.66
 Prior rounds:
E1    (D Herbert   ) 0.096  4.835 307.65      (B Bernstein ) 0.156  5.194 273.83
 Qualified:             #6  4.654 314.90                       #14  4.902 254.38

Dixon is first off the starting line and then dropped a cylinder or two, but keep the goodyears hooked up for the win and the quickest pass of this round. Strasburg was mixing up cylinders from half track on. Dixon will have lane choice over Todd in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Tony Schumacher                         4 David Grubnic                
E2   ****WINNER****  0.105  4.827 318.92                     0.086  4.917 305.91
 Prior rounds:
E1    (M Lucas     ) 0.102  4.802 321.04      (M Troxel    ) 0.100  4.847 304.19
 Qualified:             #4  4.642 321.96                        #5  4.643 327.82

Grubnic with the starting line advantage, but Schumacher has the difference made up in the first 60 feet. This was a good looking drag race with Grubnic running second low E.T. of the round only to Schumacher's quickest E.T. of the round. Schumacher will have lane choice over Kalitta in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink