Sat, 29 Jul 2006, 07:17 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Rick Green

SONOMA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 19th annual FRAM-Autolite 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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Left Lane: Steven Chrisman Runs 9.737/99.75, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.259/201.25, Was #16

Weather conditions: air temperature 78 degrees, relative humidity 54 percent, barometer 30.14 inches,adjusted altitude 1,293 feet, track temperature 124 degrees.

Chrisman is up in smoke right off the starting line and he will stay on the bubble and will have to wait and see.

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Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.711/323.89, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.733/319.60, Was #15
Right Lane: Mike Strasburg No Time, Now #17; Best prior run: 7.298/112.94, Was #17

It appears Strasburg rolled the light and then idled down the track. dixon with his best pass of the weekend, but he will stay number 15.

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Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.700/319.07, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.702/325.14, Was #14
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 6.996/136.62, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.695/298.73, Was #13

Herbert with a whisp of tire smoke by 100 feet and he clicked it off. Cory Mac with his best pass of the weekend, but will stay number 14.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.582/326.48, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.665/306.12, Was #12
Right Lane: Rod Fuller Runs 4.569/326.40, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.632/323.12, Was #9

This was really good looking drag race here in the heat of the day. Both go into the top half of the field. Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.866 sec., 330ft-2.200, 660ft-3.125/273.33mph, 1,000ft-3.904
Rod Fuller's incremental times: 60ft-0.851 sec., 330ft-2.173, 660ft-3.106/271.90mph, 1,000ft-3.889

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Left Lane: David Baca Runs 7.309/107.12, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.642/285.53, Was #12
Right Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 9.262/89.64, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.608/318.54, Was #10

Troxel is up in smoke first and then Baca is up in smoke.

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Left Lane: Alan Bradshaw Runs 4.679/320.89, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.632/319.52, Was #11
Right Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 8.740/91.22, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.607/321.12, Was #9

Bradshaw with a another good looking pass, but will stay in the number 11 spot. Vandergriff is up in smoke by 150 feet.

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Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 4.554/331.36, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.593/324.20, Was #6
Right Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 10.239/80.96, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.605/304.87, Was #8

Lucas is up in smoke by 100 feet. Grubnic launched hard and then just blasted on through the 1320 for the number three spot. Grubnic with the fastest pass in the history of Infineon Raceway and the first one over the 330 mark here. David Grubnic's incremental times: 60ft-0.855 sec., 330ft-2.178, 660ft-3.107/272.01mph, 1,000ft-3.884

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Left Lane: J.R. Todd Runs 10.884/85.45, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.586/321.19, Was #6
Right Lane: Hillary Will Runs 4.597/322.27, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.604/321.50, Was #7

Todd is up in smoke right off the starting line. Will with her quickest pass of the weekend, but will stay in the number seven spot.

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Left Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 5.059/205.13, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.532/327.11, Was #2
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 5.815/147.62, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.486/326.48, Was #1

Schumacher lost traction around half track and Bernstein lost traction a little further down track.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink