Sun, 15 Oct 2006, 05:03 PM Competition Eliminator Final, Round 5 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

DINWIDDIE, Va. - Results of final, round 5 eliminations in Competition Eliminator at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Inaugural Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
 1780 Gerry Russo                             3 Tony Stephenson
E5   ****WINNER****  0.028  8.214 162.35                     0.033  7.711 172.14
      C/SMA Index: 8.75 (+/-): -0.536            E/AA Index: 8.24 (+/-): -0.529
 Prior rounds:
E4    (A Martel Jr ) 0.164  8.243 -0.627      (R Hord      ) 0.011  7.733 -0.507
E3    (B Alexander ) 0.056  8.824 -0.046      (E Bollman   ) 0.113  7.754 -0.656
E2    (R Hope      ) 0.033  8.368 -0.552      (L Pritchett ) 0.066  8.443  0.033
E1    (J Caliendo J) 0.047  8.415 -0.515      (G Bourke    ) 0.199  7.949 -0.461
 Qualified:             #5  8.215 -0.715                       #12  7.737 -0.673

4:56 p.m. Russo comes in with one prior event win on his record, Stephenson, who was #1 and #2 in points in the past two seasons, has seven "Wallys" on his mantle. Gerry Russo has a 0.18 CIC penalty; Tony Stephenson has a 0.17 CIC penalty.

The prior CICs don't mean much, both drivers will be going for the win, regardless of their indexes.

Not much to choose between the two reaction times and a close race, Gerry Russo's MOV: 0.0128 seconds (approximately 3 feet). Russo may have dinged his index another 0.01, but that was a small price to pay for his second national event victory.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink