Sun, 29 Oct 2006, 04:29 PM Top Fuel Round 2 Eliminations

By Rick Green

LAS VEGAS - Results of round 2 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Sixth annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  763 Hillary Will                            3 Doug Kalitta                 
E2                   0.088  8.872  82.28     ****WINNER****  0.076  4.547 324.90
 Prior rounds:
E1    (A Bradshaw  ) 0.109  4.565 324.12      (B Vandergrif) 0.064  4.581 325.45
 Qualified:             #4  4.527 327.11                        #5  4.530 327.74

Kalitta has won all three times these two have raced. Kalitta is out of the gate first and blast on through the 1320 for the win light. Will was up in smoke early and clicked it off.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Brandon Bernstein                      10 Rod Fuller                   
E2                   0.093  4.564 326.79     ****WINNER****  0.073  4.579 327.03
 Prior rounds:
E1    (D Baca      ) 0.097  4.549 323.97      (M Troxel    ) 0.049  4.569 325.92
 Qualified:             #2  4.522 329.58                       #10  4.571 326.48

These two have raced each other twice with each of them getting a win light, not counting yesterday's Budweiser Shootout round when Fuller won. Fuller is out of the gate first and never looked back for the hole shot win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  373 J.R. Todd                             475 Steve Torrence               
E2   ****WINNER****  0.090  4.582 320.28                     0.085  4.663 311.92
 Prior rounds:
E1    (L Dixon     ) 0.081  4.539 318.54      (C McClenatha) 0.078  4.609 321.12
 Qualified:             #3  4.526 320.20                       #11  4.583 326.56

The teammates square off for the first time and Torrence is off the starting line first, but Todd has the difference made up by 60 feet and blast on into round two. He will give up lane choice to Fuller in the semifinals. Todd used up one of his free oil downs here.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Tony Schumacher                         4 David Grubnic                
E2   ****WINNER****  0.062  4.538 330.63                     0.066  7.320 110.21
 Prior rounds:
E1    (M Strasburg ) 0.076  4.488 325.53      (D Herbert   ) 0.066  4.609 295.66
 Qualified:             #1  4.445 333.08                        #9  4.570 327.19

Schumacher holds a 24 to 6 advantage in head to head match ups. Schumacher with the quickest pass of round two to set up the big points match up in the semifinal. He will have lane choice against Kalitta. Grubnic is up in smoke early and pedaled it, but couldn't get it to hook up.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink