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Fri, 10 Nov 2006, 06:19 PM

Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By Dave Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 42nd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals 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:

Left Lane: Scott Palmer Runs 7.024/118.65, Now #20; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Joe Hartley Runs 4.868/261.12, Now #18; Best prior run: 10.887/87.12, Was #21

2:24 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 80 degrees, relative humidity 28 percent, barometer 29.15 inches, adjusted altitude 2,497 feet, track temperature 101 degrees.
Alan Bradshaw is on the bump spot at 4.693.

Hartley's pass was expensive. He had at least one hole out by 60 feet and then started to spread oil and small pieces of aluminum across his lane before the 1000 foot lights. He is spectacular with fire and smoke to boot. Palmer gives it up early and coasts on down the track. The dusting and cleaning has started in ernest in the right lane.

Left Lane: Troy Buff Runs 4.641/291.45, Now #17; Best prior run: 9.318/81.82, Was #21
Right Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 4.559/321.35, Now #6; Best prior run: 10.612/83.85, Was #22

2: 28 p.m. ...and we are back. If Buff had run 1320 feet he would have qualified, but a 1500 foot pass made that difficult. He uses both sides and the middle of his lane getting to the finish line. Troxel gets back to her earlier style with a nice clean pass to the lights. She'll take the current #6 spot.

Left Lane: Clay Millican Runs 9.561/71.91, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.640/307.16, Was #16
Right Lane: Steven Chrisman Runs 4.940/290.19, Now #21; Best prior run: 5.002/292.14, Was #21

Millican moves ten feet and smokes the tires. Chrisman continues to sneak up on a qualifying ET, but has a lot of smoke in the lights.

Left Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.535/318.24, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.614/302.82, Was #14
Right Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 4.610/322.50, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.728/309.84, Was #19

Herbert makes a big move up the ladder with a great looking pass into the current #4 spot. Vandergriff has smoke off the engine by the 1000 foot lights and still bumps into the field. No "stuff" on the track and the call goes out to start the next pair.

Left Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 4.614/315.71, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.599/318.92, Was #14
Right Lane: Alan Bradshaw Runs 4.615/320.28, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.693/300.86, Was #19

If this was Sunday, it would be a great looking race. The two cars leave within .004 of each other and have ET's within .001! Torrance gets the minor advantage and will stay #14, but Bradshaw moves into the field in the bump spot.

Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.549/322.34, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.568/327.90, Was #11
Right Lane: Hillary Will Runs 4.574/326.48, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.620/311.77, Was #17

Two more strong passes and both cars make good moves up the ladder. Dixon into the top half of the field and Will into the field in the #12 spot.

Left Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 4.579/312.86, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.567/324.75, Was #11
Right Lane: David Baca Runs 4.620/304.80, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.583/310.98, Was #14

Bob Vandergriff is on the bump spot at 4.610. Two clean passes until near the lights, where Lucas lights up the engine. Look for the "in car" camera shots in tomorrow's qualifying TV show. Lots of fire for a long time! Baca had better 60 foot times, but could not match his earlier pass.

Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.559/330.88, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.561/331.85, Was #9
Right Lane: Mike Strasburg Runs 7.482/112.98, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.578/324.44, Was #13

2:57 p.m. No serious oil on the track, so the next pair comes to life. Strasburg starts to drop cylinders by 100 feet and then strikes the tires. Another great MPH for McClenathan and he moves the Fram dragster up into the top half of the field. Lots of smoke from the engine in the lights, but no oil on the track.

Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 8.373/98.43, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.546/326.87, Was #6
Right Lane: J.R. Todd Runs 4.745/250.64, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.565/313.15, Was #10

Two broken runs, with Kalitta smoking the tires off the line and Todd dropping cylinders after the 330 lights. Both cars click it early.

Left Lane: Rod Fuller Runs 4.509/323.89, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.537/327.19, Was #5
Right Lane: David Grubnic Runs 11.439/76.61, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.524/323.97, Was #3

Grubnic strikes the tires after the 60 foot lights and has to watch Fuller streak down the track and into the current #2 spot. Nice clean pass!

Left Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 12.877/64.51, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.519/330.47, Was #3
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 4.506/326.24, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.490/328.54, Was #1

Last two fuelers in the session. Schumacher just misses another four forty pass and keeps bragging rights for the round for low ET. Bernstein's car matches the Army car for 60 feet and then is too agressive for the lane. Lots of smoke and he gives it up.

3:09 p.m. Bob Vandergriff stays on the bump spot at 4.610.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink