Drag Race Central | Presented by Summitracing.com

Fri, 10 Nov 2006, 08:09 PM

Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Dave Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster 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: Garrett Bateman Runs 5.472/257.53, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.395/256.65, Was #9
Right Lane: Carl Magee Runs 6.662/223.36, Now #24; Best prior run: 5.812/232.75, Was #24

4:18 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 74 degrees, relative humidity 29 percent, barometer 29.16 inches, adjusted altitude 2,089 feet, track temperature 83 degrees.

Aaron Olivarez starts the session on the bump spot at 5.434. Magee looks like a sprinkler going down the track with raw fuel out of most of the cylinders. Bateman picks up MPH, but slows from his best prior run.

Left Lane: Dave Heitzman Runs 5.485/260.91, Now #20; Best prior run: 8.972/96.59, Was #26
Right Lane: Dave Hirata Runs 5.258/264.13, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.651/253.47, Was #22

Talk about going from the outhouse to the penthouse! Hirata has struggled on his prior two passes, but gets it all together for the last pass. He starts with a .929 sixty foot time and improves from there. Heitzman makes a similar level of improvement, but will not get in the tough field.

Left Lane: Brandon Pierce Runs 5.416/254.47, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.412/247.66, Was #13
Right Lane: Lee Callaway Runs 5.385/261.83, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.398/267.80, Was #11

Brian Smith is on the bump spot at 5.429. Pierce repeats on his prior best and Callaway makes it two good passes in a row to just miss the top half of the field.

Left Lane: Spencer Massey Runs 7.710/111.92, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.333/267.80, Was #4
Right Lane: Brian Smith Runs 5.620/253.04, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.429/255.73, Was #16

Smith is on the bump with his career best ET and Speed. Massey runs out of firing cylinders by mid-track and lifts. Smith gets further down the track and runs out of "go fast" too.

Left Lane: Frank Dischbein Runs 5.713/251.34, Now #22; Best prior run: 5.620/256.26, Was #22
Right Lane: Johnny Ahten Runs 6.041/235.39, Now #21; Best prior run: 5.541/246.30, Was #21

No joy for these two with lots of raw fuel in the evening air.

Left Lane: Dick Garlets Runs 5.949/240.64, Now #23; Best prior run: 5.620/244.78, Was #23
Right Lane: Jim Whiteley Runs 5.373/262.28, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.402/258.91, Was #12

Garlets continues to struggle, while Whiteley is on a rip with a strong pass into the top half of the stout field. It's dark enough now that we are seeing the nitro flames from the engines.

Left Lane: Darryl Hitchman Runs 5.747/252.76, Now #19; Best prior run: 5.477/264.08, Was #19
Right Lane: Steve Federlin Runs 5.420/265.48, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.383/264.29, Was #9

Looks like the left lane has the dropped cylinder curse. Hitchman gets a full dose and can't improve. Federlin runs close to his prior times and will stay number nine for now..

Left Lane: James Day Runs 5.506/246.48, Now #21; Best prior run: 5.677/249.63, Was #24
Right Lane: Bill Reichert Runs 10.198/85.71, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.265/274.00, Was #2

Reichert has another broken run as the car doesn't move well after 60 feet. Day makes his personal best, but will not get into the field this weekend.

Left Lane: Randy Eakins Runs 6.308/185.84, Now #26; Best prior run: 6.436/125.20, Was #26
Right Lane: John Finke Runs 5.319/269.24, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.273/268.60, Was #3

Nice pass for Finke with lots of flames from the headers right down the track. Eakins struggles to keep the candles lit and stays #26.

Left Lane: Mark Niver Runs 7.775/154.02, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.374/256.06, Was #8
Right Lane: Duane Shields Runs 5.315/265.01, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.347/265.95, Was #6

Niver leaves hard and then clicks it off. The right lane cards another strong pass, as Shields picks up two positions on the ladder with a clean and straight pass. Lots of five thirty passes tonight!

Left Lane: Sean O'Bannon Runs 5.339/267.91, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.342/268.06, Was #6
Right Lane: Chris Demke Runs 5.387/264.39, Now #11; Best prior run: 5.417/264.39, Was #14

WOW! Two great side by side five thirty passes for the blown alcohol dragsters. Looks like the increase in blower ratios has helped these guys.

Left Lane: Ashley Force Runs 5.382/265.22, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.388/264.60, Was #12
Right Lane: Aaron Olivarez Runs 5.456/266.21, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.434/263.56, Was #17

Olivarez can only match his first qualifying pass ET and will not bump back into the show. Force continues to improve and makes a strong pass into the current #9 spot. She misses the top half of the field by a hundredth.

Right Lane: Joey Severance Runs 5.418/266.48, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.428/262.90, Was #15

Last car to attempt to improve on his qualifying time. Severance runs by himself and it sounded like he may have banged the blower on the top end. He improves on his ET and MPH, but will stay #15.

5:02 p.m. Brian Smith is on the bump spot at 5.429.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink