Sun, 11 Feb 2007, 06:28 PM Top Fuel Round 2 Eliminations

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 47th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   73 Whit Bazemore                           5 Rod Fuller                   
E2                   0.065  4.564 319.90     ****WINNER****  0.054  4.557 323.27
 Prior rounds:
E1    (C McClenatha) 0.076  6.499 200.98      (D Herbert   ) 0.071  4.807 323.04
 Qualified:             #7  4.507 325.14                        #2  4.481 327.27

3:13 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 66 degrees, relative humidity 48 percent, barometer 29.03 inches, adjusted altitude 1,738 feet, track temperature 72 degrees.

What a race! Fuller and Bazemore leave together and run side by side all the way to the finish line. Rod Fuller's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.010), 330 ft(0.009), 660ft(-0.005), 1,000ft(0.007). MOV: 0.0189 seconds (approximately 9 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Doug Kalitta                            8 J.R. Todd                    
E2                   0.030  4.520 323.27     ****WINNER****  0.064  4.479 322.50
 Prior rounds:
E1    (H Will      ) 0.115  5.975 150.73      (M Troxel    ) 0.074  4.699 295.27
 Qualified:             #4  4.495 323.50                        #5  4.500 325.77

...and the hits keep coming. Another great side by side race with J.R. Todd running a career best ET to take the close win. The two cars were dead even at mid-track. J.R. Todd's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.016), 330 ft(-0.009), 660ft(0.000), 1,000ft(0.007). MOV: 0.0075 seconds (approximately 4 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  524 Joe Hartley                             6 David Grubnic                
E2                   0.070  8.565  96.31     ****WINNER****  0.075  4.671 311.27
 Prior rounds:
E1    (T Schumacher) 0.069  5.252 257.33      (M Strasburg ) 0.074  4.563 323.43
 Qualified:            #16  4.575 322.34                        #8  4.517 327.35

Hartley gets a slight advantage off the line and then has the tires go up in smoke. Grubnic would have been tough to beat, but he slowed too in the lights, when the blower belt left the engine.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   12 Bob Vandergriff                         3 Brandon Bernstein            
E2                   0.122  4.589 317.49     ****WINNER****  0.054  4.512 329.99
 Prior rounds:
E1    (L Dixon     ) 0.101  4.563 324.83      (A Bradshaw  ) 0.072  4.519 327.66
 Qualified:            #11  4.536 318.77                        #3  4.494 331.61

Vandergriff was late off the line, but it didn't matter much, as Bernstein thunders on down the track in front of him to take the big win.

3:23 p.m. Great round of racing. J.R. Todd with lane choice over Grubnic and Bernstein over Fuller in the third round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink