Sat, 27 Oct 2007, 04:56 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Dave Rowe

LAS VEGAS - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Seventh annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals 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:

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Left Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 4.529/330.55, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.558/331.53, Was #6
Right Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 4.557/327.59, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.561/328.78, Was #8

1:24 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 85 degrees, relative humidity 17 percent, barometer 28.05 inches, adjusted altitude 4,002 feet, track temperature 102 degrees.

Troxel goes right down the groove and moves all the way to the second spot. No problems for Bernstein and he moves up a notch to the sixth spot.

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Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.970/213.40, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.534/321.42, Was #4
Right Lane: J.R. Todd Runs 4.563/322.11, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.550/325.30, Was #5

Dixon gets near the end of the run and blows the engine. Todd makes another good run.

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Left Lane: Rod Fuller Runs 4.576/324.20, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.558/320.13, Was #8
Right Lane: David Grubnic Runs 4.561/328.94, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.651/308.21, Was #20

Grubnic improves from yesterday and moves up to the ninth spot. Another good run for Fuller but no improvement.

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Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 4.590/320.81, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.482/327.59, Was #1
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 5.316/199.64, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.577/326.56, Was #12

Schumacher slows a little from yesterday but stays in the top spot. McClenethan hazed the tires a little past half-track.

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Left Lane: Alan Bradshaw Runs 4.645/310.63, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.645/310.63, Was #18
Right Lane: Mike Strasburg Runs 6.106/144.06, Now #21; Best prior run: 4.669/316.82, Was #21

Strasburg had problems at half-track and shut down. Bradshaw makes his quickest run of the weekend but doesn't make the field.

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Left Lane: Steven Chrisman Runs 5.013/281.48, Now #22; Best prior run: 5.046/255.82, Was #22
Right Lane: Scotty Cannon Runs 8.623/82.68, Now #20; Best prior run: 4.650/287.23, Was #19

Cannon has problems late in the run and clicks it off. Chrisman improves but not enough.

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Left Lane: Clay Millican Runs 4.645/322.19, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.647/318.02, Was #19
Right Lane: Joe Hartley Runs 11.563/86.61, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.627/309.42, Was #16

Millican improves but is still on the outside looking in. Hartley goes up in smoke early and will stay on the bump.

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Left Lane: Doug Foley Runs 4.599/318.47, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.597/324.05, Was #14
Right Lane: Hillary Will Runs 4.629/326.48, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.643/323.43, Was #17

A good side-by-side but neither driver improves. Will is down to her last shot.

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Left Lane: Urs Erbacher Runs 7.350/86.35, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.594/326.48, Was #14
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.555/317.42, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.555/317.42, Was #6

Erbacher smokes the tires about 500 feet out and clicks it off. Herbert improves on his run from yesterday and moves up to the sixth spot.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.556/329.42, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.562/326.79, Was #11
Right Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 4.543/328.22, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.562/325.06, Was #12

A couple of good runs here, Lucas gets in the top half of the field, Kalitta moves up a couple of notches to the ninth spot. Joe Hartley is on the bump spot at 4.627.

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Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 4.536/330.72, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.555/316.23, Was #8
Right Lane: David Baca Runs 4.566/326.48, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.532/326.79, Was #3

Vandergriff goes right down the groove, the slicks black-tracking all the way through the run, and he moves up to the fifth spot. Baca makes another consistent pass.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink