Sun, 30 Mar 2008, 03:22 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 3 Eliminations

By Rick Green

BAYTOWN, Texas - Results of round 3 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 21st annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7000 Darryl Hitchman                        75 Randy Eakins                 
E3                   0.265  5.456 253.80     ****WINNER****  0.036  5.471 259.26
 Prior rounds:
E2    (A Gallant   ) 0.101  5.317 263.56      (B Reichert  ) 0.017  5.418 260.26
E1    (J Finke     ) 0.083  5.446 260.66      (L Wood      ) 0.051  5.602 232.79
 Qualified:             #7  5.393 258.22                       #11  5.432 260.66

Weather conditions: air temperature 76 degrees, relative humidity 77 percent, barometer 29.95 inches, adjusted altitude 2,011 feet, track temperature 104 degrees.

Eakins with a huge starting line advantage and the power to take the hole shot win. This is Eakins second hole shot win i a row. Hitchman got out of the groove and close to the wall. Eakins is going to his first final round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  499 Brandon Lewis                           5 Duane Shields                
E3                   0.049  5.361 263.10     ****WINNER****  0.032  5.351 272.45
 Prior rounds:
E2    (S Massey    ) 0.060  5.372 260.86      (D Harker    ) 0.019  5.276 272.94
E1    (A Tatum     ) 0.064  5.391 266.32      (D Brounkowsk) 0.120  5.560 270.70
 Qualified:             #4  5.352 262.44                        #1  5.204 277.72

Shields with the starting line advantage and them Lewis had the lead until right before 1000 feet when Shields went blasting by him. Duane Shields' MOV: 0.0277 seconds (approximately 11 feet). This is Shields' 19th final round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink