Sun, 4 May 2008, 12:34 PM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations |
By Dan Bennett |
MADISON, Ill. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 12th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 796 Cory McClenathan 2 Rod Fuller E1 0.066 10.845 78.80 ****WINNER**** 0.067 4.530 328.06 Qualified: #9 4.542 329.18 #8 4.541 321.50It's an absolutely beautiful day here in St. Louis, the kind of weather called "Chamber of Commerce".
Weather conditions: air temperature 66 degrees, relative humidity 31 percent, barometer 29.70 inches, adjusted altitude 1,069 feet, track temperature 92 degrees.
This is Fuller's 62nd start and his seventh time in the #8 position. Cory was runner-up here last year and holds a 7-2 advantage over Rod with a 5-2 record when they meet in the first round.
Fuller's lane choice allows him to select the right lane, though there hasn't seem to have been a difference so far this weekend.
This one is over quickly as it started. The cars left almost exactly at the
same time, but McClenathan was up in smoke before he cleared the Christmas tree.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
7 J.R. Todd 530 Alan Bradshaw
E1 0.098 4.542 319.14 ****WINNER**** 0.064 4.561 319.67
Qualified: #7 4.537 318.39 #10 4.550 318.24
J.R. Todd and Alan Bradshaw have only met twice in competition, with each driver claiming a
win. Todd takes the left lane so obviously they don't think there's a problem over there.
That was a GOOD drag race!
Bradshaw nailed A.J. on the line and pulls off the holeshot upset. Both cars made smooth, clean runs with Todd trailing smoke across the finish line.
Alan
Bradshaw's MOV: 0.0152 seconds (approximately 7 feet).
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
3 Brandon Bernstein 123 Antron Brown
E1 0.097 7.869 139.73 ****WINNER**** 0.072 5.929 194.30
Qualified: #13 4.575 325.77 #4 4.517 331.94
Today is Antron's 152nd consecutive start and Bernstein is the 64th different opponent he has
faced. Brandon won here in 2005 and has never started from the 13th position until today.This is the first time Bernstein and Brown have faced each other in eliminations.
This time, lane choice takes the right lane.
Surprisingly, it was a smoke fest. Bernstein strikes the tires
first at about 200 feet, and then Brown followed at 400 or so. Brandon's car was in much worse
shape as it went sideways twice.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 48 Hillary Will 497 Troy Buff E1 ****WINNER**** 0.093 5.648 217.98 0.095 11.511 90.31 Qualified: #3 4.502 324.59 #14 4.603 308.28This is the second time in three races that Will and Buff have met each other in the first round. Will's team won the Full Throttle award for their excellent consistency in qualifying. Buff is making his 8th start and has two round wins so far in his career.
Buff can't back up from the burnout and his crew dashed out to push him back. The car's running, evidently Troy just couldn't engage reverse.
Hilary waits patiently in the left lane and Buff actually turns on the prestage light first.
Buff is up in smoke at the hit. Will got more than halfway down the track
before spin set in, and not seeing Buff she pedalled once.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1 Tony Schumacher 743 Morgan Lucas
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.063 4.531 323.97 0.054 4.604 313.95
Qualified: #2 4.495 326.71 #15 4.607 326.32
It's the second straight week for this first round matchup, and Schumacher holds a 15-4 edge
though the record is even in the first round at 2-2. Morgan is making his 75th start and was
runner-up here in 2005.Lucas left first, but Schumacher was ahead by 60 feet and stretched his lead at every interval thereafter. Schumacher's team decided on the left lane so there's certainly no consensus so far.
Tony gets lane choice over Bradshaw in the next round.
Tony Schumacher's
incremental margins: 60ft(0.017), 330 ft(0.045), 660ft(0.042), 1,000ft(0.049). MOV: 0.0646
seconds (approximately 30 feet).
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 44 David Grubnic 394 Luigi Novelli E1 ****WINNER**** 0.087 4.542 321.19 0.106 13.386 92.94 Qualified: #1 4.467 319.90 #16 5.772 161.25This is Grubnic's eight time qualifying on the pole, but the bad news is that he has never won from that position. He was runner up here in 2004. Novelli started his long career at Indy in 1972.
Again, lane choice lines up on the left side.
Novelli's slicks explode into smoke after only a few feet, while the St. Louis Carpenters' Union car just streaks to the finish line.
Grubnic loses lane choice next time to Fuller.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 22 Doug Kalitta 6 Doug Herbert E1 ****WINNER**** 0.082 4.549 315.64 0.054 7.609 97.81 Qualified: #5 4.524 312.42 #12 4.569 322.81Doug Kalitta holds a 336-200 record in competition. He has an 18-12 advantage when meeting Herbert but the record falls to 6-6 when they meet in the first round. Herbert is making his 281st start this weekend.
Lane choice, left side. It's the battle of the tool titans.
This time, it's MAC tools with the bragging rights. Herbert left hard but as the clutch started coming in the smoke started rolling. Kalitta made a nice looking pass right down the center of the lane. It's a nice job for the Kalitta cars as all of them go on to the next round.
Kalitta gains lane choice
over Antron.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 91 Larry Dixon 5 Bob Vandergriff E1 ****WINNER**** 0.107 4.721 311.70 0.080 4.786 243.72 Qualified: #6 4.528 321.96 #11 4.564 323.04Dixon is 15-8 against Vandergriff. This is Rob's fifteenth start from the 11th slot.
Dixon uses his lane choice for the left lane. Maybe there is something to that, from watching the previous pairs.
In what may have been the best pair of the round, Vandergriff loses on a heartbreaker. He was clearly ahead until he pitched the blower belt right at the finish line. Dixon shot by right at the finish line.
Check the numbers!
Larry Dixon's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.009), 330 ft(-0.056), 660ft(-0.079), 1,000ft(-0.086). MOV: 0.0381 seconds (approximately 14 feet).
Dixon has lane choice over Will.
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