Sun, 1 Jun 2008, 12:34 PM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

TOPEKA, Kan. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 20th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Brandon Bernstein                       7 J.R. Todd                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.069  4.625 311.99                     0.057  4.667 286.74
 Qualified:             #8  4.623 324.75                        #9  4.623 322.34

Weather conditions: air temperature 74 degrees, relative humidity 76 percent, barometer 28.86 inches, adjusted altitude 3,101 feet, track temperature 101 degrees.

Todd is 4 - 2 against Bernstein in prior events. This is a rematch of last year's final. This is Bernstein's 106th start. This was a good looking drag race with Todd getting a slight starting line advantage and then it appeared to have dropped a cylinder on the top end. that was the difference as Bernstein almost matched his qualifying time for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Tony Schumacher                       530 Alan Bradshaw                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.053  5.862 235.97                     0.106 11.201  84.69
 Qualified:             #7  4.622 305.91                       #10  4.647 307.79

This is the third race in a row these two have raced. Schumacher is 6 - 2 against Bradshaw in prior events. Schumacher holds a 4 - 2 advantage in round one. Schumacher left first and then was up in smoke and he pedaled it at least three more times never getting it to hook up. But he still got the win as Bradshaw's engine bang the blower as soon as he hit the throttle and he was then coasting.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Rod Fuller                            743 Morgan Lucas                 
E1                   0.051  4.856 261.98     ****WINNER****  0.061  4.749 305.98
 Qualified:             #3  4.565 320.13                       #14  4.728 283.37

Fuller is 4 - 2 against Lucas in prior events. Fuller holds a 2 - 0 advantage in round one. This was good drag race as Lucas takes the win when Fuller dropped a cylinder or two. Fuller has still not won a round here in Topeka.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   91 Larry Dixon                                Bye
E1   ****WINNER****  0.066  4.630 308.85     
 Qualified:             #1  4.527 325.30                     Bye

This is third time Dixon has qualified No. 1 here in Topeka and the other two year he went on to win the Top Fuel championships. This is only the second time in Dixon's career he has had a bye. He has good clean pass, straight down the groove, but he will give up lane choice to Bernstein in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  796 Cory McClenathan                        5 Bob Vandergriff              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.051  4.587 314.46                     0.067 13.150  74.69
 Qualified:             #2  4.565 323.04                       #15  4.875 244.07

McClenathan is 12 - 7 against Vandergriff in prior events. This is the 11th time Vandergriff has qualified 15 in 176 starts. Cory Mac likes this track he has won here twice and the 6th time to start from the top half of the field. Vandergriff is up in smoke as soon as he hits the throttle. McClenathan with a great looking pass, low E.T. of the round and he will have lane choice over Schumacher in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  123 Antron Brown                           44 David Grubnic                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.048  4.612 294.50                     0.057  8.328  89.43
 Qualified:             #4  4.584 292.77                       #13  4.690 303.78

This the first time Brown has ever raced here in Topeka. Grubnic has qualified No. 13 15 times and he won this race in 2005. Brown is 1 - 0 against Grubnic in prior events. Grubnic is up in smoke by 300 feet and he clicks it off. Brown with a great looking pass until right before the lights when it dropped a cylinder or two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   22 Doug Kalitta                          524 Joe Hartley                  
E1                   0.065  5.327 208.84     ****WINNER****  0.065  4.727 311.85
 Qualified:             #5  4.590 324.83                       #12  4.653 314.83

Hartley was the number one qualifier here last year. Kalitta is 4 - 0 against Hartley in prior events. Kalitta had a hole or two out as soon as he hit the throttle and then had a big fireball around 400 feet. Hartley was on good pass until is engine let go with a big fireball, but still takes the win. Hartley will give up lane choice to McClenathan in round two. We are down for a clean up, but it is just parts and pieces, but no oil.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Doug Herbert                           48 Hillary Will                 
E1                   0.041  4.672 308.43     ****WINNER****  0.065  4.633 310.91
 Qualified:             #6  4.609 313.15                       #11  4.649 285.35

Will is 3 - 2 against Herbert in prior events, and Will holds a 3 - 1 advantage in round one meetings. Herbert won this race in 1999. This was a great drag race with Herbert getting a slight starting line advantage, and Will was able to chase him down by 1000 feet. She took the win by 0.0156 seconds (approximately 7 feet). This was Will's quickest pass of the weekend, and she will have lane choice over Lucas in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink