Sun, 12 Oct 2003, 12:49 PM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 18th annual O'Reilly Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  757 David Grubnic                         319 Scott Kalitta
E1                   0.066  5.608 165.99     ****WINNER****  0.060  4.631 317.12
 Qualified:             #8  4.629 319.71                        #9  4.630 317.79

Current weather conditions: 67 degrees, 73 percent relative humidity, the barometer 30.13 inches, with a track temperature of 83 degrees under cloudy skies.

Kalitta is out of the gate first and never looked back and repeats his qualifying time. Grubnic's engine let go around 300 feet with a big fireball. We have oil on the track.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Doug Herbert                            6 Darrell Russell
E1                   0.062  8.004 121.24     ****WINNER****  0.041  4.976 278.72
 Qualified:            #10  4.630 305.18                        #7  4.625 320.39

These two swapped lanes after watching the first pair. Herbert went up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle and that was the end of his day. Russell dropped some cylinders at the hit and never picked them back up, but still got the win light.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 John Smith                              5 Cory McClenathan
E1                   0.069  4.728 306.01     ****WINNER****  0.098  4.654 311.52
 Qualified:            #11  4.634 314.24                        #6  4.612 326.67

Smith was out of the gate first and Cory Mac had a whisp of tire smoke right off the starting line, but was able to still chase Smith down by half track. Cory McClenathan's MOV: 0.0456 seconds (approximately 20 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  888 Jim Head                              104 Clay Millican
E1   ****WINNER****  0.067  4.557 331.12                     0.072  4.735 302.01
 Qualified:            #12  4.654 322.92                        #5  4.588 314.57

Head was out of the gate first and never looked back and runs the second quickest E.T. of the round to take the win. Head tied Schumacher top speed of the event with this pass. Millican dropped a cylinder right at the hit.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Doug Kalitta                            3 Tony Schumacher
E1   ****WINNER****  0.028  4.483 330.63                     0.197  5.251 186.95
 Qualified:            #16  4.800 301.00                        #1  4.548 331.12

Kalitta after struggling all weekend lays down the quickest pass of the weekend with a track E.T. record. Schumacher's car went silent around 1000 feet. Doug will have lane choice over his cousin Scott in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  201 Scott Weis                            337 Paul Romine
E1                   0.069  4.714 254.16     ****WINNER****  0.066  4.636 312.28
 Qualified:             #4  4.587 320.39                       #13  4.666 310.02

Romine with a slight starting line advantage, but Weis had the difference made up by 60 feet and was in the lead until he pitched the blower belt around 1000 feet. Romine was able to chase him down for the win. Romine will give up lane choice to Head in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Kenny Bernstein                       797 David Baca
E1   ****WINNER****  0.058  4.628 323.15                     0.067  4.654 313.91
 Qualified:             #3  4.567 327.39                       #14  4.682 310.02

Bernstein was out of the gate first and never looked back to take the win light. Baca with his best pass of the weekend, but came up just short.

Kenny Bernstein's MOV: 0.0359 seconds (approximately 17 feet). Bernstein will have lane choice over McClenathan in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Larry Dixon                           423 Bill Ancona
E1   ****WINNER****  0.085  4.605 320.39                     0.052  4.705 308.11
 Qualified:             #2  4.563 326.56                       #15  4.686 291.35

Ancona out of the gate first and Dixon was able to chase him down around half track to take the win by just over a car length. Dixon will have lane choice over Russell in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink