Sun, 8 Jun 2008, 10:58 AM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

JOLIET, Ill. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 11th annual Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Duane Shields                         499 Brandon Lewis                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.063  5.409 256.41                     0.054  5.806 247.79
 Qualified:             #1  5.295 260.46                       #16  5.453 258.27

9:27 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 82 degrees, relative humidity 67 percent, barometer 29.17 inches, adjusted altitude 3,381 feet, track temperature 96 degrees.

Lewis had a hole out all the way through the run. Shields goes right down the groove for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  681 Shawn Cowie                             2 Thomas Bayer                 
E1                   0.084  5.404 264.13     ****WINNER****  0.036  5.405 261.88
 Qualified:             #4  5.333 268.54                       #13  5.444 260.81

This is the first meeting between these two at a national event. Bayer gets out of the gate first and hangs on for the hole-shot win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 Brandon Pierce                          3 Morgan Lucas                 
E1                   0.055  5.480 269.35     ****WINNER****  0.064  5.443 263.31
 Qualified:            #15  5.452 269.83                        #2  5.327 269.73

Lucas is 79-27 in his alcohol career at national events. Lucas rattles the tires off the line, pedals once, then pulls away from Pierce for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Jim Whiteley                           51 Richard Putz                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.070  5.366 264.44                    -0.021  5.555 226.51
 Qualified:             #3  5.329 267.16                       #14  5.447 260.66

Whiteley was number four in the world last year. This is his 15th national event start. Putz was number one in division five last year.

Putz is a little too quick off the line, Whiteley goes right down the groove with the quickest run of the session so far.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  471 Aaron Tatum                           311 Jeff Bohr                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.145  5.354 266.95                     0.097  5.493 263.67
 Qualified:             #5  5.361 269.46                       #12  5.441 265.27

Bohr rattles the tires off the line, drives through it, but Tatum was long gone. Tatum goes right down the groove and makes the quickest pass of the session so far.

Tatum has problems stopping the car and goes into the sand at the end of the track.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Marty Thacker                           1 Bill Reichert                
E1                   0.052  5.455 263.67     ****WINNER****  0.066  5.329 267.64
 Qualified:            #11  5.433 265.69                        #6  5.404 264.18

Thacker gets out of the gate first, then Reichert starts to reel him in and drives around before they get to the half-way mark.

Bill Reichert's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.011), 330 ft(-0.009), 660ft(0.040), 1,000ft(0.091). MOV: 0.1124 seconds (approximately 43 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 John Finke                              7 Spencer Massey               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.288  5.329 269.89                     0.056  5.570 264.86
 Qualified:            #10  5.427 257.87                        #7  5.405 274.78

Finke rolls in deep then leaves the line late. Massey was way out in front at the 60-foot mark, but Finke started closing in quickly. Finke finally gets around him just past the 1000-foot mark and hangs on for the win.

John Finke's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.253), 330 ft(-0.151), 660ft(-0.054), 1,000ft(-0.008). MOV: 0.0092 seconds (approximately 4 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  596 Randy Meyer                            35 Noah Condo                   
E1                   0.007  5.605 237.42     ****WINNER****  0.052  5.458 262.33
 Qualified:             #9  5.426 253.14                        #8  5.420 263.77

Meyer gets the hole-shot, then starts to skate around. He gets past half-track, loses a cylinder or two, then Condo drives around him to take the win.

in the next round it will be Shields with lane choice over Condo, Tatum vs. Bayer, Finke vs. Lucas, and Reichert vs. Whiteley.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink