Fri, 10 Oct 2003, 02:17 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Rick Green

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 18th annual O'Reilly Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Brandon Pierce Runs 5.879/207.27, Now #1
Right Lane: Denny Hummel Runs 6.661/140.07, Now #2

Current weather conditions: 72 degrees, 77 percent relative humidity, the barometer 29.88 inches, with a track temperature of 99 degrees under sunny skies.

Chess Bushey is here helping Brandon Pierce. Pierce labored off the starting line and then started dropping cylinders on the top end.

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Left Lane: Chris Ricketts Runs 5.760/247.04, Now #1
Right Lane: Mike Bowers Runs 9.922/82.04, Now #4

Ricketts dropped cylinders right off the starting line and never picked them back up. Bowers with problems early in the run and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Gene Snow Runs 5.474/245.76, Now #1
Right Lane: Bruce Bowler Runs 5.562/252.80, Now #2

Snow with nice looking pass and Bowler was right there with him.

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Left Lane: Larry Traugott Runs 5.626/244.83, Now #4
Right Lane: James Thompson Runs 5.550/255.82, Now #2

Thompson with a good looking pass here.

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Left Lane: Shelly Howard Runs 5.635/237.40, Now #6
Right Lane: Bill Reichert Runs 5.480/267.77, Now #2

Howard drove through a lot of tire shake but still got down the track. Reichert with a good clean pass.

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Left Lane: David Wells Runs 5.900/184.38, Now #9
Right Lane: Glen Woosley Runs 6.777/193.54, Now #11

It looks like Wells used up an engine as there was a lot of engine smoke on the top end.

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Left Lane: Douglas Foley Runs 10.712/69.50, Now #14
Right Lane: Darryl Hitchman Runs 5.807/250.20, Now #8

Foley with a lot of tire shake right off the starting line and clicked it off. Hitchman with a nice clean pass to get into the top half of the show.

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Left Lane: Karl Brounkowski Runs 5.652/261.55, Now #8
Right Lane: Ed Schmeeckle Runs 5.588/251.11, Now #5

Keith Stark is helping Brounkowski and he laid down a nice looking pass. Schmeeckle launched hard and drove on through to get into the top half of the show.

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Left Lane: Carl Magee Runs 6.713/199.77, Now #15
Right Lane: Steve Federlin Runs 5.522/256.99, Now #3

Federlin was straight down Broadway.

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Left Lane: Alan Bradshaw Runs 5.504/249.23, Now #3
Right Lane: James Copeland II Runs 5.759/249.93, Now #11

Bradshaw dropped some cylinders just past half track.

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Left Lane: Lee Callaway Runs 5.773/191.24, Now #14
Right Lane: Marty Thacker Runs 5.551/259.66, Now #6

Thacker drove through a lot of tire shake right off the starting line. The bump is now Pierce with a 5.879.

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Left Lane: Todd Datweiler Runs 5.455/261.24, Now #2
Right Lane: Tony Bartone Runs 5.450/260.26, Now #1

This a great looking drag race here both keeping them lit and stuck to the track for the number one and two spot.

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Left Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 5.362/263.69, Now #1

Lucas goes to the top of the field with a great looking pass here. That wraps up round one and Ricketts is on the bump with a 5.570 seconds.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink