Sat, 28 Jun 2008, 10:16 AM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Larry Sullivan

NORWALK, Ohio - Notes from final, round 2 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Second annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time/top speed this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time/speed, and position in order prior to run:

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Left Lane: Robin Samsel Runs 5.493/245.67, Now #4; Best prior run: 24.215/27.71, Was #14
Right Lane: Mike Kosky Runs 5.580/243.19, Now #6; No Prior Run

9:51 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 70 percent, barometer 28.86 inches, adjusted altitude 3,329 feet, track temperature 87 degrees.

Yesterday Kosky blew an oil line off on the burnout and did not get a time and Samsel ost traction right at the starting line.

Both took care of business today, making clean, straight runs.

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Left Lane: Jeff Veale Runs 5.919/238.64, Now #13; Best prior run: 6.379/228.46, Was #14
Right Lane: Brandon Lewis Runs 5.668/236.55, Now #10; Best prior run: 8.704/131.63, Was #15

Lewis dropped a cylinder on the right side fairly early in the run. Veale struggled early, but managed tio get under six seconds.

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Left Lane: Jared Dreher Runs 5.745/237.55, Now #12; Best prior run: 6.369/231.52, Was #15
Right Lane: Randy Meyer Runs 6.106/250.00, Now #15; Best prior run: 6.207/238.17, Was #14

Meyer shook, dropped cylinder, and it was not a pretty run. Dreher made a nice run, leapfrogged Meyer on the ladder.

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Left Lane: Bill Evans Runs 5.552/261.22, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.733/255.34, Was #11
Right Lane: Tim Bowgren Runs 5.616/249.63, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.898/226.73, Was #13

Nothimng spectacular, but both drivers improved a couple tenths or more from yesterday.

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Left Lane: Dave Hirata Runs 5.635/249.44, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.611/255.68, Was #9
Right Lane: Tom Conway No Time, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.564/255.92, Was #6

Conway made a very good-looking run, but left before the tree was activated so we'll never know how good it was. Hirata waited for the tree, than ran slightly slower than he did yesterday.

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Left Lane: Dave Weber Runs 7.099/130.83, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.599/248.16, Was #8
Right Lane: Marty Thacker Runs 5.462/262.79, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.449/263.26, Was #2

Weber gopt very sideways and lifted in the middle of the run. Thacker made a good-looking run, right down the groove.

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Left Lane: Bill Reichert Runs 5.412/267.06, Now #1; No Prior Run

Reichert made an off-pace (for him) pass yesterday, but flunked the fuel check (the official hydrometer said it was over 96 percent) and he needed this pass just to get into the field.

No big deal (assuming his fuel passes today), he went right to the top of the list on a clean, straight pass.

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Left Lane: Noah Condo Runs 12.243/64.64, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.465/260.97, Was #3

Condo chattered the tires and the RPMs went way up, so he clicked it off.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink