Sun, 14 Sep 2008, 02:38 PM Top Fuel Round 2 Eliminations

By Rick Green

CONCORD, N.C. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Doug Herbert                           48 Hillary Will                 
E2                   0.055  3.974 303.91     ****WINNER****  0.072  3.944 311.20
 Prior rounds:
E1    (M Lucas     ) 0.032  3.930 314.39      (B Vandergrif) 0.097  3.945 310.55
 Qualified:             #5  3.870 311.49                        #4  3.869 315.12

Weather conditions: air temperature 88 degrees, relative humidity 50 percent, barometer 29.23 inches, adjusted altitude 3,602 feet, track temperature 122 degrees.

Seven from the Top Ten are still alive including these two. Will is 4 - 2 against Herbert in prior events. Herbert with the starting line advantage, but will has the difference made up by the time they went by the Christmas Tree. Herbert then has the lead at half track, but will drives back around him on the top end. Hillary Will's MOV: 0.0137 seconds (approximately 6 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Rod Fuller                            123 Antron Brown                 
E2                   0.102 10.057  70.68     ****WINNER****  0.071  4.071 274.00
 Prior rounds:
E1    (D Kalitta   ) 0.045  3.942 308.35      (T Buff      ) 0.053  3.915 302.28
 Qualified:            #11  3.889 304.60                        #3  3.865 311.20

Brown is 2 - 0 against Fuller in prior events. A couple more from the Top Ten here. Fuller is up in smoke as soon as he hits the throttle. Brown's engine started eating itself up on the top end, but holds on for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 J.R. Todd                             796 Cory McClenathan             
E2                   0.068  8.013  98.66     ****WINNER****  0.072  3.882 314.53
 Prior rounds:
E1    (B Bernstein ) 0.055  4.335 236.55      (C Millican  ) 0.096  3.877 314.24
 Qualified:            #10  3.883 312.93                        #2  3.863 312.13

McClenathan is 4 - 2 against Todd in prior events. Todd is up in smoke as soon as he hits the throttle to end his weekend. McClenathan with the quickest pass of the round to move into the semifinals with lane choice over Brown.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   91 Larry Dixon                             1 Tony Schumacher              
E2                   0.035  4.262 256.21     ****WINNER****  0.043  3.915 308.71
 Prior rounds:
E1    (D Foley     ) 0.054  3.887 307.93      (D Grubnic   ) 0.067  3.873 315.93
 Qualified:             #1  3.846 310.20                        #9  3.879 306.19

Dixon is 26 - 25 against Schumacher in prior events, and 10 - 9 in round two meetings. This is a match up of the No. 1 and 2 drivers in the Countdown to 1. Dixon was out of the gate first and was up in smoke by 330 feet, and Schumacher just keeps on marching with 26 straight round wins. He will have lane choice over Will in the semifinal.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink