Sat, 20 Sep 2008, 06:34 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 6715 Doug Hegge                              6 Marty Thacker                
E1                   0.191  5.516 263.56     ****WINNER****  0.029  5.320 269.40
 Qualified:            #14  5.479 261.88                        #3  5.322 270.81

Weather conditions: air temperature 91 degrees, relative humidity 38 percent, barometer 29.45 inches, adjusted altitude 3,378 feet, track temperature 121 degrees.

Reichert is helping Hegge and he can help Reichert if he stops Thacker here. Thacker with a huge starting line advantage and his quickest pass of the weekend for the win. Hegge slows from his qualifying time in a losing effort. Marty Thacker's incremental times: 60ft-0.930 sec., 330ft-2.367, 660ft-3.504/217.77mph, 1,000ft-4.487

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  499 Brandon Lewis                         744 Courtney Force               
E1                   0.066 10.558  79.34     ****WINNER****  0.085  5.443 265.48
 Qualified:             #9  5.348 258.96                        #8  5.348 269.56

Lewis is up in smoke as soon as he hits the throttle, and pedaled it to go back up in smoke. Force with a nice clean pass and she gets here first ever National event round win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  469 Darvin Martinets                      471 Aaron Tatum                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.054  5.407 263.56                     0.062  5.604 261.52
 Qualified:            #10  5.414 264.60                        #7  5.342 273.44

Martinets, the runner-up from last year's event, is out of the the gate first and never looks back for the win. Tatum with his worst pass of the weekend in the lost.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   55 Jeff Hamelink                        7444 Del Cox Jr.                  
E1                         No Time           ****WINNER****  0.055  5.602 257.48
 Qualified:            #11  5.427 266.06                        #6  5.338 271.24

Hamelink is a no show. Cox Jr. gets the freebie here, but he will not get lane choice against Thacker tomorrow.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 4009 Kimmelyn Buff Pesz                     10 Brandon Pierce               
E1                   0.381  5.689 253.95     ****WINNER****  0.050  5.230 280.14
 Qualified:            #12  5.430 261.98                        #5  5.330 274.78

Pierce with huge starting line advantage and then runs a career best E.T. and mph with a great pass. This is the seventh fastest pass in the history of Top Alcohol Dragster. Brandon Pierce's incremental times: 60ft-0.930 sec., 330ft-2.407, 660ft-3.508/229.04mph, 1,000ft-4.435 He is only the fourth guy to run over 280 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7000 Darryl Hitchman                         7 Spencer Massey               
E1                   0.088  5.602 252.43     ****WINNER****  0.059  5.396 265.06
 Qualified:            #13  5.453 261.67                        #4  5.328 270.16

Massey with the starting line advantage and the win. He will give up lane choice to Pierce in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  465 Michael Manners                       440 Kate Harker                  
E1                   0.203  5.499 260.71     ****WINNER****  0.087  5.612 256.45
 Qualified:            #15  5.491 261.93                        #2  5.306 261.12

Harker with a huge starting line advantage and the power to hold on for the hole shot win. She dropped cylinders on the right side all the way down the 1320. Kate Harker's MOV: 0.0033 seconds (approximately 15 inches). She will give up lane choice to Martinets in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Jim Whiteley                          412 David Brounkowski            
E1   ****WINNER****  0.066  5.275 270.16                     0.088  6.021 248.71
 Qualified:             #1  5.278 271.08                       #16  5.496 257.58

Whiteley with the starting line advantage and the quickest pass of the event for the win and lane choice against Force. Brounkowski was dropping cylinders as soon as he hit the throttle. Jim Whiteley's incremental times: 60ft-0.895 sec., 330ft-2.333, 660ft-3.467/218.09mph, 1,000ft-4.445

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink