Sun, 21 Sep 2008, 04:48 PM Top Fuel Round 3 Eliminations

By Rick Green

ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 3 eliminations in Top Fuel 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
    7 J.R. Todd                               3 Brandon Bernstein            
E3   ****WINNER****  0.082  4.532 235.39                     0.091  6.729 113.67
 Prior rounds:
E2    (H Will      ) 0.080  3.934 305.22      (A Brown     ) 0.072  3.965 296.24
E1    (S Massey    ) 0.078  3.911 310.13      (D Herbert   ) 0.076  3.894 311.49
 Qualified:             #6  3.874 307.72                        #2  3.842 315.19

Weather conditions: air temperature 90 degrees, relative humidity 40 percent, barometer 29.50 inches, adjusted altitude 3,235 feet, track temperature 126 degrees.

Todd with the starting line advantage, and then Bernstein is up in smoke as soon as he hits the throttle. He pedals it at least three time and never gets it to hook up. Todd lost traction around 150 feet and he pedaled and got to hook for a short distance and then lost traction one more time and pedaled it once more. Todd holds on for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Tony Schumacher                       796 Cory McClenathan             
E3   ****WINNER****  0.091  4.025 273.66                     0.098  4.646 173.45
 Prior rounds:
E2    (L Dixon     ) 0.071  3.914 310.34      (C Millican  ) 0.094  3.968 294.37
E1    (R Fuller    ) 0.054  3.898 312.57      (J Hartley   ) 0.111  3.887 307.16
 Qualified:             #8  3.880 310.98                        #5  3.866 313.00

Schumacher with the slight starting line advantage and then McClenathan started to haze the tires around 200 feet. McClenathan drove through the tire haze and then started to spin the tires again Schumacher with just whisp of tire smoke on the top end. Schumacher just continues to rewrite the record book. With his win last round he set the record for most round wins in Top Fuel in one season, and now as he advances to his eight consecutive Top Fuel final round he sets that record, and the most Top Fuel final rounds in a season 15.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink