Sun, 12 Oct 2008, 01:20 PM Top Fuel Round 2 Eliminations

By Rick Green

DINWIDDIE, Va. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Third annual Virginia NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Bob Vandergriff                       743 Morgan Lucas                 
E2                   0.059  6.608  88.70     ****WINNER****  0.074  3.861 308.85
 Prior rounds:
E1    (D Kalitta   ) 0.076  3.885 309.77      (C McClenatha) 0.095  3.881 309.70
 Qualified:            #12  3.873 308.00                       #13  3.890 307.30

Weather conditions: air temperature 72 degrees, relative humidity 60 percent, barometer 30.26 inches, adjusted altitude 1,162 feet, track temperature 95 degrees.

Lucas is 5 - 2 against Vandergriff in prior events. Vandergriff is up in smoke right off the starting line, and Lucas marches on.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   44 David Grubnic                          48 Hillary Will                 
E2                   0.100  3.882 302.14     ****WINNER****  0.072  3.877 306.12
 Prior rounds:
E1    (R Fuller    ) 0.047  3.848 313.00      (T Zizzo     ) 0.100  3.850 310.27
 Qualified:            #10  3.837 306.26                        #2  3.799 315.49

Grubnic is 3 - 2 against Will in prior events. Will with the starting line advantage and never looked back. Hillary Will's MOV: 0.0330 seconds (approximately 15 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 J.R. Todd                               6 Doug Herbert                 
E2                   0.092  3.845 312.42     ****WINNER****  0.094  3.831 302.55
 Prior rounds:
E1    (L Dixon     ) 0.071  3.822 315.27      (T Boychuk   ) 0.088  3.789 317.27
 Qualified:            #11  3.845 311.77                        #3  3.814 310.63

Herbert is 5 - 2 against Todd in prior events. Todd with a slight starting line advantage and the lead until around 330 feet, and then it is Herbert. Doug Herbert's MOV: 0.0127 seconds (approximately 6 feet). Herbert will have lane choice over Will in the semifinals.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Tony Schumacher                       123 Antron Brown                 
E2   ****WINNER****  0.073  3.779 318.54                     0.066  3.847 300.20
 Prior rounds:
E1    (S Palmer    ) 0.094  3.783 317.42      (B Bernstein ) 0.065  3.803 314.90
 Qualified:             #1  3.771 317.05                        #8  3.823 308.57

Schumacher is 5 - 1 against Brown in prior events. Brown with a slight starting line advantage, but then it is all Schumacher. Schumacher with the second quickest and the fastest pass in the 1000-foot era for the win light. Brown used up an engine right in the lights with a big fireball.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink