Sun, 2 Nov 2008, 02:30 PM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

LAS VEGAS - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Eighth annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Brandon Bernstein                     255 Clay Millican                
E1                   0.063  3.872 312.93     ****WINNER****  0.035  3.878 311.85
 Qualified:             #8  3.864 313.00                        #9  3.865 314.53

Weather conditions: air temperature 76 degrees, relative humidity 36 percent, barometer 27.77 inches, adjusted altitude 4,158 feet, track temperature 99 degrees.

Bernstein is 6 - 2 against Millican in prior events. They have only met twice in round one and Bernstein won both of them, and they have only raced once this season and Bernstein won that one. Millican with the starting line advantage and the power to hold on for the hole shot win. Clay Millican's MOV: 0.0223 seconds (approximately 10 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 J.R. Todd                              44 David Grubnic                
E1                   0.056  4.068 307.65     ****WINNER****  0.045  3.976 297.81
 Qualified:             #7  3.864 313.37                       #10  3.874 308.99

Todd is 6 - 3 against Grubnic in prior events, they have met four time in round one and they each have two wins. This is only the second time this year have raced and Todd won that one. Grubnic with a great light, but then dropped a cylinder, but still drives to the win. Todd was real loose on the top end.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   48 Hillary Will                           22 Doug Kalitta                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.028  3.877 311.77                     0.063  3.924 306.81
 Qualified:             #6  3.861 303.84                       #11  3.894 309.27

Kalitta is 7 - 1 against Will in prior events, and 4 - 1 in round one meetings. They have met twice this year and they have each won once. Will with a great reaction time and blast on through the 1000 feet and has the quickest winning E.T. of the round so far. Kalitta with a nice pass in a losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Rod Fuller                            666 Tim Boychuk                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.074  3.829 317.72                     0.069  3.963 292.90
 Qualified:             #3  3.816 318.39                       #14  3.919 297.75

This is the first time Fuller and Boychuk have faced each other in eliminations. Fuller with a great looking pass to take the win light. This is the fourth fastest pass in the 1000-foot era. Boychuk with a nice pass in a losing effort. Fuller will have lane choice over Will in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Tony Schumacher                       524 Joe Hartley                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.073  3.824 316.52                     0.052  6.648 102.29
 Qualified:             #1  3.781 316.60                       #16  3.952 299.26

Schumacher is 4 - 1 against Hartley in prior events. Schumacher won the Full Throttle award this weekend. He qualified No. 1 for the eighth time this year and 55th time in his career. Hartley with a starting line advantage and then got out of the groove and clicked it off. Schumacher had the difference made up by the time they went by the Christmas tree. Schumacher with the quickest pass of the round and he will have lane choice over Millican in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  123 Antron Brown                          497 Troy Buff                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.068  3.843 315.34                    -0.035  3.928 299.86
 Qualified:             #2  3.812 315.49                       #15  3.935 300.26

Brown is 1 - 0 against Buff in prior events. Buff was too quick on the tree and turned on the red, but runs his quickest pass of the weekend. Brown with a great looking pass for the win and he will have lane choice over Grubnic in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  796 Cory McClenathan                      743 Morgan Lucas                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.093  3.859 310.63                     0.037  3.967 299.13
 Qualified:             #5  3.852 314.17                       #12  3.895 307.86

McClenathan is 7 - 4 against Lucas in prior events, but Lucas holds a 4 - 1 advantage in round one meetings. McClenathan holds a 3 - 1 advantage in '08 meetings. Lucas with a great light and the lead until just about 400 feet. Cory Mac was just a few ticks off his qualifying pace in a great win. Cory McClenathan's MOV: 0.0521 seconds (approximately 23 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   91 Larry Dixon                          3516 Terry McMillen               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.055  3.845 313.37                     0.051  4.638 167.38
 Qualified:             #4  3.831 313.88                       #13  3.918 307.86

This is the first time Dixon and McMillen have faced each other in eliminations. McMillen was mixing up cylinders early and then banged the blower around half track. Dixon with a great pass, straight down the groove into round two. He will have lane choice over McClenathan in round two.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink