Sat, 15 Nov 2008, 05:32 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 44th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  499 Brandon Lewis                           5 Duane Shields                
E1                   0.054  5.461 257.53     ****WINNER****  0.037  5.374 269.03
 Qualified:            #12  5.416 249.03                        #5  5.374 269.40

1:54 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 84 degrees, relative humidity 17 percent, barometer 28.89 inches, adjusted altitude 3,118 feet, track temperature 101 degrees.

The top sixteen of twenty-two dragster will face each other this round. Shields has been the runner up here twice, including last year. He's 4-0 against Lewis

Shields matches his qualifying ET and nearly the MPH to take a decisive two car win over Lewis. Nice pass to start the session

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  681 Shawn Cowie                          4009 Kimmelyn Buff Pesz           
E1   ****WINNER****  0.073  5.484 262.49                     0.201  5.666 232.27
 Qualified:             #9  5.392 265.74                        #8  5.392 266.16

This will be Pesz's forth start at a National Event. She is way late and then has to pump it near mid-track in a losing effort. Great looking pass for Cowie in the tough conditions.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7444 Del Cox Jr.                           744 Courtney Force               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.074  5.637 251.81                     0.091  6.103 251.67
 Qualified:            #14  5.433 266.85                        #3  5.282 263.62

This is Force's best ever qualifying position and she will potentially face her sister in the next round. Well, that was ugly with the engine dropping cylinder all the way down the track. Cox makes the most of it for the easy win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Marty Thacker                           4 Jim Whiteley                 
E1                  -0.012  5.339 267.48     ****WINNER****  0.058  5.358 269.46
 Qualified:             #7  5.389 264.60                       #10  5.408 265.74

This will be the first time these two top quality blown dragster have met in eliminations. It's over immediately with a -0.012 red light for Thacker. He runs quicker than Whiteley to boot. Whitely has a lot of shake, but still cards the best winning pass of the round, so far.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   73 Cody Perkins                          745 Brittany Force               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.061  5.357 264.49                     0.073  5.552 254.71
 Qualified:             #6  5.388 261.98                       #11  5.416 265.80

Perkins is off the line first and stays there from wire to wire, running better than his qualifying times. Force's car was dropping cylinder and couldn't match his pace. Perkins will have lane choice over Cox in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   74 Chris Demke                           613 Joey Severance               
E1                   0.058  5.477 223.25     ****WINNER****  0.000  5.409 266.00
 Qualified:             #4  5.340 261.88                       #13  5.424 264.08

Severance does a bad job of red lighting with a perfect 0.000 RT. Demke is lucky to keep the shiny on the car, as he drifts hard towards the guard rail and just missing scrapping the headers at mid-track. Severance will give up lane choice to Shields.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  777 Mark Niver                            734 Johnny Ahten                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.144  8.612 118.48                           No Time      
 Qualified:            #15  5.459 264.65                        #2  5.279 260.86

Ahten weekend goes from penthouse to outhouse, when the engine develops a tremendous fuel leak. The crew chief was standing in a big puddle of Nitro trying to stem the tide. He is finally told to shut it off and is pulled away. Niver must have know that he couldn't get lane choice, as he does a short burst and clicks it early.

Whiteley will keep lane choice in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7008 Bobby Mirizio                           1 Bill Reichert                
E1                   0.050  5.386 264.55     ****WINNER****  0.083  5.263 273.72
 Qualified:            #16  5.471 263.10                        #1  5.257 271.19

2:18 p.m.After a brief delay to clean up the fuel soaked asphalt behind the right lane burn out box, the last pair of round one comes to life. Mirizio gives Reichert a run for his money with better reaction and three-thirty foot times. The fueler gets by just after mid-track and pulls steadily ahead on the top end.

Bill Reichert's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.052), 330 ft(-0.075), 660ft(-0.012), 1,000ft(0.054). MOV: 0.0904 seconds (approximately 35 feet).

Reichert's big time ET will ensure lane choice over Cowie in the next round tomorrow.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink