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Fri, 13 Nov 2009, 06:40 PM

Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 45th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time/top speed this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time/speed, and position in order prior to run:

Left Lane: Del Cox Jr No Time, Now #24; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Ron August Runs 4.125/291.01, Now #13; No Prior Run

2:38 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 70 degrees, relative humidity 41 percent, barometer 28.68 inches, adjusted altitude 2,658 feet, track temperature 84 degrees.

Urs Erbacher is on the bump spot at 4.033.

Cox's car can't even do the burnout and has to be pushed away.

August gets a full pull, but not good enough to get into the show.

Left Lane: Steven Chrisman Runs 7.163/94.24, Now #18; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Chris Karamesines Runs 3.897/308.57, Now #7; No Prior Run

Chrisman basically repeats his pass from yesterday and blows off the tires after the sixty foot lights.

The Golden Greek gives himself a great 81st Birthday present with a career best ET and MPH. He's in his eighties and the car runs in the eighties. There is a bunch of smoke in the lights and the car doesn't want to declutch, after stopping on the track. After a short time, the track guys are able to drag the car off the track.

Left Lane: Thomas Nataas No Time, Now #23; Best prior run: 12.158/72.33, Was #23
Right Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 8.658/77.36, Now #22; Best prior run: 8.330/82.90, Was #22

Nataas' parachute drops out on the starting line and he is done for this round.

Langdon's car has a 0.861 sixty foot time and then shakes.

Left Lane: Lex Joon No Time, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.349/205.01, Was #15
Right Lane: Troy Buff Runs 4.004/289.63, Now #11; Best prior run: 8.099/91.57, Was #21

Joon's day goes from OK to really bad, as the car leaves hard with a 0.974 sixty foot time and then drifts steadily towards the guardrail. He bounces off just before the 1000 foot lights and continues on down the track. The clocks show a 3.952 @ 260.15 MPH, but that will be DQ'ed. Definitely "white walled" the rear tire, with other damage yet to be determined.

Buff has a boomer in the lights, after he runs a 0.870 sixty foot and not so good incrementals.

Left Lane: Urs Erbacher Runs 3.994/290.26, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.033/270.97, Was #14
Right Lane: Stig Neergaard Runs 6.299/96.18, Now #18; Best prior run: 8.086/82.96, Was #21

2:57 p.m. Scott Palmer is on the bump spot at 4.009.

Two more of the European racers to the line. Erbacher makes a nice pass until near the lights, where the car makes a Joon-like move towards the wall. He brings it back into the groove and then has a wall of smoke from the engine. Still good enough for the new #11 position.

Neergaard has the better 0.872 sixty foot number and then shakes and spins. He coasts on down.

Left Lane: Scott Palmer Runs 4.044/276.97, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.009/261.88, Was #13
Right Lane: Mike Strasburg Runs 3.999/303.23, Now #12; Best prior run: 7.362/94.91, Was #21

Troy Buff is on the bump spot at 4.004.

Both cars get down the track, but Strasburg is the only one to improve into the new bump spot.

Left Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 3.832/312.28, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.919/309.49, Was #9
Right Lane: David Grubnic Runs 3.914/317.42, Now #10; Best prior run: 6.914/88.06, Was #20

Mike Strasburg is on the bump spot at 3.999. Interesting change in the Budweiser car just before the burnout. The crew has quickly removed the "Wicker Bill" from the back of the car to "loosen" it up down track.

Looks like it worked well, as the car runs hard from start to finish. Ironically, they make up most of their improvements before the 660 lights. He is now the new #2 qualifier.

Grubnic's numbers wer slower all the way down the track, but The Hawaiian Industries fueler runs the new top speed of the meet. Good enough for the current #10 position.

Brandon Bernstein's incremental times: 60ft-0.849 sec., 330ft-2.152, 660ft-3.060/278.46 mph.
David Grubnic's incremental times: 60ft-0.858 sec., 330ft-2.227, 660ft-3.149/276.46 mph.

Left Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 3.973/278.58, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.909/303.84, Was #9
Right Lane: Antron Brown Runs 3.853/313.88, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.592/158.48, Was #19

Urs Erbacher is back on the bump spot at 3.994.

Lots of funny flames and flashes from Lucas' car and he takes the long way to the finish line.

After breaking an input shaft yesterday, Brown hits most of the numbers well on this pass and pushes Lucas down a spot. He moves into the top half of the field. Not a home run, but good enough for today.

Morgan Lucas' incremental times: 60ft-0.851 sec., 330ft-2.183, 660ft-3.131/263.72 mph.
Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.868 sec., 330ft-2.170, 660ft-3.082/276.97 mph.

Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 7.149/80.75, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.881/308.99, Was #7
Right Lane: Tim Cullinan Runs 4.163/283.67, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.027/285.35, Was #17

Spencer Massey is on the bump spot at 3.922.

Too much too soon for Vandergriff and the car strikes the tires before the 330 lights.

No joy for Cullinan either, as his car struggles to the lights.

Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 5.226/128.37, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.838/316.38, Was #5
Right Lane: Spencer Massey Runs 3.809/317.94, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.922/308.14, Was #12

Not the typical spot for Massey in round two of qualifying. McClenathan is looking better in the current #5 position.

Cory Mac has a strong 0.847 sixty foot time and then smokes the tires hard near the 330 lights to slow.

Massey has the power and the tune up to run right down Broadway into the new top spot with best MPH to boot! Nice run.

Spencer Massey's incremental times: 60ft-0.845 sec., 330ft-2.149, 660ft-3.049/280.49 mph.

Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 7.898/54.24, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.836/316.82, Was #5
Right Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 4.729/160.06, Now #9; Best prior run: 3.891/306.53, Was #9

Final four for today! David Grubnic is on the bump spot at 3.914.

Both cars have a good leave and then the left lane captures another run, as Kalitta smokes them hard at about the 330 lights.

Torrence was on a good pass until after the 660 lights, where the car starts to move around a bunch, doing some strong Tail Wags.

Neither car will improve.

Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 5.255/125.97, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.832/316.52, Was #2
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 3.801/318.99, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.833/314.31, Was #4

Well, Dixon makes the point chase even more challenging with a terrific pass into the new top spot with the number one spot on the ladder, top speed, and a tie for the seventh fastest pass in thousand foot history. By my calculations, that puts Dixon out in front by one point with two more qualifying sessions to go tomorrow.

Schumacher loses his lead for today, when the slicks are up in smoke in the dreaded left lane.

Larry Dixon's incremental times: 60ft-0.844 sec., 330ft-2.141, 660ft-3.043/280.89 mph.

3:22 p.m. David Grubnic is on the bump spot at 3.914.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink