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Sat, 14 Nov 2009, 10:16 PM

Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 45th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   72 Chris Demke                             5 Duane Shields                
E1                   0.017  5.322 268.33     ****WINNER****  0.059  5.213 268.71
 Qualified:            #12  5.346 265.43                        #5  5.306 271.95

6:44 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 69 degrees, relative humidity 45 percent, barometer 28.87 inches, adjusted altitude 2,410 feet, track temperature 66 degrees.
Demke gets a great advantage off the line and holds off a charging Shields until after mid-track. It's Fuel power after that and he takes the car length win improving on his qualifying times.
Duane Shields' MOV: 0.0675 seconds (approximately 27 feet).
Duane Shields' incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.042), 330 ft(-0.061), 660ft(-0.005), 1,000ft(0.050). MOV: 0.0675 seconds (approximately 27 feet).

Chris Demke's incremental times: 60ft-0.921 sec., 330ft-2.350, 660ft-3.498/215.62 mph, 1,000ft-4.484.
Duane Shields' incremental times: 60ft-0.921 sec., 330ft-2.369, 660ft-3.461/229.39 mph, 1,000ft-4.392.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  800 Derek Flynn                           734 Johnny Ahten                 
E1                  -0.123  5.330 263.20     ****WINNER****  0.023 10.202  89.49
 Qualified:            #15  5.366 260.01                        #2  5.256 269.78

CA vs. UK!
Ouch, Flynn goes red by -0.123 and thunders on down the track anyway to improve on his qualifying times.

Ahten has problems at the green and quickly shuts the fueler down. No lane choice for him!


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  745 Brittany Force                        613 Joey Severance               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.069  5.406 269.51                     0.014  5.728 183.62
 Qualified:             #7  5.311 270.75                       #10  5.337 265.59

Fueler and Blown Alcohol to the line.
Severance gets a big lead off the line and stays in front until after the 1000 foot lights, where the car slows.
Force would not have caught him on a full pass, I believe.
She will have lane choice over Ahten tomorrow.
Brittany Force's MOV: 0.2671 seconds (approximately 72 feet).
Brittany Force's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.122), 330 ft(-0.204), 660ft(-0.221), 1,000ft(-0.056). MOV: 0.2671 seconds (approximately 72 feet).

Brittany Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.956 sec., 330ft-2.463, 660ft-3.611/218.16 mph, 1,000ft-4.578.
Joey Severance's incremental times: 60ft-0.889 sec., 330ft-2.314, 660ft-3.445/214.89 mph, 1,000ft-4.577.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Shawn Cowie                          4843 Monroe Guest                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.050  5.370 267.27                     0.048  5.478 261.52
 Qualified:            #16  5.376 267.00                        #1  5.193 274.00

Another "odd couple" match up.
Upset! Guest is just off the line first and is in front until after the sixty foot lights. The car starts to move around and he has to chase the front end the rest of the way down the track and it costs him.
Cowie got on by and pulled steadily away for a two car length win.
Shawn Cowie's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.027), 330 ft(0.033), 660ft(0.113), 1,000ft(0.101). MOV: 0.1064 seconds (approximately 41 feet).

Shawn Cowie's incremental times: 60ft-0.946 sec., 330ft-2.391, 660ft-3.538/215.62 mph, 1,000ft-4.528.
Monroe Guest's incremental times: 60ft-0.921 sec., 330ft-2.426, 660ft-3.653/210.80 mph, 1,000ft-4.631.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Jim Whiteley                          777 Mark Niver                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.019  5.344 270.59                     0.077  5.684 200.26
 Qualified:             #9  5.335 270.37                        #8  5.322 265.12

It Whiteley from start to finish, as he gets a way first and hold the lead until near the thousand foot mark, when he jumps ahead for a big lead at the finish line.
Niver keeps the pace through the middle of the track, but the fueler pulled steadily towards the center line and he had to finally lift.
Jim Whiteley's incremental times: 60ft-0.939 sec., 330ft-2.399, 660ft-3.537/217.98 mph, 1,000ft-4.513.
Mark Niver's incremental times: 60ft-0.935 sec., 330ft-2.421, 660ft-3.560/211.43 mph, 1,000ft-4.632.

Whiteley will have lane choice over Cowie in round two.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  744 Courtney Force                       6610 Brandon Johnson              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.158  5.630 266.32                     0.007  6.674 185.41
 Qualified:             #6  5.306 263.72                       #11  5.344 268.44

Johnson gets a major lead at the green and is well out in front until just before mid-track where his car makes a violent move towards the wall and he just is able to miss it.
Force thunders on by at that point for an easy win.
Courtney Force's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.131), 330 ft(-0.225), 660ft(0.223), 1,000ft(0.598). MOV: 0.8936 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Courtney Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.927 sec., 330ft-2.601, 660ft-3.806/212.96 mph, 1,000ft-4.790.
Brandon Johnson's incremental times: 60ft-0.947 sec., 330ft-2.527, 660ft-4.180/131.95 mph, 1,000ft-5.539.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Bill Reichert                         465 Michael Manners              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.087  5.350 266.95                     0.112  7.389 120.95
 Qualified:             #4  5.289 267.43                       #13  5.355 269.19

Manners is late and then has handling issue down track. He tries pumping the throttle to straighten it out. It doesn't work and he slows.
Reichert keeps the lead and gets an easy, but vital win. He will give up lane choice to Shields in the next round.

Bill Reichert's incremental times: 60ft-0.946 sec., 330ft-2.430, 660ft-3.560/222.03 mph, 1,000ft-4.518.
Michael Manners' incremental times: 60ft-1.012 sec., 330ft-2.585, 660ft-4.032/152.76 mph, 1,000ft-5.664.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  748 Hillary Will                         7338 Brian Smith                  
E1                   0.111  6.284 221.45     ****WINNER****  0.075  5.519 253.56
 Qualified:             #3  5.268 273.05                       #14  5.355 267.48

Will's fueler is second off the line and starts dropping cylinders after the 330 mark.
Smith has a big advantage at the green and stays there. Looks like problems down track and he slows some on the top end.
Hillary Will's incremental times: 60ft-0.970 sec., 330ft-2.898, 660ft-4.247/191.40 mph, 1,000ft-5.331.
Brian Smith's incremental times: 60ft-0.951 sec., 330ft-2.460, 660ft-3.648/212.83 mph, 1,000ft-4.645.
Smitch will have lane choice in tomorrow's round two.

7:10 p.m.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink