Sun, 15 Nov 2009, 02:46 PM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations |
By David Gerard |
POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel 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 34 Morgan Lucas 44 David Grubnic E1 ****WINNER**** 0.043 3.880 309.06 0.073 9.163 79.91 Qualified: #8 3.844 310.48 #9 3.852 307.4411:01 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 68 degrees, relative humidity 37 percent, barometer 29.04 inches, adjusted altitude 2,050 feet, track temperature 86 degrees.
A beautiful day at Pomona with a clear blue sky and moderate temperatures.Grubnic has an eight to six win advantage over Lucas, with only one first round loss.
Grubnic's day ends immediately at the gree with instant tire smoke. Great looking pass for Lucas to set the pace for eliminations.
Morgan
Lucas' incremental times: 60ft-0.858 sec., 330ft-2.179, 660ft-3.101/274.27 mph.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
3 Cory McClenathan 12 Bob Vandergriff
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.085 4.437 178.00 0.044 9.329 80.90
Qualified: #7 3.838 316.38 #10 3.881 308.99
McClenathan has faced Vandergriff twenty-two times before and has a 15-7 win advantage.
Vandergriff has the first round advantage with a 7-6 record.After watching the first pair, Cory Mac decides that the left lane is where he needs to be and switches lanes with Vandergriff. This is a must win to keep his position in the championship.
Ouch! Vandergriff gets a nice lead at the green light and then has to watch McClenathan flash on by. It's a double hit for Vandergriff, as the Fram fueler erupts in a flash of flame at the 660 lights and slows.
Cory McClenathan's incremental times: 60ft-0.856 sec., 330ft-2.176, 660ft-3.212/208.36 mph.
11:08 a.m. The Safety
Safari is out in the left lane doing some heavy duty dusting and cleaning on the top end.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
7 Brandon Bernstein 323 Chris Karamesines
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.074 3.873 314.61 0.083 3.955 308.28
Qualified: #5 3.832 312.28 #12 3.897 308.57
11:17 a.m. Time to go racing...Bernstein and Karamesines have never faced each other before. This is the final day of racing for Team Bernstein after a 30 year relationship with their sponsor.
Terrific race! 81 years old vs. 36 years old and The Greek leave right with Brandon. The Bud dragster gets the initial advantage off the starting line and just pulls slowly ahead for a big win.
Brandon Bernstein's incremental margins: 60ft(0.010), 330 ft(0.047), 660ft(0.077). MOV: 0.0915 seconds (approximately 41 feet).
Brandon Bernstein's incremental times: 60ft-0.864 sec.,
330ft-2.188, 660ft-3.103/276.35 mph.
Chris Karamesines' incremental times: 60ft-0.865 sec.,
330ft-2.226, 660ft-3.171/271.08 mph.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
5 Antron Brown 111 Urs Erbacher
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.046 3.824 317.19 0.050 8.865 84.62
Qualified: #4 3.813 316.15 #13 3.928 294.88
Brown has only faced Erbacher once and was the victor.He does so again, as Erbacher's slicks are spinning and smoking at the green.
Brown makes a strong clean pass, close to his qualifying best and will have lane choice over Bernstein in round two.
Antron Brown's incremental times:
60ft-0.848 sec., 330ft-2.156, 660ft-3.062/278.86 mph.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 421 Spencer Massey 5050 Scott Palmer E1 ****WINNER**** -0.109 3.870 312.13 -0.340 5.333 138.54 Qualified: #3 3.809 317.94 #14 3.954 290.38Massey and Palmer have met twice in round one before, with each scoring a win.
The right lane bites again with first a red light and then tire smoke for Palmer about two hundred feet out.
No problems for Rookie of the Year runner, Massey, as the Prudomme dragster makes another strong pass. That's twelve in a row!
Spencer Massey's incremental times: 60ft-0.853 sec., 330ft-2.169,
660ft-3.095/271.84 mph.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1 Tony Schumacher 72 Mike Strasburg
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.121 3.838 314.17 0.092 5.085 140.31
Qualified: #1 3.772 320.58 #16 3.995 300.66
Schumacher starts round one with a one point advantage over Dixon and just has to just stay
ahead in round wins today to win the Championship. They can't meet until the final.
Schumacher has scored a three to one win record over Strasburg in the past. All in round one.The right lane is ruining the chances of all of the teams. Strasburg gets to near the 330 lights before losing traction.
The Army car makes a flawless first round pass to ensure his points lead. He have lane choice over Lucas later.
Tony Schumacher's incremental times: 60ft-0.846 sec.,
330ft-2.148, 660ft-3.066/275.96 mph.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
2 Larry Dixon 744 Del Cox Jr
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.052 3.822 316.23 0.090 5.380 124.84
Qualified: #2 3.801 318.99 #15 3.984 300.60
Dixon's needs to win one more round than Schumacher to nail the 2009 TF Championship, unless
the Army team can set a new national ET record. Dixon and Cox have never raced each other.Dixon does what he had to do and makes a terrific pass, quicker than Schumacher, right on down the track.
Cox's car was strong to the 330 lights and then joined the "Up in Smoke" club.
Dixon will have lane choice over McClannathan in round 2.
Larry Dixon's incremental times: 60ft-0.848
sec., 330ft-2.155, 660ft-3.058/279.21 mph.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 50 Doug Kalitta 475 Steve Torrence E1 ****WINNER**** 0.052 3.846 316.52 0.034 4.047 307.30 Qualified: #6 3.836 316.82 #11 3.891 306.53Kalitta and Torrance have never raced each other and we get our second actual race of the round.
Torrance was right there at the green and gets off the line first. Kalitta has the power and tune up though, and is back on by before the sixty foot lights.
The Technicoat dragster continues to pull ahead all the way down the track and takes a huge lead to the finish line.
Doug Kalitta's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.039), 330 ft(0.114), 660ft(0.159). MOV: 0.1830 seconds (approximately 82 feet).
Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.852 sec.,
330ft-2.168, 660ft-3.080/276.92 mph.
Steve Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.909 sec.,
330ft-2.300, 660ft-3.257/267.11 mph.
11:35 a.m. Kalitta will have lane choice over Massey later
today.
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