Sun, 15 Nov 2009, 06:22 PM Top Fuel Round 3 Eliminations

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 3 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
    2 Larry Dixon                           421 Spencer Massey               
E3                   0.046  5.025 143.38     ****WINNER****  0.037  3.810 316.67
 Prior rounds:
E2    (C McClenatha) 0.048  3.842 315.42      (D Kalitta   ) 0.051  3.841 316.01
E1    (D Cox Jr    ) 0.052  3.822 316.23      (S Palmer    ) -0.109  3.870 312.13
 Qualified:             #2  3.801 318.99                        #3  3.809 317.94

3:08 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 23 percent, barometer 28.98 inches, adjusted altitude 2,485 feet, track temperature 87 degrees.

These two are three and three in prior races. Dixon has a 2-1 advantage in round three.

Well, it's all over for the 2009 Top Fuel Championship, as Dixon's fueler strikes the tires before the three-thirty lights and he slows.

Massey got the head start at the green and never looked back for the easy win.

Spencer Massey's incremental margins: 60ft(0.009), 330 ft(0.075), 660ft(0.485). MOV: 1.2243 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Larry Dixon's incremental times: 60ft-0.844 sec., 330ft-2.210, 660ft-3.522/171.77 mph.
Spencer Massey's incremental times: 60ft-0.844 sec., 330ft-2.144, 660ft-3.046/278.63 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Tony Schumacher                         5 Antron Brown                 
E3                   0.080  3.830 315.49     ****WINNER****  0.053  3.822 316.67
 Prior rounds:
E2    (M Lucas     ) 0.054  3.836 318.54      (B Bernstein ) 0.062  3.856 314.90
E1    (M Strasburg ) 0.121  3.838 314.17      (U Erbacher  ) 0.046  3.824 317.19
 Qualified:             #1  3.772 320.58                        #4  3.813 316.15

Say Hello to the new 2009 Top Fuel Champion by two points.

Schumacher has an eight and six win record over Brown, but Brown has won both round tree races. The two Team Schumacher cars come to the line.

Brown gets a RT advantage at the green and holds position with Schumacher right to the finish line. Schumacher's car may have been dropping cylinder right before the one thousand foot light.

Antron Brown's incremental margins: 60ft(0.023), 330 ft(0.035), 660ft(0.032). MOV: 0.0354 seconds (approximately 16 feet).

Tony Schumacher's incremental times: 60ft-0.849 sec., 330ft-2.158, 660ft-3.063/278.40 mph.
Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.853 sec., 330ft-2.150, 660ft-3.058/277.32 mph.

Massey has lane choice in the finals.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink