Sun, 11 Apr 2010, 01:52 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 2 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

BAYTOWN, Texas - Results of round 2 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  487 Mark Taliaferro III                   464 Buddy Domingue               
E2                   0.031  5.776 262.23     ****WINNER****  0.054  5.543 235.80
 Prior rounds:
E1    (D Brounkowsk) 0.076  5.377 274.72      (R Meyer     ) 0.188  5.320 247.47
 Qualified:             #3  5.304 274.22                        #9  5.497 232.75

12:39 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 60 percent, barometer 30.19 inches, adjusted altitude 1,629 feet, track temperature 99 degrees.

Taliaferro's last round win before last night was at the Fall race here in 1998 - but he didn't race between 1999 and 2009. Domingue's last round win before last night was in 1983, but he only ran in one national event between then and now. So, this is a couple of "rusty old racers" squaring off...Both posted very good reaction times and both made average runs, but Domingues left first and was never headed.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Chris Demke                                Bye
E2   ****WINNER****  0.045 13.092  91.77     
 Prior rounds:
E1    (C Magee     ) 0.102  5.347 267.48   
 Qualified:             #1  5.269 270.48                     Bye

Demke's qualifying run (5.269) was the ninth-quickest ever by a blown alcohol car. He won this year's Winternationals - his first national event win. He has a good chance here - the #1 qualifier has won here five times in the previous 22 instances of this event and the winner has come from the top half of the field in 20 of the 22 prior years. In addition, Demke was the runner-up here last year.

To win an event, you usually need some luck in at least one round and Demke used that luck here, spinning the tires hard on the launch on his bye run.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  489 Chase Copeland                          1 Bill Reichert                
E2                   0.046  5.549 254.09     ****WINNER****  0.046  5.478 260.56
 Prior rounds:
E1    (D Shields   ) 0.008  5.352 263.10      (K Wootton   ) 0.092  5.359 265.27
 Qualified:            #11  5.592 251.81                        #5  5.331 267.80

Reichert won here in '06 and '07, but he has his hands full here because Copeland is noted for cutting the tree down and his "Snowman" dragster usually goes down the track.

They left right together and that was bad news for Copeland, Reichert not able to match his qualifying pace, but quick enough to get the win light anyway. Reichert faces Demke in the semifinals and has never beaten Demke in a national event (well, okay, they have only met once at a national event, but Demke won that one).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 4843 Monroe Guest                            5 John Finke                   
E2   ****WINNER****  0.032  5.386 268.60                     0.031  5.467 259.06
 Prior rounds:
E1    (M Thacker   ) 0.031  5.360 271.13      (M Manners   ) 0.062  5.393 265.74
 Qualified:             #8  5.388 274.50                       #13  5.710 253.85

Guest surprised Marty Thacker in round one, while Finke took out strong-running Mike Manners, so this promised to be a good race.

Almost identical lights, both very good ones, but Guest had the better car today and won by a little over a car length. He will have lane chocie against Domingue in the semifinals.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink