Fri, 11 Jun 2010, 07:22 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Jim Samuel

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 41st annual NHRA SuperNationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Right Lane: Darvin Martinets Runs 5.475/255.92, Now #1

6:51 p.m. - Martinets took his dragster down the groove.

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Left Lane: Ken Winward Runs 6.767/142.10, Now #3
Right Lane: Bruce Horner Runs 5.587/250.60, Now #2

Winward chattered the tires for 600 feet, then shut it down. Horner's car trailed some smoke at the end of the track.

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Left Lane: Karen Stalba Runs 5.490/261.52, Now #3
Right Lane: Richard Bourke Runs 5.440/259.46, Now #1

This is Stalba's first national event in her new injected nitro dragster. She had a little it of tire shake off the starting line, but stayed in the middle of the groove as she went down the track. Horner took his dragster straight down the middle of his lane to move into the top in the order for now.

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Left Lane: Dave DeAngelis No Time, Now #7
Right Lane: Arthur Gallant Runs 17.399/47.76, Now #6

DeAngelis is driving again this year after taking some time off. This time he is in Len Cotrell's Chicken Chokers dragster. DeAngelis did his burnout and the car shut down. Gallant launched, shook the tires and he clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Brandon Greco Runs 6.738/97.52, Now #6
Right Lane: Tom Pickett Runs 5.668/232.35, Now #5

Both drivers had some tire shake. Greco clicked it off at mid track and the blower on his car popped.

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Left Lane: Mike Kosky Runs 6.590/141.89, Now #7
Right Lane: Rich McPhillips Runs 5.495/246.39, Now #4

Kosky had a good run going to 660 feet, then started to slow. McPhillips took his car down the groove.

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Left Lane: Dan Mercier Runs 5.532/263.26, Now #6
Right Lane: Darren Nicholson Runs 5.328/264.18, Now #1

Mercier's car launched hard and shook the tires before he got it hooked up. Nicholson had a really nice trip down his lane, setting a career best ET and speed in the process. He's at the top of the order for now.

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Left Lane: John Finke Runs 5.627/252.10, Now #8
Right Lane: Monroe Guest Runs 11.306/99.03, Now #13

Guest launched, the tires went up in smoke and he clicked it off.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink