Sun, 27 Jun 2010, 11:36 AM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

NORWALK, Ohio - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, Fourth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   44 David Grubnic                        1301 Doug Foley                   
E1                   0.104  4.626 171.95     ****WINNER****  0.143  3.963 302.55
 Qualified:             #9  3.898 305.01                        #8  3.896 314.24

Weather conditions: air temperature 85 degrees, relative humidity 62 percent, barometer 28.84 inches, adjusted altitude 3,951 feet, track temperature 114 degrees.

Grubnic is 1 - 0 against Foley in prior events. Grubnic with the starting line advantage, but then around half track Grubnic started to smoke the tires. Foley with just a whisp of tire smoke right in the lights, but takes the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  303 Pat Dakin                              34 Morgan Lucas                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.097  3.970 297.16                     0.088  4.624 253.75
 Qualified:            #10  3.908 309.20                        #7  3.893 306.40

This is the first time Dakin and Lucas have faced each other in eliminations. Lucas with a slight starting line advantage, but had cylinders out right at the hit and then started to smoke the tires. Dakin had the starting line advantage made up by the time they went by the Christmas tree. He was on a real good pass until right in the lights when it started mixing up cylinders, but takes the win light. The starting line is now taking the mops and lacquer thinner to Lucas' lane...now the scrubber is making a pass, so Lucas must of been trailing some fluid.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   12 Bob Vandergriff                         1 Tony Schumacher              
E1                   0.058  3.970 298.93     ****WINNER****  0.076  3.907 310.41
 Qualified:             #5  3.872 308.50                       #12  3.920 308.92

Schumacher is 16 - 5 against Vandergriff in prior events. Vandergriff with the starting line advantage, but has him chased down by 330 feet and takes the win by 0.0455 seconds (approximately 20 feet). Schumacher with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win light.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  333 Shawn Langdon                         475 Steve Torrence               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.081  3.964 301.54                     0.062  5.155 148.23
 Qualified:            #13  3.929 307.16                        #4  3.861 315.93

Torrence is 1 - 0 against Langdon in prior events. Torrence with the starting line advantage, but then starts to smoke the tires around 150 feet. Langdon has the starting line advantage made up by the time they go by the Christmas tree and takes the win light. He will give up lane choice to Schumacher in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Larry Dixon                           497 Troy Buff                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.108  3.865 313.51                     0.109  5.038 140.78
 Qualified:             #1  3.780 320.43                       #16  4.067 294.75

Dixon is 5 - 0 against Buff in prior events. They leave together and then Buff starts to haze the tires around 200 feet to end his weekend. Dixon with a great pass the quickest and fastest of the round. Larry Dixon's incremental times: 60ft-0.834 sec., 330ft-2.162, 660ft-3.092/274.11 mph. Dixon will have lane choice against foley in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Antron Brown                          394 Luigi Novelli                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.082  3.885 314.24                     0.201  4.161 282.07
 Qualified:             #2  3.795 318.99                       #15  3.998 291.76

Brown is 2 - 0 against Novelli in prior events. Brown with a big starting line advantage and runs the second quick of the round and the fastest pass of the round for the win. Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.841 sec., 330ft-2.174, 660ft-3.110/272.67 mph. Novelli was dropping cylinders early and never got them to pick back up. Brown will have lane choice over Dakin in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Brandon Bernstein                    3516 Terry McMillen               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.097  3.909 306.60                     0.084  4.809 157.17
 Qualified:             #3  3.848 312.42                       #14  3.969 294.24

Bernstein is 3 - 0 against McMillen in prior events. McMillen with the starting line advantage, but then starts to haze the tires early. Bernstein has the starting line difference made up by the time they go by the Christmas tree and then makes a good clean pass for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   22 Doug Kalitta                            4 Cory McClenathan             
E1                   0.114  4.753 171.82     ****WINNER****  0.084  4.019 296.96
 Qualified:            #11  3.911 314.68                        #6  3.887 313.73

Kalitta is 25 - 17 against McClenathan in prior events. McClenathan is out of the gate first and never trailed to take the win. He started dropping cylinders around half track, but it didn't matter as Kalitta smoke the tires around 330 feet. McClenathan will give up lane choice to Bernstein in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink