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Sat, 4 Sep 2010, 08:16 PM

Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Dave Gerard

CLERMONT, Ind. - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil listing lane, driver name, elapsed time/top speed this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time/speed, and position in order prior to run:

Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 3.933/309.42, Now #13; Best prior run: 9.307/79.34, Was #19
Right Lane: Chris Karamesines Runs 3.933/309.91, Now #12; Best prior run: 3.927/310.63, Was #12

7:39 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 31 percent, barometer 29.03 inches, adjusted altitude 2,622 feet, track temperature 89 degrees.

Chris Karamesines is on the bump spot at 3.927 and looking to improve.

A great side by side pass with identical ET and near identical MPH. The Greek's fueler left with the front wheels up and ran a little quicker than Vandergriff to take the new bump spot on MPH.

Vandergriff was off the line first and had better incrementals all the way down, but slowed a little in the lights. Cool!

Bob Vandergriff's incremental times: 60ft-0.854 sec., 330ft-2.206, 660ft-3.148/269.40 mph.
Chris Karamesines' incremental times: 60ft-0.870 sec., 330ft-2.208, 660ft-3.151/269.67 mph.

Left Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 3.935/293.41, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.423/96.63, Was #19
Right Lane: David Grubnic Runs 3.824/315.78, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.823/314.97, Was #3

Grubnic runs within 0.001 of his best of the weekend to stay #3 on the ladder with a better MPH.

McMillien has strong numbers down low, but looked to have pushed out a head gasket down track. He move up five spots, but doesn't get into the top half of the field.

Terry McMillen's incremental times: 60ft-0.856 sec., 330ft-2.193, 660ft-3.125/268.49 mph.
David Grubnic's incremental times: 60ft-0.851 sec., 330ft-2.156, 660ft-3.058/278.35 mph.

Left Lane: Rod Fuller Runs 3.840/318.17, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.026/289.14, Was #17

Fuller gets the bye run and makes the most of it with a big improvement way up into the top of the field. Perfect looking pass.

Rod Fuller's incremental times: 60ft-0.841 sec., 330ft-2.152, 660ft-3.077/276.01 mph.

Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 3.790/324.83, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.844/321.35, Was #6
Right Lane: Pat Dakin Runs 4.719/156.94, Now #17; Best prior run: 3.976/284.93, Was #17

Shawn Langdon is on the bump spot at 3.914.

The US Army Ten Year Anniversary Top Fuel thunders to the second quickest time in TF history on a fantastic looking pass. That's good enough for the new number two spot.

Dakin's car is a little lazy down low and kicks the tires near the 660 lights. He stays #17.

Left Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 7.325/89.74, Now #12; Best prior run: 3.914/292.96, Was #12
Right Lane: T.J. Zizzo Runs 3.851/311.56, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.864/311.56, Was #8

Shawn Langdon is on the bump spot at 3.914, but won't improve as his Lucas Oil dragster strikes the tires right off the line.

Zizzo continues to run better and better. He matches his career best MPH and reset his best ET to move up a spot to the current #7 spot on the tough ladder.

Left Lane: Terry Haddock No Time, Now #19; Best prior run: 4.092/285.29, Was #19
Right Lane: Morgan Lucas No Time, Now #11; Best prior run: 3.888/311.92, Was #11

Lucas's team swarm the car to repair a fuel leak to no avail.

Well, that just got weird, as Haddock car is then shut off too for a different leak and both cars are pushed back behind the line.

I don't remember that happening recently.

Left Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 3.830/306.05, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.866/313.22, Was #10
Right Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 3.802/317.87, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.865/313.58, Was #9

What a great looking pass for these two.

Bernstein is away first and thunders down the track into the new #3 position with both a career best ET and MPH.

Torrance runs extremely well too and just misses his career best to move up into the top half of the field.

Steve Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.836 sec., 330ft-2.143, 660ft-3.049/277.37 mph.
Brandon Bernstein's incremental times: 60ft-0.848 sec., 330ft-2.141, 660ft-3.042/279.50 mph.

Left Lane: Antron Brown Runs 5.357/128.04, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.808/319.22, Was #4
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 3.824/319.52, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.842/316.52, Was #8

Brown is away first and has strong numbers on the bottom side of the track until smoking the tires before the 660 lights to stay #4.

Kalitta get a major boost with a clean and straight pass to take over the new #6 spot.

Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.832 sec., 330ft-2.193, 660ft-3.645/145.89 mph.
Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.859 sec., 330ft-2.167, 660ft-3.066/280.43 mph.

Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 3.776/324.36, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.857/313.73, Was #10
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 3.784/323.66, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.789/319.98, Was #1

Dixon strikes quick and hard to run close to his career best ET and a new personal best MPH. CoryMac was right there two the another improving ET and big MPH.

Say Hello to your new #1 qualifier.

Larry Dixon's incremental times: 60ft-0.841 sec., 330ft-2.142, 660ft-3.030/284.81 mph.
Cory McClenathan's incremental times: 60ft-0.849 sec., 330ft-2.151, 660ft-3.037/284.56 mph.

8:10 p.m. Shawn Langdon is on the bump spot at 3.914.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink