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Mon, 6 Sep 2010, 11:32 AM

Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By David Gerard

CLERMONT, Ind. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil:


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  475 Steve Torrence                        552 Rod Fuller                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.051  3.855 316.30                     0.121  3.846 312.50
 Qualified:             #8  3.830 306.05                        #9  3.840 318.17

11:00 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 37 percent, barometer 29.05 inches, adjusted altitude 2,721 feet, track temperature 99 degrees.
Fuller has met Torrance twice in round one, winning both times.
We start the first round with the two middle of the ladder competitors. Only 0.010 difference in their best qualifying times.
Torrance gets a huge hole shot advantage over Fuller at the green and is never headed. He takes the decisive win by twenty eight feet.
Steve Torrence's incremental margins: 60ft(0.062), 330 ft(0.057), 660ft(0.060). MOV: 0.0616 seconds (approximately 28 feet).

Steve Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.863 sec., 330ft-2.177, 660ft-3.087/276.41 mph.
Rod Fuller's incremental times: 60ft-0.855 sec., 330ft-2.164, 660ft-3.077/277.83 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   22 Doug Kalitta                          317 T.J. Zizzo                   
E1                   0.065  3.836 320.51     ****WINNER****  0.034  3.854 314.24
 Qualified:             #7  3.824 319.52                       #10  3.851 311.56

Kalitta has a 2/0 advantage over Zizzo in round one encounters.
Another upset, with Zizzo cutting a stellar 0.034 TF light and just staying out in front in the lights. Two great passes, close to their qualifying times.
T.J. Zizzo's incremental margins: 60ft(0.029), 330 ft(0.036), 660ft(0.025). MOV: 0.0133 seconds (approximately 6 feet).

Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.853 sec., 330ft-2.173, 660ft-3.079/279.04 mph.
T.J. Zizzo's incremental times: 60ft-0.855 sec., 330ft-2.168, 660ft-3.085/276.18 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Antron Brown                          333 Shawn Langdon                
E1                   0.057  3.851 316.75     ****WINNER****  0.049  3.853 309.20
 Qualified:             #5  3.808 319.22                       #12  3.914 292.96

Brown has a 4/1 advantage over Langdon and they have never met in round one.
Hole shot wins are cheap today and it's Langdon's turn. As usual, he is away first and keeps the same incrementals at the 60 and 330 marks. Great race.
Shawn Langdon's incremental margins: 60ft(0.003), 330 ft(0.003), 660ft(0.013). MOV: 0.0061 seconds (approximately 3 feet).

Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.848 sec., 330ft-2.164, 660ft-3.086/274.83 mph.
Shawn Langdon's incremental times: 60ft-0.853 sec., 330ft-2.169, 660ft-3.081/277.60 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Tony Schumacher                       121 Terry Haddock                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.078  3.815 322.88                     0.072  5.567 131.22
 Qualified:             #3  3.790 324.83                       #14  4.011 285.29

Schumacher is 5/1 in round one races.
Order is restored, as Haddock's small hole shot isn't enough to stay out in front of the Army dragster.
Schumacher is out in front before sixty feet and makes the best run of the round in the easy win. Haddock's car got loose near the 330 lights and moved close to the guard rail.
Tony Schumacher's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.026), 330 ft(0.128), 660ft(0.786). MOV: 1.7467 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Tony Schumacher's incremental times: 60ft-0.835 sec., 330ft-2.146, 660ft-3.060/278.00 mph.
Terry Haddock's incremental times: 60ft-0.867 sec., 330ft-2.280, 660ft-3.852/137.32 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Larry Dixon                           345 Bruce Litton                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.078  3.815 321.12                     0.067  3.967 285.89
 Qualified:             #1  3.776 324.36                       #16  4.194 225.63

Dixon has a 10/0 record over Litton. Five times in round one.
Litton gets away first and the begins to slow noticeably by the 660 lights. Dixon matches Schumacher's time in a clean and straight pass and will have lane choice over Torrance in round 2.
Larry Dixon's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.003), 330 ft(0.052), 660ft(0.096). MOV: 0.1414 seconds (approximately 59 feet).

Larry Dixon's incremental times: 60ft-0.847 sec., 330ft-2.158, 660ft-3.062/280.95 mph.
Bruce Litton's incremental times: 60ft-0.861 sec., 330ft-2.221, 660ft-3.169/269.29 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Cory McClenathan                     3516 Terry McMillen               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.084  3.811 324.05                     0.076  9.292  87.41
 Qualified:             #2  3.784 323.66                       #15  4.014 291.26

McClenathan has defeated McMillen the three times they have met in round one.
McMillen kicks the tire loose at the green and slows. McClenathan shows the Fram power and storms to the finish line with the best times, so far. He will have lane choice over Zizzo next round.
Cory McClenathan's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.106), 330 ft(1.620), 660ft(3.583). MOV: 5.4733 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Cory McClenathan's incremental times: 60ft-0.843 sec., 330ft-2.153, 660ft-3.061/280.08 mph.
Terry McMillen's incremental times: 60ft-0.957 sec., 330ft-3.781, 660ft-6.652/084.28 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Brandon Bernstein                      12 Bob Vandergriff              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.086  3.835 314.53                     0.070  3.895 313.66
 Qualified:             #4  3.802 317.87                       #13  3.951 308.99

Bernstein and Vandergriff have met ten times, with Brandon winning them all. Six times in round one.
Bernstein is out in front before the sixty foot rights and pulls steadily ahead over an improving Vandergriff. Both cars are clean through the lights and Bernstein will keep lane choice over Langdon in round two.
Brandon Bernstein's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.008), 330 ft(0.029), 660ft(0.035). MOV: 0.0441 seconds (approximately 20 feet).

Brandon Bernstein's incremental times: 60ft-0.847 sec., 330ft-2.153, 660ft-3.069/275.84 mph.
Bob Vandergriff's incremental times: 60ft-0.871 sec., 330ft-2.198, 660ft-3.120/272.89 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   44 David Grubnic                          34 Morgan Lucas                 
E1                   0.072  5.018 139.79     ****WINNER****  0.018  3.885 312.35
 Qualified:             #6  3.823 314.97                       #11  3.888 311.92

Grubnic and Lucas have a eight to eight tie historically, with a seven to three first round advantage for Grubnic.
Lucas gets a stellar light and is staying out in front, when Grubnic's slicks begin to smoke right before the 660 lights. He was catching Morgan too.
Morgan Lucas' incremental margins: 60ft(0.030), 330 ft(0.037), 660ft(0.409). MOV: 1.1877 seconds (more than 100 feet).
David Grubnic's incremental times: 60ft-0.851 sec., 330ft-2.180, 660ft-3.469/165.44 mph.
Morgan Lucas' incremental times: 60ft-0.875 sec., 330ft-2.197, 660ft-3.114/275.22 mph.

11:23 a.m. Schumacher will have lane choice in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink