Fri, 17 Sep 2010, 06:08 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Larry Sullivan

CONCORD, N.C. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, Third annual O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Right Lane: Fred Farndon Runs 6.366/106.72, Now #1

4:16 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 92 degrees, relative humidity 38 percent, barometer 29.29 inches, adjusted altitude 3,597 feet, track temperature 127 degrees.

Yes, "that Fred Farndon." He's been driving almost as long as Chris Karamesines.

Early tire shake ended this run, the tires up in smoke.

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Left Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.474/237.17, Now #2
Right Lane: Rod Fuller Runs 3.893/311.49, Now #1

Herbert rattled the tires early in the run, pedaled and continued. Fuller made a pretty good run, not at all bad for a 124-degree race track.

Weather conditions: air temperature 92 degrees, relative humidity 38 percent, barometer 29.29 inches, adjusted altitude 3,597 feet, track temperature 124 degrees.

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Left Lane: Doug Foley Runs 5.826/114.99, Now #4
Right Lane: T.J. Zizzo Runs 4.055/263.00, Now #2

Foley smoked the tires about 200 feet out, Zizzo started hazing the tires on the top end.

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Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 3.954/311.27, Now #2
Right Lane: Pat Dakin Runs 4.171/253.14, Now #4

"Bobby V" made a good-looking run, with no visible problems. Dakin's car "lit it up" on the top end, trailing a big plume of flame the last 300 feet or so.

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Left Lane: Troy Buff Runs 4.128/243.77, Now #4
Right Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 6.333/0.00, Now #8

4:42 p.m. Track's clean again...McMillen lost traction and slowed early in the run. Buff was on a good run to 660 feet, then the engine let go with a big fireball, the flash blinding McMillen's speed sensors (they registered 824 mph!). And we're down again for a cleanup, this time in the left lane.

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Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 3.996/264.80, Now #4
Right Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 3.954/305.08, Now #3

4:57 p.m. This cleanup was a little quicker...and in case you missed it, Torrence is sporting green and black Interstate Batteries livery this weekend.

Two pretty good runs - at least by comparison with other runs during today's first session.

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Left Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 6.362/88.32, Now #11
Right Lane: Antron Brown Runs 6.664/98.63, Now #13

200 feet and a cloud of tire smoke, both lanes.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 5.262/119.21, Now #10
Right Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 4.157/282.01, Now #7

Kalitta lost traction before the 660 foot marker and may have popped the burst panel because the chutes came out quickly. Bernstein was on a good lap past the 660-foot marker, then the car nosed over and he slowed. The shutdown area in the right lane took another hit and the cleanup equipment conga line is now making laps to clean it up.

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Left Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 4.655/150.93, Now #11
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 3.866/308.64, Now #1

Langdon was overjoyed with his Super Gas win at Indy, showing a very good group of racers that driving in Top Fuel hasn't dulled his talents or dampened his competitive spirit.

Langdon's car rattled the tires near the 660-foot marker and he, too, may have triggered the automatic shutdown system because the chutes were out early. No such troubles for Schumacher, he made the best pass of the day so far to go right to the head of the list - but he said on the PA system that he was out of power well short of the stripe.

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Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.841/149.40, Now #13
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.695/158.97, Now #12

Oh-for-two, both left hard, rattled the tires in the middle of the run, and shut off.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink