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Sat, 18 Sep 2010, 06:08 PM

Pro Modified Round 1 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

CONCORD, N.C. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Pro Modified at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, Third annual O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals:


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   14 Ed Hoover                              43 Rickie Smith                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.005  5.988 240.34                     0.078  9.020  96.60
 Qualified:             #9  5.969 241.45                        #8  5.959 238.17

5:30 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 85 degrees, relative humidity 45 percent, barometer 29.43 inches, adjusted altitude 3,014 feet, track temperature 122 degrees.

Hoover had a psychic light and a very nice run, while Smith was second off the line and all over his lane before lifting, a surprisingly easy win for veteran driver Hoover.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   24 Troy Coughlin                        321A Scott Ray                    
E1                   0.075 22.188  30.45     ****WINNER****  0.191  6.763 200.20
 Qualified:            #10  5.973 238.26                        #7  5.959 240.34

Coughlin spun the tires hard and shook immediately. Ray was very tardy at the tree, battled shake of his own, but pedaled his way to the win anyway.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Danny Rowe                           1456 Mike Janis                   
E1                  -0.010  5.936 246.03     ****WINNER****  0.112 11.786  73.79
 Qualified:            #11  5.980 244.34                        #6  5.950 243.99

Janis lifted early in the run, after some tire shake, but he may have seen the win light already on in his lane for Rowe's red light.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  507 Melanie Troxel                          3 Jay Payne                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.072  5.985 246.35                     0.070  6.003 243.94
 Qualified:            #12  5.987 246.57                        #5  5.948 244.16

This was a very close race...Payne's car chattered the tires and made two major excursions, but he never lifted and almost pulled off the win anyway. Melanie Troxel's incremental margins: 60ft(0.041), 330 ft(0.006), 660ft(0.000), 1,000ft(0.008). MOV: 0.0162 seconds (approximately 6 feet).


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   51 Tommy Gray                            314 Rick Stivers                 
E1                   0.084 15.531  46.29     ****WINNER****  0.062  5.979 240.51
 Qualified:            #13  6.020 242.10                        #4  5.925 241.50

Gray rattled the tires and shut off almost immediately. Stivers didn't have any obvious problems enroute to the win and he will have lane choice against Troxel in the quarterfinals.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 1090 Raymond Commisso                        2 Roger Burgess                
E1                   0.084  5.978 244.25     ****WINNER****  0.003  5.982 243.63
 Qualified:            #14  6.045 241.20                        #3  5.922 246.66

Burgess was almost perfect on the tree and got the holeshot win by over a car length. He will have lane choice against Janis next round.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  348 Brad Personett                       6294 Dennis Radford               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.155  5.857 254.66                     0.054  6.005 236.26
 Qualified:             #1  5.843 249.26                       #16  6.056 235.89

On paper, Radford didn't have a chance, so his best strategy was to cut a good light and make a consistent run to make Personett earn the win. Radford did his job and had a tenth in hand at the tree. He almost pulled off the upset, but Personett's car made it's trademark top end charge and Personett took the lead beyond the 1,000-foot marker.

Brad Personett's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.139), 330 ft(-0.137), 660ft(-0.089), 1,000ft(-0.021). MOV: 0.0470 seconds (approximately 16 feet). Then the fun began as Personett tried to get the car stopped and he went way into "the beach" (which is huge here at zMax Dragway). It took a huge crew to drag the car back to the pavement and his crew will have a lot of work to do to get that car cleaned up for round two. If he can answer the call, he will have lane choice against Hoover in the quarterfinals.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 5011 Mike Knowles                         2377 Von Smith                    
E1                   0.051  7.317 156.41     ****WINNER****  0.065  5.920 244.38
 Qualified:            #15  6.049 239.57                        #2  5.894 245.67

Last pair. Smith was the only driver other than Personett to get into the eighties so far this weekend, so Knowles had an uphill battle on his hands.

The race went according to form, Knowles shook and pedaled two or three times, while Smith went right down the lane. He will have lane choice against Ray in the quarters.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink