Sat, 25 Sep 2010, 01:30 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Rick Green

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 25th annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec 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:

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Left Lane: Mike Bowers No Time, Now #16; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Terry Haddock Runs 6.138/113.01, Now #13; No Prior Run

Weather conditions: air temperature 78 degrees, relative humidity 73 percent, barometer 29.53 inches, adjusted altitude 2,670 feet, track temperature 94 degrees.

Bowers broke on the burnout. Haddock started to smoke the tires and was on and off the throttle at least three times before lifting, but gets a number on the board.

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Left Lane: Troy Buff Runs 4.017/299.46, Now #10; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Scott Palmer Runs 4.096/256.99, Now #13; No Prior Run

Buff with a nice clean pass, straight down the groove. Troy Buff's incremental times: 60ft-0.868 sec., 330ft-2.244, 660ft-3.208/263.31 mph. Palmer is off the throttle early, but gets in the show. Scott Palmer's incremental times: 60ft-0.865 sec., 330ft-2.238, 660ft-3.225/255.15 mph.

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Left Lane: Chris Karamesines No Time, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.983/303.57, Was #9
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 3.839/316.90, Now #1; No Prior Run

Karamesines is safely in the show, so he pulled out of line. Schumacher launched hard and was straight down the groove to go to the number one spot. Tony Schumacher's incremental times: 60ft-0.829 sec., 330ft-2.149, 660ft-3.072/275.34 mph.

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Left Lane: Antron Brown Runs 3.884/313.29, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.981/303.91, Was #9
Right Lane: Mike Strasburg Runs 4.059/298.21, Now #13; No Prior Run

Strasburg with a nice clean pass to get into the show...Mike Strasburg's incremental times: 60ft-0.874 sec., 330ft-2.261, 660ft-3.243/259.01 mph. Brown with a great looking pass, straight down the groove...Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.850 sec., 330ft-2.179, 660ft-3.108/273.27 mph.

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Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 3.989/303.64, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.979/306.33, Was #9
Right Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 3.951/305.77, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.101/287.47, Was #16

No help here for Vandergriff, but still a good clean pass. Bob Vandergriff's incremental times: 60ft-0.867 sec., 330ft-2.236, 660ft-3.187/265.06 mph. McMillen with a real nice pass, straight down the groove. Terry McMillen's incremental times: 60ft-0.859 sec., 330ft-2.209, 660ft-3.156/268.76 mph.

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Left Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 3.919/304.39, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.946/304.60, Was #8
Right Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 3.933/304.46, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.062/291.07, Was #15

Langdon with his best pass of the weekend to move into the top half of the show. Shawn Langdon's incremental times: 60ft-0.856 sec., 330ft-2.205, 660ft-3.142/270.97 mph. Torrence launched hard and was straight down the groove to get to move up the ladder a couple spots. Steve Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.865 sec., 330ft-2.192, 660ft-3.127/270.21 mph.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 3.847/316.52, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.943/310.84, Was #9
Right Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 3.987/302.89, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.050/288.39, Was #14

Lucas with his quickest pass of the weekend to move up the ladder one spot. Morgan Lucas' incremental times: 60ft-0.884 sec., 330ft-2.242, 660ft-3.188/267.06 mph. Kalitta with a great pass to go to the number two spot. Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.850 sec., 330ft-2.165, 660ft-3.079/275.39 mph.

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Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 6.531/87.65, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.933/308.78, Was #8
Right Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 3.878/309.20, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.906/308.43, Was #6

Grubnic started to smoke the tires around 300 feet and clicked it off. Bernstein with his quickest pass off the weekend to move up the ladder a couple spots. Brandon Bernstein's incremental times: 60ft-0.844 sec., 330ft-2.169, 660ft-3.095/272.50 mph.

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Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 3.834/316.08, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.881/311.56, Was #5
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 7.117/87.40, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.852/308.85, Was #3

Dixon starts to lose traction right off the starting line. McClenathan launched hard and blasted on through with the quickest pass of the weekend to move into the number one spot. Cory McClenathan's incremental times: 60ft-0.831 sec., 330ft-2.155, 660ft-3.065/277.03 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink