Sat, 9 Oct 2010, 02:38 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Jim Samuel

MOHNTON, Pa. - Notes from final, round 2 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 26th annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals 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: Karen Stalba Runs 5.632/254.86, Now #17; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Dan Mercier Runs 5.401/264.75, Now #8; Best prior run: 9.689/82.22, Was #19

1:59 p.m. - Weather conditions: air temperature 81 degrees, relative humidity 36 percent, barometer 29.37 inches, adjusted altitude 2,588 feet, track temperature 99 degrees.

Mercier took his car straight down the groove to move up 11 spots in the qualifying order. Stalba was not quick enough to make the field.

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Left Lane: Tom Pickett Runs 5.628/251.34, Now #18; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Dave DeAngelis Runs 5.559/258.71, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.670/248.93, Was #19

DeAngelis got out of the groove and came close to the wall. He got the car straightened out, had his quickest ET of the weekend but did not make the field for eliminations. Pickett's car went down the groove but was also not quick enough to get into the show.

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Left Lane: Ken Winward Runs 5.770/243.59, Now #21; Best prior run: 5.982/192.74, Was #21
Right Lane: Bruce Horner Runs 5.621/247.93, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.633/245.45, Was #20

Neither driver made the field with these runs.

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Left Lane: Rich McPhillips Runs 5.438/261.67, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.517/256.36, Was #16
Right Lane: Brandon Booher Runs 5.673/198.17, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.504/258.96, Was #14

Booher's car popped the blower at about 1,000 feet. McPhillips moved up four spots in the order with his best run of the weekend.

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Left Lane: John Finke Runs 5.452/255.92, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.448/259.11, Was #13
Right Lane: Brandon Greco Runs 5.625/234.17, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.462/260.71, Was #14

Greco drifted out of the groove for the last third of the racetrack. Finke stayed in the groove but was not as quick as he was yesterday.

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Left Lane: Richard Bourke Runs 5.440/249.95, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.419/256.21, Was #10
Right Lane: Ken Perry Runs 14.586/34.15, Now #11; Best prior run: 5.425/255.29, Was #11

Perry's car popped the blower at 330 feet and dropped the chutes. Bourke was not as quick as he was in the first session and stayed where he was in the order.

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Left Lane: Duane Shields Runs 5.331/270.21, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.403/267.59, Was #9
Right Lane: Marty Thacker Runs 5.357/266.79, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.392/239.36, Was #6

Both drivers were quicker than in the first session. Thacker moved up one spot, Shields moved up four spots in the order.

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Left Lane: Arthur Gallant Runs 5.457/264.55, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.400/269.56, Was #8
Right Lane: Mike Austin Runs 5.312/268.22, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.326/267.80, Was #4

Austin moved into the number two spot for now with a nice run down the track. Gallant's run looked good but did not move up in the order.

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Left Lane: Bill Reichert Runs 5.290/265.74, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.315/264.55, Was #3

Reichert drifted out of the groove and toward the center line but was able to stay with this run the whole way down the track to post his quickest ET of the weekend. He moved into the number two spot in the order for now.

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Left Lane: Darvin Martinets Runs 6.666/152.28, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.509/258.76, Was #16
Right Lane: Darren Nicholson Runs 5.398/252.57, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.363/260.61, Was #7

Martinets shook the tires for the first 300 feet down the track and then clicked it off. Nicholson was not as quick as he was in the first session and stayed where he was in the order. Nicholson's car lost some parts at the end of the track and dumped fluids in the top end.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink