Fri, 29 Oct 2010, 06:08 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Rick Green

LAS VEGAS - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 10th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Mark Mariani Runs 4.479/190.73, Now #1
Right Lane: Stig Neergaard Runs 4.847/159.38, Now #2

Mariani is making his debut on the NHRA tour coming over from Australia. He was on a good pass and then slowed on the top end. Mark Mariani's incremental times: 60ft-0.930 sec., 330ft-2.326, 660ft-3.340/226.20 mph. Neergaard was off the throttle early.

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Right Lane: Ron August No Time, Now #3

August smoked the tires right at the hit and then apparently it banged the blower because the chutes deployed as he was coasting down the track. The car came to a stop on the track before the finish line.

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Left Lane: Clay Millican Runs 3.932/301.20, Now #1
Right Lane: Rob Passey No Time, Now #5

Passey had problems before the burnout and the car was pulled out of the lanes. Millican launched hard and keep it hooked up with a nice pass to start the weekend. Clay Millican's incremental times: 60ft-0.885 sec., 330ft-2.214, 660ft-3.138/271.57 mph.

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Left Lane: Dom Lagana Runs 4.142/224.40, Now #2
Right Lane: Steve Faria Runs 5.289/140.02, Now #5

Lagana was on a good pass until around 800 feet when the it slowed. Dom Lagana's incremental times: 60ft-0.870 sec., 330ft-2.234, 660ft-3.181/266.58 mph. Faria's engine let go right off the starting line with a big fireball. The car was trailing fire all the way down the track.

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Left Lane: T.J. Zizzo Runs 4.242/221.09, Now #4
Right Lane: Mike Strasburg Runs 4.024/305.98, Now #2

Weather conditions: air temperature 81 degrees, relative humidity 22 percent, barometer 27.89 inches, adjusted altitude 4,225 feet, track temperature 102 degrees.

Strasburg launched hard and keep it hooked up with a good clean pass. Mike Strasburg's incremental times: 60ft-0.895 sec., 330ft-2.275, 660ft-3.231/266.58 mph. Zizzo slowed on the top end...T.J. Zizzo's incremental times: 60ft-0.919 sec., 330ft-2.287, 660ft-3.258/257.43 mph.

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Left Lane: Steven Chrisman Runs 9.771/76.57, Now #9
Right Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 5.401/123.94, Now #8

Chrisman is up in smoke as soon as he hits the throttle...Vandergriff starts to smoke the tires around330 feet and clicks it off.

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Left Lane: Troy Buff Runs 7.264/76.72, Now #10
Right Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 4.681/163.22, Now #6

Buff started to lose traction around 200 feet and clicked it off. McMillen's car pitches the blower belt just past half track.

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Left Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 3.977/271.57, Now #2
Right Lane: David Grubnic Runs 6.276/96.20, Now #11

Dickie Venables and co-crew chief Kurt Elliot bring Lucas to the line for the first time...he was on a good pass and had a planned early shut off as this is new race car. Morgan Lucas' incremental times: 60ft-0.869 sec., 330ft-2.214, 660ft-3.156/270.32 mph. Grubnic lost traction early and shut off.

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Left Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 6.177/101.23, Now #12
Right Lane: Antron Brown Runs 5.712/117.39, Now #11

Brown started to lose traction around 400 feet and clicked it off. Torrence started to lose traction around the same time as Brown and then the engine let go with a big fireball.

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Left Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 4.959/142.49, Now #9
Right Lane: Shawn Langdon No Time, Now #19

Langdon was shut off after the burnout...Bernstein started to haze the tires around 400 feet and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.535/168.66, Now #8
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 3.871/321.73, Now #1

Kalitta started to lose traction and clicked it off. Schumacher launched hard and keep it hooked up and blasted on through with the quickest and fastest pass of the day...big top end speed. Tony Schumacher's incremental times: 60ft-0.856 sec., 330ft-2.196, 660ft-3.114/278.00 mph.

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Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 3.892/316.01, Now #2
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.489/170.34, Now #9

McClenatyhan with a real good pass to go to the number two spot right behind his teammate. Cory McClenathan's incremental times: 60ft-0.855 sec., 330ft-2.192, 660ft-3.125/273.55 mph. It appeared Dixon had a pop around 660 feet and the car slowed on the top end.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink