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Sun, 14 Nov 2010, 02:40 PM

Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 46th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  475 Steve Torrence                          3 Antron Brown                 
E1                   0.045  4.172 274.33     ****WINNER****  0.049  3.851 318.47
 Qualified:             #9  3.860 312.06                        #8  3.858 317.49

11:01 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 74 degrees, relative humidity 26 percent, barometer 28.94 inches, adjusted altitude 2,464 feet. Track temp. in 92 degrees.
Brown is 3-0 against Torrance in round one action and is 4 - 0 against him in prior events.

Torrance gets a small advantage off the line, but Brown runs close to his qualifying time to take the easy win after Torrance's engine starts to drop cylinders and smokes the tires after the 330 lights.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 3516 Terry McMillen                          5 Brandon Bernstein            
E1                   0.124 10.358  69.89     ****WINNER****  0.094  4.287 238.85
 Qualified:            #10  3.897 306.05                        #7  3.851 307.79

Bernstein has prevailed all five times that he and McMillen have met in round one.

McMillen strikes the tires right at the green. Bernstein has his own traction problems before the 660 lights, pumps it and finishes the run for the win.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7727 Ron August                            333 Shawn Langdon                
E1                   0.085  3.920 311.92     ****WINNER****  0.047  3.903 312.06
 Qualified:            #11  3.915 313.44                        #6  3.849 316.01

This is the first time August and Langdon have faced each other in eliminations. August is the twenty-fifth driver that Langdon has encountered.
OK! We finally get a race and it's a good one. Langdon, as usual, is away first and never headed.
Shawn Langdon's incremental margins: 60ft(0.050), 330 ft(0.042), 660ft(0.050). MOV: 0.0556 seconds (approximately 25 feet).

Ron August's incremental times: 60ft-0.875 sec., 330ft-2.200, 660ft-3.139/269.62 mph.
Shawn Langdon's incremental times: 60ft-0.863 sec., 330ft-2.196, 660ft-3.127/273.66 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   12 Bob Vandergriff                        34 Morgan Lucas                 
E1                   0.088  3.890 311.77     ****WINNER****  0.038  3.873 316.23
 Qualified:            #13  3.927 306.46                       #4  3.829 317.49

Lucas is 7 - 2 against Vandergriff in prior events and has a 4-1 advantage in round one.
Another great race and the right lane wins again. Team Lucas has finally found the missing tune up piece and thunders on down the track for a big win.
Vandergriff runs better than he qualified, but can't match the pace.
Morgan Lucas' incremental margins: 60ft(0.045), 330 ft(0.041), 660ft(0.054). MOV: 0.0674 seconds (approximately 31 feet).

Bob Vandergriff's incremental times: 60ft-0.858 sec., 330ft-2.178, 660ft-3.109/271.08 mph.
Morgan Lucas' incremental times: 60ft-0.863 sec., 330ft-2.187, 660ft-3.105/274.89 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  142 Dom Lagana                              1 Tony Schumacher              
E1                   0.079 10.287  81.13     ****WINNER****  0.077  3.838 320.13
 Qualified:            #16  3.939 308.85                        #1  3.794 322.88

This is a MUST WIN round. Schumacher has a 2-1 win record in round one. If he gets the win it will be his 550th. He has to run in a 3.770 to 3.757 ET to set a Nation Record. Schumacher is 3 - 0 against Lagana in prior events.
Lagana joins the up in smoke at the hit club. Schumacher runs a big speed to take the vital win, but no where near the record times that he needs.
He'll face teammate Brown next round in the next round.

Tony Schumacher's incremental times: 60ft-0.839 sec., 330ft-2.169, 660ft-3.080/279.21 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   72 Mike Strasburg                          2 Larry Dixon                  
E1                   0.076  4.620 168.66     ****WINNER****  0.068  3.854 318.92
 Qualified:            #15  3.932 303.03                        #2  3.813 318.39

Dixon has to win round one to nail the 2010 Top Fuel Championship. He has a 5-1 advantage against Strasburg in round one action, but anything can happen. Dixon is 6 - 1 against Strasburg in prior events.
Say Hello to the new 2010 Top Fuel Champion, as the Al-Anabi dragster thunders down the right lane on a great looking pass.
Strasburg gave it a valiant try, but smokes the tires before the 660 lights. Dixon will have lane choice over Bernstein next round.
Larry Dixon's incremental margins: 60ft(0.349), 330 ft(2.303), 660ft(4.334). MOV: 6.4514 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Mike Strasburg's incremental times: 60ft-0.872 sec., 330ft-2.216, 660ft-3.338/199.88 mph.
Larry Dixon's incremental times: 60ft-0.840 sec., 330ft-2.166, 660ft-3.091/277.37 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   44 David Grubnic                          22 Doug Kalitta                 
E1                   0.076  3.997 275.17     ****WINNER****  0.067 No Time      
 Qualified:            #14  3.928 298.60                        #3  3.822 319.90

Teammates, Kallita and Grubnic have met ten times in round one with Doug winning nine of them .Kalitta is 17 - 5 against Grubnic in prior events.
Kalitta is away first and takes an big lead for the win. He runs 3.888 at 309.49, but officially loses the numbers, as the car erupts in flame at the top end. Langdon will get lane choice later.
Grubnic makes another clean pass, but can't match Kalitta's pace down the track.
Doug Kalitta's incremental margins: 60ft(0.024), 330 ft(0.027), 660ft(0.064). MOV: 0.1184 seconds (approximately 48 feet).

David Grubnic's incremental times: 60ft-0.869 sec., 330ft-2.205, 660ft-3.166/260.76 mph.
Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.854 sec., 330ft-2.187, 660ft-3.111/274.61 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  317 T.J. Zizzo                              4 Cory McClenathan             
E1                   0.053  3.933 308.64     ****WINNER****  0.042  3.866 313.44
 Qualified:             #12  3.918 310.77                        #5  3.848 318.32

11:32 a.m. We get a double delay, as the NHRA trucks have rolled to the finish line area to do the dusting and cleaning for Kalitta's mess. In the mean time, we are treated to the Starting Line celebration and presentations for Dixon and the Al-Anabi Team's 2010 Top Fuel Championship.
McClenathan is in his last race with DSR and has met Zizzo three times in round one, with a perfect win record and is 4 - 0 against Zizzo in prior events.
McClenathan gets off the line first and continues to pull ahead. A great race and both cars run close to their qualifying times to ensure a round win. He will keep lane choice against Lucas in the next round.
Cory McClenathan's incremental margins: 60ft(0.047), 330 ft(0.051), 660ft(0.065). MOV: 0.0786 seconds (approximately 36 feet).

T.J. Zizzo's incremental times: 60ft-0.879 sec., 330ft-2.216, 660ft-3.148/270.64 mph.
Cory McClenathan's incremental times: 60ft-0.843 sec., 330ft-2.176, 660ft-3.094/275.17 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink