Sun, 29 Jun 2003, 06:37 PM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

MADISON, Ill. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Seventh annual Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 John Smith                            337 Paul Romine
E1   ****WINNER****  0.045  5.038 278.29                     0.050  5.230 239.27
 Qualified:             #9  4.735 302.21                        #8  4.710 258.02

4:31 PM Current weather conditions: 92 degrees, 36 percent relative humidity, the barometer 30.08 inches, with a track temperature of 134 degrees.

These are the worst conditions we have had all weekend so this should be an interesting round. This is Romine best qualifying position this year. This is the fourth time he has qualified in the top half of the field in his career, two of those here in Saint Louis. We start off with a pedal contest. They leave the line together and stay even until the 330 foot mark. Romine breaks the tires loose, pedals and puts out a couple of cylinders. He stays on the throttle and loses the engine in the lights. Smith gets to half-track, loses traction and pedals, then starts mixing up cylinders. He stays on the throttle and goes through for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  797 David Baca                              7 Doug Herbert
E1                   0.051  5.410 219.08     ****WINNER****  0.040  4.954 293.73
 Qualified:            #10  4.738 305.98                        #7  4.696 313.37

Baca gets about 400 feet out, loses traction and pedals. Herbert started hazing the tires around half-track, stays on the throttle and makes a good run considering the track condition.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  757 David Grubnic                           6 Darrell Russell
E1                   0.032  4.919 293.60     ****WINNER****  0.081  4.857 307.09
 Qualified:            #11  4.747 301.20                        #6  4.689 316.82

A great drag race, these guys show how it's done in the heat. Grubnic gets the hole-shot and starts pulling away. He puts a cylinder out at half-track, giving Russell room to drive around just before the finish line. Darrell Russell's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.039), 330 ft(-0.048), 660ft(-0.054), 1,000ft(-0.021). MOV: 0.0134 seconds (approximately 6 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  888 Jim Head                              201 Scott Weis
E1                   0.093  5.277 272.50     ****WINNER****  0.092  4.897 255.82
 Qualified:             #5  4.667 315.34                       #12  4.750 306.12

These two leave the line together and Weis starts pulling away. Head hazes the tires at half-track, pedals, but Weis was long gone by then. Weis loses the blower belt just before crossing the finish line but had enough of a lead to take the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Cory McClenathan                      223 Mike Smith
E1   ****WINNER****  0.100  4.870 286.50                     0.059  5.226 202.39
 Qualified:             #4  4.664 307.65                       #13  4.754 305.84

McClenethan is 6-3 lifetime vs. Smith, all first round matches. Smith jumps out in front and starts pulling away. he hazes the tires just past half-track, then the engine falls silent. Cory McClenathan's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.012), 330 ft(-0.030), 660ft(-0.030), 1,000ft(0.058). MOV: 0.3157 seconds (approximately 94 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Tony Schumacher                         1 Larry Dixon
E1                   0.057  4.802 300.00     ****WINNER****  0.057  4.681 320.89
 Qualified:            #14  4.779 269.62                        #3  4.657 314.31

Dixon is 15-11 against Schumacher over there careers. Schumacher has never won a round from the 14th position. No tire smoke here, both dragsters right down the groove. Dixon makes an awesome run for these conditions, by far the best run of the round so far. Schumacher was right with Dixon until half-track, then he loses a cylinder allowing Dixon to pull away. Larry Dixon's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.007), 330 ft(0.003), 660ft(0.029), 1,000ft(0.073). MOV: 0.1215 seconds (approximately 53 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  507 Melanie Troxel                          4 Doug Kalitta
E1                   0.060 19.505  33.73     ****WINNER****  0.072  4.790 299.80
 Qualified:            #15  4.791 290.63                        #2  4.631 307.30

Troxel hits the throttle, gets about 30 feet out and bangs the blower. Kalitta goes right down the groove and takes the easy win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 Rhonda Hartman-Smith                    2 Kenny Bernstein
E1   ****WINNER****  0.052  4.933 294.24                     0.075  6.239 133.94
 Qualified:            #16  4.813 303.37                        #1  4.596 323.12

Bernstein hasn't lost to a Smith since 1980 and all three Smiths are on his side of the ladder. He is 3-0 against Rhonda. What an upset !!! Bernstein hits the throttle and the chute deploys. He still leads through the first 200 feet but the tires break loose. He pedals but to no avail, the chute holding him back, and Hartman-Smith takes the win. In round two it will be Hartman-Smith with lane choice over John Smith, McClenethan vs. Weis, Kalitta vs. Herbert and Dixon vs. Russell.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink