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Sat, 28 Jun 2003, 11:05 PM

Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Dave Rowe

MADISON, Ill. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Seventh annual Sears Craftsman 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:

Left Lane: Mike Smith Runs 4.754/305.84, Now #6; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Luigi Novelli Runs 5.011/286.07, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.760/164.71, Was #20

Mike Smith has not made a pass this weekend and will need to run better than a 5.129 to make the field. Novelli hasn't made a full pass this weekend and will be looking to get in the show. A couple of good runs here, Smith right down the groove, hitting on all cylinders, and he gets in the field in the sixth spot. Novelli was on a decent pass until about 800 feet out, then he starts mixing up cylinders and drifts toward the center-line.

Left Lane: Chris Karamesines Runs 4.939/288.64, Now #17; Best prior run: 10.445/95.58, Was #23
Right Lane: Paul Romine Runs 4.710/258.02, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.720/159.04, Was #21

Romine goes all the way from 21st to third, but he loses the engine just as he goes through the lights, sparks flying high out of the headers. Karamesines makes his first full pass of the weekend but still doesn't run well enough to get in the field. Palmer is now on the bump with a 4.886.

Left Lane: Joe Hartley Runs 8.087/102.66, Now #21; Best prior run: 5.129/246.26, Was #20
Right Lane: Don Reed Runs 4.817/287.05, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.317/203.80, Was #22

Hartley breaks the tires loose, pedals, makes a move towards the wall and has to shut down early. Reed starts drifting toward the center-line near the end of the run, the left rear slick just touching it, but the run will count and he will get in the show with his quickest run ever.

Left Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 4.791/290.63, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.941/278.75, Was #19
Right Lane: Josh Starcher Runs 4.949/297.61, Now #20; Best prior run: 5.130/288.70, Was #22

Troxel makes her best pass of the weekend and gets in the field, knocking out Grubnic and putting Kalitta on the bump. Starcher makes a decent pass but comes up a little short.

Left Lane: Scott Palmer Runs 5.140/238.43, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.886/275.39, Was #18
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.696/313.37, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.802/298.87, Was #13

Palmer was on a decent pass until about half-track, then the engine starts coming apart. He gets to the 1000 foot mark and the engine explodes in a big ball of flame. Herbert does a good job of driving, the dragster gets out of the groove and starts moving around. He gets it back in the groove and jumps all the way to the third spot.

Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 4.747/301.20, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.826/295.27, Was #17
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 14.747/71.79, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.779/269.62, Was #11

Schumacher goes up in smoke at the hit and shuts down. Grubnic makes a great pass and bumps out Kalitta. Kalitta will run in the next pair and is the last driver left to run that is not in the field.

Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.631/307.30, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.818/283.13, Was #17
Right Lane: Darrell Russell Runs 4.689/316.82, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.760/308.92, Was #10

Kalitta makes an almost perfect pass, the rear of the dragster moving around just a little in the middle of the run, and he goes all the way to number one for now. Russell makes a good run and moves up six spots to fourth.

Left Lane: Rhonda Hartman-Smith Runs 12.068/93.95, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.813/303.37, Was #16
Right Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 4.596/323.12, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.752/309.42, Was #10

Hartman-Smith hits the throttle, goes up in smoke and shuts down. Bernstein goes right down the groove, header flames high and steady, and takes the pole away from Kalitta.

Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.664/307.65, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.780/290.38, Was #14
Right Lane: Scott Weis Runs 8.392/102.09, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.750/306.12, Was #10

McClenethan makes a great pass but loses the engine as he goes through the lights. Weis starts losing traction right off the line, gets about 300 feet out and shuts down.

Left Lane: John Smith Runs 4.735/302.21, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.769/303.37, Was #13
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.657/314.31, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.674/307.37, Was #5

Great side-by-side, Smith has the quicker sixty-foot time, but Dixon drives around at the 330 and slowly pulls away. Dixon moves up two spots to third and Smith jumps into the ninth spot.

Left Lane: David Baca Runs 10.995/82.21, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.738/305.98, Was #10
Right Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.697/304.39, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.667/315.34, Was #5

Baca strikes the tires at the hit and has to shut down. Head makes a decent pass but slows from his qualifying run last night. That ends qualifying for this class with Bernstein on the pole and Hartman-Smith on the bump.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink