Sat, 25 Jun 2011, 01:00 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Rick Green

NORWALK, Ohio - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, Fifth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Right Lane: Scott Palmer No Time, Now #1

Weather conditions: air temperature 67 degrees, relative humidity 65 percent, barometer 28.98 inches, adjusted altitude 2,243 feet, track temperature 81 degrees.

Palmer had a lot of raw fuel coming out of the headers on the burnout and then was shut off before he staged as it was leaking fuel.

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Left Lane: Luigi Novelli Runs 8.113/91.47, Now #2
Right Lane: Ike Maier Runs 4.389/188.15, Now #1

Novelli with a lot of tire shake right at the launched and clicked it off...Maier started to get out of the groove and clicked it off. He got real close to the wall...

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Left Lane: Pat Dakin No Time, Now #5
Right Lane: Chris Karamesines No Time, Now #4

Dakin dropped a cylinder early and then the engine let go with a big fireball. Dakin puts oil on the track so his time will not count because of the oil down penality. He had recorded a 4.121 seconds at 252.66. Karamesines dropped a cylinder or two on the left side and that pushed car over by the centerline and he finally collected the finish line cone.

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Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 3.956/298.27, Now #1
Right Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 5.765/118.34, Now #5

Vandergriff had a hole at right at the hit and then started to shake before he clicked it off. Grubnic with a nice pass...straight down the groove to go to the number one spot. David Grubnic's incremental times: 60ft-0.888 sec., 330ft-2.225, 660ft-3.153/269.83 mph.

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Left Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 3.911/303.84, Now #2
Right Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 3.859/313.66, Now #1

This was a good looking drag race with Langdon going to the number one spot. Shawn Langdon's incremental times: 60ft-0.841 sec., 330ft-2.170, 660ft-3.090/276.75 mph. McMillen with a good clean pass to go to the number two spot. Terry McMillen's incremental times: 60ft-0.847 sec., 330ft-2.176, 660ft-3.116/268.71 mph.

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Left Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 3.860/313.88, Now #3
Right Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 3.857/315.71, Now #1

Bernstein launched hard and blast on down the 1000 feet to go to the number one spot. Brandon Bernstein's incremental times: 60ft-0.850 sec., 330ft-2.170, 660ft-3.088/275.67 mph. Lucas was right there with him to go to the number two spot. Morgan Lucas' incremental times: 60ft-0.851 sec., 330ft-2.185, 660ft-3.093/278.69 mph.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 3.895/309.98, Now #5
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 3.848/316.30, Now #1

Kalitta running the Mac Tools colors this weekend and he gets into the top half of the show. Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.857 sec., 330ft-2.187, 660ft-3.116/270.16 mph. Schumacher with the quickest and fastest pass of the round to go to the number one spot. Tony Schumacher's incremental times: 60ft-0.849 sec., 330ft-2.171, 660ft-3.086/278.75 mph.

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Left Lane: Antron Brown Runs 4.739/231.36, Now #12
Right Lane: Spencer Massey Runs 3.886/315.12, Now #5

Brown starts to smoke the tires right off the starting line and then pedals it at least three times trying to get it to hook up. Massey was straight down the groove with good pass to get into the top half of the show.

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Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.160/283.31, Now #11
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 3.798/318.54, Now #1

Dixon starts to haze the tires around 330 feet and pedals it...worsham launched hard and was right down the groove with a great pass to go to the number one spot . Del Worsham's incremental times: 60ft-0.835 sec., 330ft-2.140, 660ft-3.040/281.60 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink