Sun, 26 Jun 2011, 01:16 PM Pro Modified Round 2 Eliminations

By Rick Green

NORWALK, Ohio - Results of round 2 eliminations in Pro Modified at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, Fifth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 6294 Dennis Radford                        327 Khalid Balooshi              
E2   ****WINNER****  0.084  6.051 235.43                     0.074  6.086 238.60
 Prior rounds:
E1    (T Coughlin  ) 0.073  5.974 236.96      (E Hoover    ) 0.090  5.942 240.64
 Qualified:             #5  5.913 238.93                        #4  5.879 241.97

Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 53 percent, barometer 29.06 inches, adjusted altitude 2,854 feet, track temperature 98 degrees.

Balooshi is 1 - 0 against Radford in prior events. Balooshi is out of the gate first, but Radford has him chased down by 250 feet...Radford takes the win by 0.0255 seconds (approximately 9 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  770 Donald Martin                         375 Rickie Jones                 
E2                   0.058  7.970 118.44     ****WINNER****  0.062  5.944 239.23
 Prior rounds:
E1    (C King      ) 0.053  5.997 244.07      (P Farber    ) 0.063  5.912 240.55
 Qualified:             #7  5.938 245.00                        #2  5.868 241.93

Martin with a slight starting line advantage, but then got real loose and over by the wall before he lifted...Jones with another nice pass, straight down the groove.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 5011 Mike Knowles                            2 Danny Rowe                   
E2                   0.192  7.552 138.02     ****WINNER****  0.109  5.949 245.94
 Prior rounds:
E1    (R Commisso  ) 0.067  5.986 240.29      (M Janis     ) 0.092  5.904 246.57
 Qualified:             #9  5.953 240.81                        #1  5.863 246.93

Rowe is 1 - 0 against Knowles in prior events. Rowe with the starting line advantage and is straight down the groove for the win. He will have lane choice over Radford in the semifinal. Knowles blew the tires off right at the hit and pedaled it, but by then it was too late.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Jay Payne                            1794 Mike Castellana              
E2                   0.065  6.049 239.36     ****WINNER****  0.050  5.997 238.34
 Prior rounds:
E1    (K Lang      ) 0.060  5.986 240.77      (C Cheeseman ) 0.066  5.900 239.19
 Qualified:            #11  5.988 241.93                        #3  5.871 241.93

This is the first time Payne and Castellana have faced each other in eliminations. Castellana with the starting line advantage and is straight down the groove for the win. He will give up lane choice to Jones, who ran low E.T. of the second round, in the semifinal. Payne got out of the groove and over by the wall, but stayed with it, but couldn't chase him down.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink