Mon, 5 Sep 2011, 11:56 AM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations |
By Larry Sullivan |
CLERMONT, Ind. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 57th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 22 Doug Kalitta 34 Morgan Lucas E1 ****WINNER**** 0.075 3.929 304.25 0.076 3.957 296.18 Qualified: #8 3.888 318.54 #9 3.891 313.8011:00 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 64 degrees, relative humidity 50 percent, barometer 29.08 inches, adjusted altitude 1,806 feet, track temperature 76 degrees.
Kalitta has been the runner-up here twice, in '04 and again in '08. Lucas won this event in '03, in Top Alcohol Dragster. Kalitta holds a 12-7 edge against Lucas in prior events, but the tally is tied at 4-4 in round 1.
It's a crew chief's worst nightmare, today's weather and track conditions unlike any they saw in the five qualifying sessions.
We got a good race to open the event, but we also got our first oildown of the day. They left together and were side-by-side for most of the race, Kalitta surging ahead past the 660-foot marker. However, his car trailed a haze of fluid , starting just before the lights.
Doug Kalitta's incremental margins: 60ft(0.010), 330 ft(0.014), 660ft(0.011). MOV: 0.0293 seconds (approximately 13 feet).
Kalitta has a credit, so the oildown will cost him 10 points and $1K, but he keeps his time for
lane choice purposes.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 552 Rod Fuller 3516 Terry McMillen E1 0.065 No Time ****WINNER**** 0.043 No Time Qualified: #7 3.885 319.37 #10 3.893 317.64The only other time Fuller and McMillen faced each other was in Atlanta, three years ago. McMillen needs to win this round to have any chance of making the Countdown.
Fuller was up in smoke quickly. McMillen won the battle, but could lose the war because he blew it up in the lights, flattening the right rear tire and oiling the track. The fireball was so intense that it stopped the clocks in Fuller's lane, but Fuller had not even reached the 660-foot mark when McMillen crossed the stripe.
The oildown will cost
McMillen 10 points and $1K, but it's the points penalty that will hurt worst because he only adds 10 points instead of 20. He also
loses the run for lane choice purposes, but he keeps the round win and advances to round two.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
2 Tony Schumacher 12 Bob Vandergriff
E1 0.090 6.684 73.85 ****WINNER**** 0.074 3.896 314.90
Qualified: #6 3.856 320.36 #11 3.905 316.01
Schumacher is 19 - 5 against Vandergriff in prior events, has eight wins at Indy. Vandergriff reached the final round here in
'95, lost when his chutes came out early.As they say in the financial ads, past performance is not an indicator of future
earnings. There was a POP and a flash of flame from Schumacher's engine and the safety system deployed his chutes, putting
Vandergriff on the winning side of the equation. Vandergriff also made his best run of the event
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1 Larry Dixon 44 David Grubnic
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.051 3.850 316.01 0.062 3.896 311.70
Qualified: #5 3.850 319.60 #12 3.913 308.78
Dixon has been to the final round here seven times in the past, with four wins. He is 27-9 against Grubnic, 13-4 in round
1.Dixon has a small edge at the green, slowly pulled ahead for the win. Grubnic came in tenth in points, Terry McMillen 11th, 18
points back, so the 10 points penalty kept McMillen from passing Grubnic for the final Countdown spot.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
5 Shawn Langdon 4 Antron Brown
E1 0.059 3.896 312.86 ****WINNER**** 0.054 3.829 317.42
Qualified: #16 3.936 311.63 #1 3.818 322.96
Brown won this event twice in Pro Stock Motorcycle, in '00 and '04. This is his second #1 qualifier here, both in Top Fuel.
Langdon won here last year, in Super Gas. Brown is 6-3 against Langdon, but Langdon is 1-0 against Brown in round 1.Langdon is a
good 'leaver," but Brown was better in that regard here and steadily pulled away to win by more than a car length. Brown will have
lane choice against Kalitta in round two.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 99 Del Worsham 497 Troy Buff E1 ****WINNER**** 0.072 3.825 320.58 0.048 3.896 303.57 Qualified: #2 3.836 321.12 #15 3.930 305.77Worsham was runner-up here in Funny Car in '05, runner-up in '92. This is the first time he and Buff have faced each other in eliminations.
Buff was away first and ran his best ET of the season, but it was not enough because Worsham made the quickest run
of the round and won the battle on the top half of the run. Worsham faces McMillen in round two and a win there would end McMillen's
Countdown hopes.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
7 Brandon Bernstein 317 T.J. Zizzo
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.088 3.860 314.39 0.098 3.880 313.22
Qualified: #3 3.846 318.99 #14 3.919 301.27
Bernstein is 3-0 against Zizzo, all in round one matchups. Bernstein's best finish here was a runner-up in '06.This was a
good race , but Bernstein was first off the line and led all the way. Brandon Bernstein's incremental margins: 60ft(0.015), 330
ft(0.027), 660ft(0.030). MOV: 0.0304 seconds (approximately 14 feet). He will have lane choice against Vandergriff in round
two.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 421 Spencer Massey 53 Brady Kalivoda E1 ****WINNER**** 0.060 3.852 318.39 0.099 3.951 307.51 Qualified: #4 3.848 321.19 #13 3.919 308.64Last pair. This is Kalivoda's first race since Brainerd in 2007 and his second Indy start. He and Massey have never raced each other before today.
Massey was away first and pulled away for a sizeable win margin, but he lost lane choice to Dixon by two
thousandths of a second.
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