Sat, 22 Oct 2011, 03:34 PM Nostalgia Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By David Gerard

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Notes from final, round 2 qualifying in Nostalgia Top Fuel at the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series, 20th annual California Hot Rod Reunion, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California 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:

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Left Lane: Mendy Fry Runs 6.261/181.32, Now #12; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Michael Irwin Runs 6.887/177.16, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.898/155.81, Was #13

12:06 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 82 degrees, relative humidity 41 percent, barometer 28.97 inches, adjusted altitude 2,853 feet, track temperature 108 degrees.

No bump spot yet.

Fry has problems again before the burnout and the crew takes a long time getting the car to idle correctly. She does a quick burnout and backup. Fry gets her first pass and start to mix up the cylinders down track and clicks it early.

Irwin's fueler is lazy off the line and even though he picked up a little ET and MPH, Fry's pass pushed him down a spot to 14.

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Left Lane: Brendan Murry Runs 6.250/200.83, Now #12; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Brad Thompson Runs 6.100/208.68, Now #11; Best prior run: 6.204/191.76, Was #11

Brendan Murry is on the bump spot at 99.999 [Time DQ'ed] and has this one last chance to get up the ladder. The car is a little slow off the line and has a bunch of smoke from the engine in the lights, but it's enough to move him into the current #12 spot.

Thompson finds some power and cards a better ET and MPH to stay #11 for now.

Brendan Murry's incremental times: 60ft-1.117 sec., 330ft-2.810, 660ft-4.109/192.06 mph, 1,000ft-5.218.
Brad Thompson's incremental times: 60ft-1.083 sec., 330ft-2.767, 660ft-4.038/200.71 mph, 1,000ft-5.096.

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Left Lane: Brett Harris Runs 5.827/255.15, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.987/232.75, Was #8
Right Lane: Tony Bartone Runs 11.141/60.58, Now #10; Best prior run: 6.064/250.64, Was #10

Just a little clean up in the right lane. Jim Boyd is on the bump spot at 7.588. These two have run the quickest times in NTF and meet here looking for the top of the ladder.

Harris has a great looking pass and runs well into the new number four spot on the ladder with top speed of the meet.

Bartone's car had a better sixty foot time, but he had to pump the throttle before the 330 lights and finally gives it up well before mid-track to stay #10.

Brett Harris' incremental times: 60ft-1.053 sec., 330ft-2.682, 660ft-3.916/203.06 mph, 1,000ft-4.950.

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Right Lane: Terry Cox No Time, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.990/253.47, Was #9

Cox gets a single pass and has problems in the burnout. The car appears to be locked up on the track and the crew can't free it up. He finally is given the "shut 'er off!" sign and the engine goes silent. Bad luck!

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Left Lane: Rick White Runs 5.698/231.20, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.860/245.72, Was #5
Right Lane: Rick McGee Runs 6.578/154.26, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.861/214.83, Was #6

There's a new number one qualifier in the house. The quickest by far, but not the fastest. The pass starts with a nice 1.015 sixty foot time and he is running 209 MPH at the 660 mark. Nice!

No joy for Mc Gee. The car leaves OK, but is out of GO about mid-track.

Rick White's incremental times: 60ft-1.015 sec., 330ft-2.579, 660ft-3.775/209.46 mph, 1,000ft-4.788.

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Left Lane: Jimi Young Runs 5.593/255.92, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.775/235.02, Was #2
Right Lane: Jim Murphy Runs 5.813/237.71, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.786/246.12, Was #4

Young tells the rest of the field that there is a new boss in town. He leaves with a 1,003 sixty foot and is running over 212.70 at half track. The car keeps the candle lit to near the lights, where there is a bunch of smoke from the engine. He is the third NTF'er to run in the five fifties.

Murphy ran close to his prior best, but looked like he shut it off early compared to Young! He stays #4.

Jimi Young's incremental times: 60ft-1.003 sec., 330ft-2.569, 660ft-3.754/212.73 mph, 1,000ft-4.742.
Jim Murphy's incremental times: 60ft-1.026 sec., 330ft-2.620, 660ft-3.857/202.27 mph, 1,000ft-4.903.

12:31 p.m. Jim Boyd is on the bump spot at 7.588.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink