Sat, 29 Oct 2011, 09:30 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

LAS VEGAS - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 11th annual Big O Tires NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Duane Shields                        5050 Scott Palmer                 
E1                   0.078  5.523 263.41     ****WINNER****  0.069  5.477 247.29
 Qualified:             #8  5.382 261.72                        #9  5.389 254.52

6:03 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 17 percent, barometer 27.90 inches, adjusted altitude 3,859 feet, track temperature 84 degrees.

Shields had a hole out on the right side at the hit and the car started moving to the right. Palmer left first and started pulling away. Shields got the car back in the groove, started making up ground, but ran out of room.

Scott Palmer's incremental margins: 60ft(0.006), 330 ft(0.090), 660ft(0.124), 1,000ft(0.106). MOV: 0.0556 seconds (approximately 21 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   12 John Finke                            465 Michael Manners              
E1                   0.058  5.381 254.66     ****WINNER****  0.056  5.324 272.17
 Qualified:            #14  5.471 264.29                        #3  5.322 273.16

Finke gets out in front quickly, starts pulling away, then Manners makes a move and starts making up ground. Manners drives around Finke a little past half track and pulls away for the win.

Michael Manners' incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.012), 330 ft(-0.027), 660ft(-0.022), 1,000ft(0.011). MOV: 0.0596 seconds (approximately 22 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  471 Aaron Tatum                            55 Cody Perkins                 
E1                   0.046  5.572 259.76     ****WINNER****  0.043  5.362 264.44
 Qualified:             #7  5.366 267.11                       #10  5.400 260.11

Perkins gets a small advantage off the line and extends his lead all the way through the run.

Cody Perkins' incremental margins: 60ft(0.071), 330 ft(0.172), 660ft(0.196), 1,000ft(0.199). MOV: 0.2136 seconds (approximately 81 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  613 Joey Severance                       7599 Megan McKernan               
E1                   0.035 13.462  25.32     ****WINNER****  0.076  5.369 263.00
 Qualified:             #6  5.352 263.67                       #11  5.413 255.68

Severance comes off the line, makes a move toward the center line and has to back off the throttle. McKernan makes her quickest pass of the weekend to take the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 6067 Don St. Arnaud                        487 Mark Taliaferro              
E1                   0.056  5.480 256.16     ****WINNER****  0.071  5.336 274.94
 Qualified:            #12  5.426 256.75                        #5  5.352 272.67

Taliaferro is last off the line but quickly makes up ground and drives around St. Arnaud before they reach the sixty foot mark and pulls away for the win.

Mark Taliaferro's incremental margins: 60ft(0.015), 330 ft(0.033), 660ft(0.047), 1,000ft(0.083). MOV: 0.1294 seconds (approximately 49 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  663 Ray Martin                              2 Chris Demke                  
E1                   0.067  5.451 263.72     ****WINNER****  0.084  5.347 268.17
 Qualified:            #13  5.435 265.74                        #4  5.345 267.59

Martin gets out of the gate first, Demke pulls ahead quickly and drives away for the win.

Chris Demke's incremental margins: 60ft(0.010), 330 ft(0.024), 660ft(0.054), 1,000ft(0.074). MOV: 0.0872 seconds (approximately 34 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 6121 Ashley Bart                            10 Chase Copeland               
E1                   0.073  6.979 134.77     ****WINNER****  0.044  5.344 274.61
 Qualified:            #15  5.479 228.69                        #2  5.322 273.33

Copeland gets off the line first and starts to pull away. Bart drives around before they reach the 330 foot mark, then has problems and has to back off the throttle, not sure why.

Chase Copeland's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.003), 330 ft(-0.039), 660ft(0.250), 1,000ft(0.894). MOV: 1.6641 seconds (more than 100 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  288 Sidnei Frigo                            4 Jim Whiteley                 
E1                  -0.135  5.458 260.71     ****WINNER****  0.052 11.616 100.47
 Qualified:            #16  5.539 248.66                        #1  5.320 267.75

Whiteley goes up in smoke at the hit but gets a break when Frigo leaves a little too soon and turns on the red light.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink