Sun, 1 Jun 2003, 12:45 PM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

JOLIET, Ill. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Sixth annual Lucas Oil NHRA Route 66 Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Kenny Bernstein                         6 Darrell Russell
E1                  -0.008  4.582 326.40     ****WINNER****  0.077 11.905  87.63
 Qualified:             #8  4.579 324.75                        #9  4.614 322.73

Current weather conditions: 60 degrees, 43 percent relative humidity, the barometer 30.12 inches, with a track temperature of 86 degrees. Under high thin clouds.

This will be the 11th time these two have faced off against each other and the rubber match with each of them with five wins.

Russell is up in smoke as so as he hits the throttle, but that did not matter because Bernstein turned on the red light.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Cory McClenathan                      757 David Grubnic
E1   ****WINNER****  0.081  4.636 315.49                     0.024 10.148  80.21
 Qualified:             #7  4.570 320.58                       #10  4.633 316.38

McClenathan has pretty much own Grubnic. They have raced 11 times and Cory Mac has won 9 times.

Grubnic is first off the line, but is up in smoke and pedaled it one time, but by then it was over. McClenathan with a good clean and straight down the groove.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 Rhonda Hartman-Smith                  201 Scott Weis
E1   ****WINNER****  0.085  4.768 304.12                     0.115  7.285 113.98
 Qualified:             #6  4.562 316.23                       #11  4.640 321.96

Rhonda is having a career weekend. This will be the third time these two have raced with each of them having a win.

Hartman-Smith is out of the gate first and never looked back to take the win. It was eating up an engine on the top end. Weis made it further down track than the previous two cars before he started to blister the rear slicks. He pedaled it, but could not get it to hook and clicked it off.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  797 David Baca                            888 Jim Head
E1                   0.105  4.623 324.20     ****WINNER****  0.096  4.616 319.45
 Qualified:             #5  4.561 325.30                       #12  4.668 317.42

This will only be the second time these two have raced and Baca won the first match up.

Head with a slight starting line advantage and never looked back to take home the win. Alan Johnson was out on the starting line observing the run, he had been helping Head. Baca was a little loose on the top end, but still had the big top end speed.

Jim Head's MOV: 0.0164 seconds (approximately 8 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 John Smith                            337 Paul Romine
E1   ****WINNER****  0.042  4.587 310.55                     0.005 13.772  71.27
 Qualified:             #4  4.556 325.77                       #13  4.719 310.48

This will only be the second time these two have raced and Smith won the first meeting. Smith with a career best weekend.

Romine with a psychic light, but then was up in smoke before the 60-foot mark. Smith with a great looking straight down Broadway for the win and lane choice over Head in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Larry Dixon                           507 Melanie Troxel
E1   ****WINNER****  0.069  4.562 328.86                     0.082 12.359  88.24
 Qualified:             #3  4.550 328.86                       #14  4.749 294.63

This is only the third time these two have raced and Dixon has won both of the previous races. Dixon was off the line first and had it hooked up all the way down the 1320 with the quickest pass of the session, so far. He will have lane choice over Hartman-Smith in round two. Troxel was up in smoke immediately to end her weekend.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Doug Kalitta                         3000 Tim Cullinan
E1                  -0.067  4.512 307.16     ****WINNER****  0.075 13.271  73.60
 Qualified:             #2  4.520 329.26                       #15  4.812 291.63

This is the first time Tim Cullinan has qualified for a race in only his second start, and he does it here at his home track.

Kalitta wasted quick E.T. of the round with a red light and this is his second red light of the season. Cullinan was up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle, but will move on. He will give up lane choice to McClenathan.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Tony Schumacher                       394 Luigi Novelli
E1   ****WINNER****  0.052  4.512 329.18                     0.084  4.876 279.85
 Qualified:             #1  4.512 326.16                       #16  4.852 290.13

This is the first time these two have raced.

Schumacher with Alan Johnson tuning the car grabbed the number one spot for the first time since Reading last year, and this is the fifth time in his career that he has been number one.

Schumacher matched his career best pass from yesterday with this one and he was dropping cylinders on the left side from 1200 feet on. This is quick pass of the session here.

Novelli with a good looking pass just not enough Schumacher.

Schumacher collecting only his fifth round victory of the year and he will have lane choice over Russell in round two.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink