Sun, 18 May 2003, 01:41 PM Top Fuel Round 2 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 34th annual K&N Filters SuperNationals presented by Pep Boys:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Larry Dixon                           104 Clay Millican
E2   ****WINNER****  0.021  4.537 327.74                     0.030  4.644 316.01
 Prior rounds:
E1    (C Mc Clenath) 0.036 11.726  78.95      (M Smith     ) 0.073  5.960 138.22
 Qualified:             #7  4.580 326.95                        #2  4.538 322.96

1:12 PM Current weather conditions: 58 degrees, 45 percent relative humidity, the absolute barometer 30.15 inches, with a track temperature of 78 degrees, under cloudy skies.

It was supposed to be sunny and in the sixties today, so the weather forecasters blew it again. These two have met four times in past races, Dixon winning all four. Make it five in a row, Dick LaHaie coming up with a tuneup that avoided the tire smoke Dixon experienced in the first round, while Millican's car dropped a cylinder at half track after beating Dixon to the 60-foot timer.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 John Smith                            888 Jim Head
E2                   0.194 No Time           ****WINNER****  0.091  4.544 320.05
 Prior rounds:
E1    (B Bernstein ) 0.049  6.250 188.38      (L Novelli   ) 0.092  4.898 303.71
 Qualified:            #11  4.681 308.57                        #3  4.545 324.12

Word from the hospital is that Brandon Bernstein is okay, but they are X-raying his back just to be sure. John is the first driver named Smith to beat a Bernstein in 23 years, his father, Paul, beating Kenny Bernstein in baton Rouge during the 1980 season. But he'll have to settle for that honor, his car going into instant clutch lockup, then rolling to a stop about 100 feet out. Head ran another career-best elapsed time, by a thousandth of a second, Alan Johnson doing a great job of tuning Head's car this weekend. However, Head will not have lane choice when he faces Dixon in the semifinals.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  337 Paul Romine                           797 David Baca
E2   ****WINNER****  0.072  5.133 226.58                     0.063  5.235 251.86
 Prior rounds:
E1    (D Herbert   ) 0.053  4.646 294.95      (S Weis      ) 0.104  4.621 301.00
 Qualified:            #12  4.729 301.87                        #4  4.552 322.81

This was the first time these two ever faced each other in eliminations. Baca was up in smoke almost immediately, but Romine gave him a chance to catch up when the engine let go in a ball of flame, looking like a jet dragster in afterburner as he crossed the finish line. This will be Romine's first semifinals since Gainesville last year.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Darrell Russell                         4 Doug Kalitta
E2                   0.064  4.613 320.81     ****WINNER****  0.058  4.544 321.50
 Prior rounds:
E1    (S Muldowney ) 0.073  4.576 319.67      (R Pustari   ) 0.081  4.526 330.63
 Qualified:             #8  4.585 323.04                        #1  4.511 327.59

Last pair. These two have met eleven times in past races, Kalitta holding a 6-5 edge. Kalitta made another huge pass despite a bright flash from the top of the engine near the 1,000-foot marker, possibly another head gasket failure. Whatever it was didn't slow him much because he continued to open the margin to the stripe. Doug Kalitta's incremental margins: 60ft(0.012), 330 ft(0.025), 660ft(0.054), 1,000ft(0.069). MOV: 0.0753 seconds (approximately 35 feet). Kalitta has lane choice against Romine in the semifinals.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink