Sat, 17 May 2003, 02:09 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Larry Sullivan

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 34th annual K&N Filters SuperNationals presented by Pep Boys listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Right Lane: Don Sosenka Runs 5.859/161.40, Now #1

1:25 PM Current weather conditions: 55 degrees, 72 percent relative humidity, the absolute barometer 30.02 inches, with a track temperature of 86 degrees, under cloudy skies.

This was Sosenka's first pass of the season and only the third fuel-car run of the event, all but two Funny Cars and all of Top Fuel washed out by rain yesterday. Sosenka made a clean run to half track, then the engine spit out the blower belt and he slowed.

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Left Lane: Luigi Novelli Runs 4.809/301.07, Now #1
Right Lane: Rit Pustari No Time, Now #4

Pustari made the burnout, backed up, and shut it down. Novelli made a clean pass, with a dropped cylinder on the top end.

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Left Lane: Shirley Muldowney Runs 4.590/318.77, Now #1
Right Lane: Mike Smith Runs 4.809/255.00, Now #3

Muldowney has a long history at this track, with many exhibition runs in addition to national events, so the Englishtown crowd greeted the first lady of drag racing with a standing ovation as she pulled the "T3 Terminator" dragster out from under the tower. She made a very nice run, only five thousandths of a second slower than her career-best, despite mixed-up cylinders on the top end of the run. Smith made a conservative pass, falling behind early in the run, the header flames out just past the 1,000-foot marker.

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Left Lane: Scott Weis Runs 4.804/244.78, Now #2
Right Lane: Paul Romine Runs 9.079/93.49, Now #6

Weis had a very nice run going, the front wheels popping a couple feet in the air on the launch, with a 3.143/260.56 at half track, but the blower belt came sailing through the air as he approached the 1,000-foot timer and he coasted across the finish line. Romine was up in smoke almost instantly.

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Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 8.401/92.54, Now #7
Right Lane: Rhonda Hartman-Smith Runs 6.115/140.66, Now #6

Head hiked the wheels up on the launch and then the rear tires lost traction. Hartman-Smith was on a good run, but lost the blower belt as she approached half track.

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Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 7.798/164.71, Now #8
Right Lane: John Smith Runs 6.055/155.85, Now #6

Double-ugly! Schumacher got the tires way up and then lost traction, fishtailing violently before he could get it shut down. Smith got a bit further before losing traction and pedaled it a couple times, to no avail.

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Left Lane: Clay Millican Runs 11.825/69.43, Now #12
Right Lane: David Baca Runs 5.117/192.80, Now #5

Millican pulled the plug when the front wheels got about ten feet in the air, the rear tires shaking. Baca was on a very good run, ahead of Muldowney's pace at half track, then he joined the beltless crowd. His half-track numbers were 3.078 seconds at 263.20 mph, Muldowney's 3.106 at 268.44.

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Left Lane: Darrell Russell No Time, Now #16
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 7.568/103.49, Now #9

Russell made his burnout and could not get the car into reverse, so he drove it out the other end. Cory Mac lost traction and pedaled it to make sure he would be in the field should it rain later today.

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Left Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.825/305.01, Now #6
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.511/327.59, Now #1

Herbert left hard, started to chatter the tires and pedaled it once, regaining traction. Meanwhile, Kalitta streaked right down the middle of the groove and right up to the top of the ladder. Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.855 sec., 330ft-2.162, 660ft-3.069/277.32mph, 1,000ft-3.837

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Left Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 4.563/323.89, Now #2
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 15.295/53.70, Now #17

Last pair and, surprise, it's the beer cars. Dixon lost traction immediately. Bernstein made a clean, hard run, right down the groove. He's in easily and Dixon will have just one more shot at qualifying.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink