Sun, 28 Oct 2012, 13:05 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, 12th annual Big O Tires NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  488 Todd Odom                             613 Joey Severance               
E1                   0.082  5.664 260.66     ****WINNER****  0.051  5.391 263.00
 Qualified:             #6  5.363 260.81                       #11  5.386 263.98

9:35 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 66 degrees, relative humidity 30 percent, barometer 27.96 inches, adjusted altitude 3,119 feet, track temperature 74 degrees.

Odom gets about 200 feet out, has to pedal and falls behind Severance. Severance went right down the groove and pulls away for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  596 Randy Meyer                           597 Greg Hunter                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.083  5.420 258.86                     0.059 No Time      
 Qualified:             #8  5.375 256.26                        #9  5.384 267.80

Hunter hits the throttle, moves about 5 feet and the engine goes silent. Meyer made a clean pass and takes the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  717 Aaron Olivarez                         62 Ray Martin                   
E1                   0.067  5.602 256.84     ****WINNER****  0.022  5.383 267.11
 Qualified:             #7  5.367 268.87                       #10  5.384 265.53

Olivarez had a hole out early in the run and the engine struggled all the way down the track. Martin went right down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend to take the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   73 Megan McKernan                         74 Cody Perkins                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.093  5.350 254.33                     0.034  5.470 262.64
 Qualified:             #5  5.354 264.80                       #12  5.393 263.72

Perkins was out in front early, then put out a cylinder or two and started falling back. McKernan drove around Perkins just past half track and pulled away for the win.

Megan McKernan's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.081), 330 ft(-0.074), 660ft(-0.014), 1,000ft(0.045). MOV: 0.0613 seconds (approximately 24 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  288 Sidnei Frigo                          487 Mark Taliaferro              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.028  5.347 269.03                     0.087 12.470  75.17
 Qualified:             #4  5.351 263.92                       #13  5.399 263.20

Taliaferro goes up in smoke early and has to back off the throttle. Frigo started heading for the centerline early but steered it back into the groove and pulled away for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   15 John Finke                           6067 Don St. Arnaud               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.043  5.404 258.17                     0.077  5.398 270.43
 Qualified:             #3  5.320 258.76                       #14  5.437 266.06

This is the first time Finke and St. Arnaud have faced each other in eliminations.

Finke gets out of the gate first and starts to pull away. St. Arnaud starts tomake up ground but ran out of room. Finke gets the hole shot win, the first in his career.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  611 Garrett Bateman                        10 Chase Copeland               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.068  5.302 263.98                     0.058  5.524 266.90
 Qualified:             #2  5.297 262.18                       #15  5.446 266.48

Copeland gets off the line first but Bateman quickly goes around and pulls away for the win with the quickest pass of the round so far.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Jim Whiteley                          734 Johnny Ahten                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.046  5.283 273.22                     0.063  5.451 251.53
 Qualified:             #1  5.266 272.83                       #16  5.453 240.51

Whiteley is 3 - 0 against Ahten in prior events.

Whiteley gets off the line first and increased his lead all the way through the run.

In the next round it will be Severance with lane choice over Finke, Bateman vs. Martin, Frigo vs. McKernan, and Whiteley vs. Meyer.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink