Sat, 10 Nov 2012, 18:35 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations |
By Larry Sullivan |
POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 48th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 15 John Finke 487 Mark Taliaferro E1 ****WINNER**** 0.051 5.487 260.31 0.053 5.595 262.18 Qualified: #8 5.357 266.37 #9 5.373 270.052:14 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 64 degrees, relative humidity 27 percent, barometer 28.87 inches, adjusted altitude 1,864 feet, track temperature 82 degrees.
Seven of the top ten in the points are here this weekend and the qualifying shows it. With only two qualifying sessions because of rain, the bump was still a 5.549.
They left together, but Taliaferro's
engine dropped a couple cylinders on the left side and he steadily lost ground.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1 Duane Shields 6067 Don St. Arnaud
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.083 5.311 266.37 0.080 5.601 229.94
Qualified: #10 5.382 261.88 #7 5.353 276.41
Don St. Arnuad, who has top speed coming into round one, is in a re-match with Duane Shields from the Winternationals final
round here in 2011 (Shields won)..Duane Shields was also runner-up here in 2001 & 2007.St. Arnaud's car started rattling the
tires, dancing from one rear slick to the other, and that cost him a lot of time. By the time he got the car settled down, Shields
was long gone, makingh his quickest and fastest run of the event.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 613 Joey Severance 596 Randy Meyer E1 0.063 5.409 245.40 ****WINNER**** 0.030 5.282 265.80 Qualified: #12 5.418 262.69 #5 5.335 259.16This is the first time Severance and Meyer have faced each other in eliminations.
Meyer left first and made his best run of
the event despite what appeared to be a dropped cylinder on the rigth side past half track. Severance also ran his best ET of the
event, but was well back at the finish.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 717 Aaron Olivarez 10 Chase Copeland E1 -0.019 5.535 263.20 ****WINNER**** 0.073 5.326 267.69 Qualified: #11 5.404 263.05 #6 5.351 263.10This is the first time Olivarez and Copeland have faced each other in eliminations.
Olivarez went red, giving Copeland an
easy pass to round two.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 17 Jackie Fricke 611 Garrett Bateman E1 0.066 6.198 245.05 ****WINNER**** 0.051 5.450 264.96 Qualified: #13 5.430 263.87 #4 5.326 264.34This is the first time Fricke and Bateman have faced each other in eliminations.
Lots of tire smoke and then raw fuel from
Fricke's car. Bateman also dropped a cylinder part way through the run, but he was far enough down the track that it didn't hurt him
that much. However, he won't have lane choice when he meets Meyer in round two.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 62 Ray Martin 2 Bill Reichert E1 0.150 5.495 262.95 ****WINNER**** 0.079 5.343 254.81 Qualified: #14 5.508 235.68 #3 5.265 267.85Ray Martin is the 161st different driver that Bill has faced in his career Martin was the runner-up here last year and Reichert has won this race three times.Martin was late and Reichert had a huge lead before dropping a cylinder on the top end, winning easily. However, the dropped cylinder may have slowed him just enough to lose lane choice to Copeland in round two.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 7402 Randy Eakins 5 Chris Demke E1 0.064 6.958 142.61 ****WINNER**** 0.048 5.279 270.27 Qualified: #15 5.514 255.43 #2 5.259 271.52Eakins smoked the tires, then dropped a couple of cylinders and was never a factor. Demke didn't quite match his qualifying pace, but he will have lane choice against Shields in round two.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 77 Larry Miersch 3 Jim Whiteley E1 0.070 5.490 255.97 ****WINNER**** 0.019 5.205 274.50 Qualified: #16 5.549 266.32 #1 5.227 274.27Jim Whiteley's qualifying numbers were the best ever for a blown car. This is Whiteley's 6th #1 spot of the year, he has won the event in three of the previous five times. He has also won this race three times.
Again, Wow!!! Whiteley sawed the tree down, then ran the quickest and fastest run ever for a blown car - for the second round in a row. He will have lane choice against Finke in round two.
Jim Whiteley's incremental times: 60ft-0.909 sec., 330ft-2.319, 660ft-3.431/222.29 mph, 1,000ft-4.389.
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