Sun, 11 Nov 2012, 18:21 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 3 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 3 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
    3 Jim Whiteley                          596 Randy Meyer                  
E3   ****WINNER****  0.032  5.178 277.43                     0.071  5.258 269.19
 Prior rounds:
E2    (J Finke     ) 0.080  5.232 273.72      (G Bateman   ) 0.064  5.225 266.64
E1    (L Miersch   ) 0.019  5.205 274.50      (J Severance ) 0.030  5.282 265.80
 Qualified:             #1  5.227 274.27                        #5  5.335 259.16

3:09 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 68 degrees, relative humidity 22 percent, barometer 29.07 inches, adjusted altitude 1,855 feet, track temperature 85 degrees.

Whiteley is 3-0 against Meyer in prior events, but this is the first time they have met in a semifinal round and Meyer was slightly quicker in round two.

Whiteley had a big holeshot at the green, then made the quickest and fastest blown alcohol dragster run ever. He not only went into the 'teens, he went way into them, with a huge speed. Meyer's pipes went wet on the top end, but it didn't matter by then.

Jim Whiteley's incremental times: 60ft-0.903 sec., 330ft-2.305, 660ft-3.415/222.66 mph, 1,000ft-4.368.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Bill Reichert                           5 Chris Demke                  
E3                   0.051  5.319 255.39     ****WINNER****  0.032  5.244 274.11
 Prior rounds:
E2    (R Copeland  ) 0.032  5.254 267.75      (D Shields   ) 0.046  5.246 273.22
E1    (R Martin    ) 0.079  5.343 254.81      (R Eakins    ) 0.048  5.279 270.27
 Qualified:             #3  5.265 267.85                        #2  5.259 271.52

Demke was first off the line and steadily pulled away from Reichert, then Reichert started closing the gap. His forward progress stopped around the 1,000-foot marker, with raw fuel from a couple of cylinders.

Chris Demke's incremental margins: 60ft(0.026), 330 ft(0.060), 660ft(0.050), 1,000ft(0.051). MOV: 0.0943 seconds (approximately 35 feet).

Demke will race Whiteley in the final round, Whiteley has lane choice.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink