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Sat, 16 Feb 2013, 19:39 PM

Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Rick Green

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 53rd annual O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries listing lane, driver name, elapsed time/top speed this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time/speed, and position in order prior to run:

Left Lane: Steven Chrisman Runs 6.311/100.86, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.465/186.28, Was #17
Right Lane: T.J. Zizzo Runs 4.040/288.03, Now #16; Best prior run: 9.592/81.07, Was #20

Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 18 percent, barometer 28.90 inches, adjusted altitude 2,690 feet, track temperature 102 degrees.

Chrisman starts to smoke the tires early and pedals it and is back up in smoke. Zizzo was on a good pass until on the top end when it starts dropping cylinders and then starts eating up the engine with a big cloud of engine smoke. He gets in the show on the bump spot. The word from the top end is there is oil in Zizzo's lane.

Left Lane: Steve Faria No Time, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.149/263.87, Was #17
Right Lane: Leah Pruett Runs 3.842/316.60, Now #14; Best prior run: 9.495/65.19, Was #20

Faria with problems after the burnout and the team shuts the car off. Pruett launches hard and keeps it hooked up to get in the show. This is her quickest pass of the weekend. Leah Pruett's incremental times: 60ft-0.854 sec., 330ft-2.168, 660ft-3.078/277.77 mph.

Left Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 4.984/145.34, Now #17; Best prior run: 3.895/318.24, Was #16
Right Lane: Sidnei Frigo Runs 3.858/299.20, Now #16; Best prior run: 8.350/75.20, Was #20

McMillen starts smoking the tires just past the 330-foot mark and clicks it off. He gets bumped out of the show when Frigo makes his quickest pass of the weekend. Frigo with a real nice pass to get in the show. Sidnei Frigo's incremental times: 60ft-0.842 sec., 330ft-2.165, 660ft-3.080/278.92 mph.

Left Lane: Brittany Force Runs 5.284/119.60, Now #15; Best prior run: 3.845/293.22, Was #15
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 3.897/309.34, Now #13; Best prior run: 3.829/317.94, Was #13

Force starts to smoke the tires just past 330 feet and clicks it off. Dixon is straight down the groove, he will not improve. He is racing tomorrow. Larry Dixon's incremental times: 60ft-0.851 sec., 330ft-2.177, 660ft-3.114/270.05 mph.

Left Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 3.789/322.58, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.815/321.50, Was #12
Right Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 3.925/308.99, Now #11; Best prior run: 3.813/324.83, Was #10

Torrence launched hard and keep it hooked up with his quickest pass of the weekend to move into the top half of the show. Steve Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.837 sec., 330ft-2.143, 660ft-3.039/283.55 mph. Vandergriff slowed on the top end...Bob Vandergriff's incremental times: 60ft-0.863 sec., 330ft-2.210, 660ft-3.142/271.79 mph.

Left Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 3.828/305.29, Now #12; Best prior run: 3.814/325.06, Was #12
Right Lane: David Grubnic Runs 3.776/299.40, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.812/308.14, Was #10

Lucas with another good pass, but doesn't improve. Morgan Lucas' incremental times: 60ft-0.854 sec., 330ft-2.167, 660ft-3.062/283.31 mph. Grubnic with a great pass until right before the finish line when it started mixing up cylinders. He still runs the quickest pass of the round and move up to the number four spot. David Grubnic's incremental times: 60ft-0.843 sec., 330ft-2.131, 660ft-3.011/286.80 mph.

Left Lane: Khalid alBalooshi Runs 3.777/325.61, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.798/326.16, Was #9
Right Lane: Clay Millican Runs 4.379/180.65, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.799/325.77, Was #10

Millican starts to haze the tires just past half track and clicks it off. alBalooshi with a great short time and parlays that into the second quickest pass of this session. he moves up the ladder to the number five spot. Khalid alBalooshi's incremental times: 60ft-0.843 sec., 330ft-2.149, 660ft-3.035/286.50 mph.

Left Lane: Spencer Massey Runs 3.806/308.28, Now #9; Best prior run: 3.793/323.97, Was #8
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 3.763/328.06, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.795/326.71, Was #9

Kalitta with the quickest 60-foot time of the round and he keeps it hooked up to make the quickest pass of the round. He moves up to the number three spot. Spencer Massey's incremental times: 60ft-0.841 sec., 330ft-2.143, 660ft-3.037/285.41 mph. Massey was on a good pass until right in the lights when the engine let go with a big cloud of engine smoke. Spencer Massey's incremental times: 60ft-0.841 sec., 330ft-2.143, 660ft-3.037/285.41 mph. The word from the top end is there is oil in Massey's lane.

Left Lane: Antron Brown Runs 3.841/319.98, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.768/328.14, Was #4
Right Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 4.272/191.16, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.784/326.56, Was #7

Langdon starts to lose traction early and clicks it off. Brown with a good clean pass, but will not improve. Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.849 sec., 330ft-2.154, 660ft-3.076/273.33 mph.

Left Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 3.797/322.73, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.761/325.22, Was #2
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 3.753/324.05, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.758/328.14, Was #1

This is a great side-by-side drag race to wrap up Top fuel qualifying. Schumacher with a grat pass, straight down the groove with the quickest pass of the weekend. Brandon Bernstein's incremental times: 60ft-0.844 sec., 330ft-2.145, 660ft-3.047/282.95 mph. Bernstein with another good pass...Brandon Bernstein's incremental times: 60ft-0.844 sec., 330ft-2.145, 660ft-3.047/282.95 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink