Sat, 23 Feb 2013, 18:17 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Rick Green

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 29th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals 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:

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Left Lane: Brittany Force Runs 3.831/321.81, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.303/193.60, Was #17
Right Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 3.883/308.00, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.507/168.60, Was #18

Weather conditions: air temperature 65 degrees, relative humidity 28 percent, barometer 28.63 inches, adjusted altitude 2,243 feet, track temperature 99 degrees.

Force launched hard and was straight down the groove to get in the show...Brittany Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.853 sec., 330ft-2.171, 660ft-3.077/278.29 mph. Torrence was mixing up the cylinders on the top end, but he stayed with it to get in the show. Steve Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.843 sec., 330ft-2.167, 660ft-3.098/271.35 mph.

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Left Lane: Spencer Massey Runs 3.938/256.31, Now #15; Best prior run: 3.874/292.84, Was #15
Right Lane: Mike Strasburg Runs 3.984/296.76, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.005/300.46, Was #18

Massey started to haze the tires just past half track and clicked it off early. Spencer Massey's incremental times: 60ft-0.832 sec., 330ft-2.145, 660ft-3.075/263.87 mph. Strasburg was hazing the tires on the top end, but stayed with it and runs his quickest pass of the weekend. He is not quick enough to get in the show. Mike Strasburg's incremental times: 60ft-0.860 sec., 330ft-2.221, 660ft-3.179/264.49 mph.

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Left Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 7.781/92.13, Now #15; Best prior run: 3.872/320.51, Was #14
Right Lane: Sidnei Frigo Runs 3.866/316.60, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.001/292.71, Was #18

McMillen was up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle and clicked it off. Frigo launched hard and keep it hooked up to get in the show...Sidnei Frigo's incremental times: 60ft-0.843 sec., 330ft-2.181, 660ft-3.101/276.63 mph. That will bump out Torrence out of the show. This is only the third time in Torrence's career of 73 Top Fuel races that he has not qualified and the first time since Atlanta of 2011.

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Left Lane: Brandon Bernstein Runs 3.813/305.22, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.843/267.64, Was #12
Right Lane: Clay Millican Runs 3.810/323.66, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.860/300.60, Was #13

Millican launched hard and was straight down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend to move into the top half of the show. Clay Millican's incremental times: 60ft-0.841 sec., 330ft-2.160, 660ft-3.061/282.13 mph. Bernstein was on a real nice pass and then got real loose right in the lights, but did a great job driving it. He moves into the top half of the show. Brandon Bernstein's incremental times: 60ft-0.845 sec., 330ft-2.151, 660ft-3.052/282.48 mph.

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Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 3.837/321.04, Now #11; Best prior run: 3.818/321.88, Was #11
Right Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 3.820/319.22, Now #12; Best prior run: 3.839/319.22, Was #13

Vandergriff with another good clean pass, but will not improve. Bob Vandergriff's incremental times: 60ft-0.844 sec., 330ft-2.170, 660ft-3.081/280.02 mph. Lucas with his quickest pass of the weekend and moves up the ladder one spot. Morgan Lucas' incremental times: 60ft-0.845 sec., 330ft-2.160, 660ft-3.065/281.07 mph.

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Left Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 5.154/134.93, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.815/319.90, Was #10
Right Lane: Leah Pruett Runs 3.859/312.64, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.812/310.63, Was #7

Langdon got to around 400 feet and started to smoke the tires. Pruett with another good pass, she will not improve...Leah Pruett's incremental times: 60ft-0.849 sec., 330ft-2.159, 660ft-3.082/271.95 mph.

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Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 6.863/88.85, Now #9; Best prior run: 3.814/320.51, Was #9
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 3.733/329.02, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.769/325.92, Was #3

Dixon with a lot of tire shook right at the hit and then was up in smoke. Kalitta launched hard and was straight down the groove with to go to then number one spot. Kalitta sets both ends of the track record. That pass ties Lucas for the eighth quickest pass in the history of the 1000-foot era. Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.831 sec., 330ft-2.120, 660ft-2.998/288.15 mph.

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Left Lane: Khalid alBalooshi Runs 4.865/142.51, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.811/315.86, Was #6
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 3.768/325.37, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.768/321.96, Was #3

Schumacher is straight down the groove and ties his qualifying time and runs his fastest pass of the weekend. Tony Schumacher's incremental times: 60ft-0.833 sec., 330ft-2.139, 660ft-3.025/286.25 mph. alBalooshi starts to smoke the tires before half track and clicks it off.

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Left Lane: David Grubnic Runs 3.816/318.32, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.783/318.62, Was #4
Right Lane: Antron Brown Runs 3.805/317.57, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.765/314.83, Was #2

Brown with another good pass but will not get the number one spot back. He runs the third quickest pass of the round...Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.843 sec., 330ft-2.149, 660ft-3.045/280.60 mph. Grubnic with another good pass and will start Sunday from the number four spot. David Grubnic's incremental times: 60ft-0.839 sec., 330ft-2.149, 660ft-3.056/279.32 mph.

Kalitta holds on to the number one spot...this is his first No. 1 qualifying spot since Sonoma last year and his 32nd career number one qualifying spot.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink