Fri, 2 May 2003, 06:31 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By Larry Sullivan

COMMERCE, Ga. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac 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: Bill McCornack Runs 5.581/247.93, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.724/247.20, Was #9
Right Lane: Fran Monaghan Jr Runs 5.616/251.72, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.646/252.80, Was #7

4:54 PM The skies are dark and there are weather warnings for this area, so keep your fingers crossed.

Nice side-by-side show by two blown cars to open the round, both cars solidly down the groove.

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Left Lane: Douglas Foley Runs 5.494/256.36, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.526/256.45, Was #3
Right Lane: Bill Reichert Runs 5.543/252.95, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.619/243.90, Was #8

It's only 6:00 PM and Reichert's header flames were clearly visible on this run, that's how dark it's getting out there. Nice runs in both lanes, Foley the quickest of the blown cars so far.

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Left Lane: Don Fiorelli No Time, Now #12; Best prior run: 6.077/228.07, Was #12
Right Lane: Richard Bourke Runs 17.818/40.33, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.385/263.98, Was #1

Fiorelli's crew could not get the engine fired, so he missed his chance at these good conditions. Bourke overpowered the track, smoking the tires like a Top Fuel car.

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Left Lane: Tim Rudy No Time, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.961/226.43, Was #10
Right Lane: Marty Thacker Runs 5.486/260.11, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.540/258.62, Was #4

Rudy was pushed back after his burnout, the engine silent. Nice run by Thacker, the gear changes clearly audible as the blown car sailed down the groove.

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Left Lane: Darryl Hitchman Runs 5.557/233.72, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.549/237.17, Was #6
Right Lane: Dana Stripe Runs 5.952/215.65, Now #10; Best prior run: 6.266/175.55, Was #13

Nice pass by Hitchman, but his speed is still a bit low.

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Left Lane: Arthur Gallant Runs 5.502/239.57, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.431/242.06, Was #2
Right Lane: Phil Mass Runs 5.891/188.31, Now #10; Best prior run: 10.114/79.37, Was #15

Gallant slowed on the top end. Mass' car trailed a lot of smoke on the top end and the Safety Safari went to work on the top end of his lane, starting near the finish line.

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Left Lane: Keith Stark Runs 5.713/251.63, Now #9; Best prior run: 6.020/243.06, Was #13

last car, the crew anxiously watching the sky. Weather radar show a line of green and yellow and orange approaching Commerce. Stark managed a much better run this time around, but dropped a cylinder fairly early in the run. Stark stepped up a bit, but his crew was not doing any dancing.

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Left Lane: Jason Cannon Runs 5.542/258.86, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.714/253.66, Was #10

Cannon stepped up nicely here, the car ona rope, cleanly down the groove. Conspicuously absent this round was Michael Gunderson, by the way, who must have done more damage to his car in the first round than it appeared at the time.

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Left Lane: Robert Leverich Runs 17.281/69.60, Now #16; No Prior Run

Leverich did not make a pass last round. He did not make a burnout, staged the car, and idled down the track to get in - for now, anyway, since Gunderson did not complete his first run.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink