Sat, 11 May 2013, 11:34 AM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

COMMERCE, Ga. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 33rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  745 Brittany Force                        255 Clay Millican                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.118  3.892 321.42                     0.080  3.937 319.82
 Qualified:             #9  3.891 321.73                        #8  3.886 313.37

Weather conditions: air temperature 78 degrees, relative humidity 60 percent, barometer 29.20 inches, adjusted altitude 2,899 feet, track temperature 97 degrees.

Millican is 1 - 0 against Force in prior events. Millican with a starting line advantage, but then starts to shake and has the quick pedal job. They are even at 660 feet and then Force takes the win. Brittany Force's MOV: 0.0075 seconds (approximately 4 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  475 Steve Torrence                          3 Spencer Massey               
E1                   0.073  3.884 318.39     ****WINNER****  0.061  3.845 314.31
 Qualified:            #10  3.902 310.48                        #7  3.874 314.61

Massey is 5 - 3 against Torrence in prior events. Massey is out of the gate first and never trailed for the win by almost a car length.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   21 Terry McMillen                          5 Brandon Bernstein            
E1                   0.067  6.876  87.07     ****WINNER****  0.079  4.128 213.23
 Qualified:            #13  3.930 312.57                        #4  3.838 319.45

Bernstein is 8 - 1 against McMillen in prior events. McMillen was out of the gate first, but is up in smoke right off the starting line and clicked it off. Bernstein banged the blower around 660 feet and coasted across the finish line for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  303 Pat Dakin                               1 Antron Brown                 
E1                   0.044  4.007 295.21     ****WINNER****  0.061  3.857 324.98
 Qualified:            #15  3.944 292.46                        #2  3.826 321.35

This is Pat Dakin's first start of the year and it is his 171st TF race. His first was at Columbus in 1971 which was five years before his opponent today, Antron Brown, was born. Dakin and Brown have each won 1 times against the other in prior events. Dakin with the starting line advantage, but Brown had the difference made up by the time they went by the Christmas tree. Brown gets the win and with big top end speed to set the track speed record.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   34 Morgan Lucas                            4 Shawn Langdon                
E1                   0.102  3.802 319.45     ****WINNER****  0.047  3.782 322.81
 Qualified:            #16  4.099 238.64                        #1  3.791 324.36

The#1 qualifier in TF has won only three times in the last 25 years in Atlanta.

Shawn Langdon has been the top qualifier seven previous times and has won just one race (the second Charlotte race in 2012).

This is the tenth time that Morgan Lucas has qualified #16 and he lost in round one at seven of the previous eight races including his last six in a row when #16.

Lucas is 7 - 2 against Langdon in prior events. Langdon with the starting line advantage and runs low E.T. of the weekend and sets the track E.T. record. Shawn Langdon's incremental times: 60ft-0.848 sec., 330ft-2.153, 660ft-3.039/287.84 mph. Lucas with a great pass, the third quickest of the event in the losing effort.

Langdon will have lane choice over Force in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  777 Leah Pruett                            22 Doug Kalitta                 
E1                   0.057  5.679 120.95     ****WINNER****  0.069  3.808 325.37
 Qualified:            #14  3.941 305.63                        #3  3.826 320.36

This will be the fourth time already this year that Doug Kalitta has faced a woman in round one. He is 2 - 0 against Leah and 0 - 1 against Brittany Force in his previous meetings this year. Pruett with the starting line advantage but is up in smoke and pedals it and back up in smoke before she clicks it off. Kalitta with his quickest pass of the weekend and the fourth quickest of the event for the win. He has the big top end speed to set the track speed record.

Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.849 sec., 330ft-2.168, 660ft-3.064/285.35 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   99 Khalid alBalooshi                      44 David Grubnic                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.067  3.843 322.58                     0.084  6.907  82.59
 Qualified:            #12  3.922 258.22                        #5  3.843 310.05

Grubnic is 1 - 0 against alBalooshi in prior events. alBalooshi with the starting line advantage and never trailed as Grubnic is up in smoke early and pedals it one time, but can't get it to hook up. alBalooshi will have lane choice over Bernstein in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Bob Vandergriff                         2 Tony Schumacher              
E1                   0.076  3.893 318.47     ****WINNER****  0.074  3.799 323.74
 Qualified:            #11  3.919 312.71                        #6  3.863 320.66

Schumacher is 22 - 8 against Vandergriff in prior events. They leave together and then it is all Schumacher as he runs second quickest pass of the weekend for the win. Tony Schumacher's incremental times: 60ft-0.847 sec., 330ft-2.152, 660ft-3.053/284.45 mph. Vandergriff with his quickest pass of the weekend in the losing effort. Schumacher will have lane choice over Kalitta in the next round by 0.009 seconds.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink