Sun, 26 May 2013, 13:04 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations

By Jim Samuel

MOHNTON, Pa. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Northeast Division, event at Maple Grove Raceway:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  872 Manuj Rishi Kanick                     17 Frank Schuster               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.308  5.421 244.12                     0.028  5.979 254.66
 Qualified:             #1  5.289 271.90                        #8  5.444 261.22

12:49 p.m. - Weather conditions: air temperature 69 degrees, relative humidity 34 percent, barometer 29.50 inches, adjusted altitude 1,352 feet, track temperature 98 degrees.

I'm not sure, but it's a good bet that this is the first time that a driver from Trinidad and Tobago has started a Top Alcohol Dragster race at the top of the order. Rishi Kanick was very late at the starting line but it did not take him long to get by Schuster and pass him to take the win. Schuster's car looked sluggish on the track. Manuj Rishi Kanick's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.256), 330 ft(0.005), 660ft(0.158), 1,000ft(0.261). MOV: 0.2783 seconds (more than 100 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Bill Reichert                           4 Rich McPhillips              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.059  5.387 264.70                     0.045  8.662  96.60
 Qualified:             #2  5.352 267.59                        #7  5.422 265.85

Reichert has won more division Top Alcohol Dragster races than any other driver. He's won here in 2012, 2010, 2009 and 2008, and was runner up to Dan Mercier in 2007. This time, Reichert had a clean run to move on to the next round while McPhillips smoked the rear tires at 200 feet and shut the car off.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 1900 Dan Page                             1482 Richard Bourke               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.022  5.522 266.27                     0.064  5.521 255.05
 Qualified:             #4  5.402 266.69                        #5  5.412 262.69

Bourke, who won here in 2005, did a smokeless burnout and took a while to put the car into reverse. Page won this race at the starting line with an 0.022 light. He'll meet Rishi Kanick in the next round but will not have lane choice.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   18 Karen Stalba                         1320 Wayne Morris                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.067  5.392 263.92                     0.169  5.592 248.43
 Qualified:             #3  5.367 265.69                        #6  5.415 263.20

Morris was late at the tree and his car started dropping cylinders at 330 feet. The dragster trailed smoke the rest of the way down the track and let go as he neared the finish line. Word from the track is that there are parts of metal on the track. Stalba was first off the starting line and had a clean trip down the quarter mile. She gave up lane choice to Reichert in round two.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink