Fri, 25 Oct 2013, 15:37 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Dave Rowe

LAS VEGAS - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 13th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Eugene Tumbarello Runs 5.642/256.06, Now #1

12:01 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 79 degrees, relative humidity 23 percent, barometer 27.99 inches, adjusted altitude 3,952 feet.

Tumbarello is making his first pass of the year. He heads toward the centerline at the hit, gets the dragster straightened out, and goes on through with a decent pass out of the box.

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Left Lane: Larry Miersch Runs 6.153/191.16, Now #3
Right Lane: Ashley Sanford Runs 5.760/244.52, Now #2

Sanford goes right down the groove with a decent pass. Miersch was on a decent pass but was off the throttle a little early.

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Left Lane: Buddy Domingue Runs 5.773/242.45, Now #4
Right Lane: Jeff Ashwell Runs 5.642/253.09, Now #2

Domingue put a cylinder out on the left side early in the run. Ashwell makes a decent pass and gets in the second spot for now.

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Left Lane: Mark Taliaferro Runs 5.368/268.54, Now #1
Right Lane: William Litton Runs 5.667/224.88, Now #4

Taliaferro goes right down the groove and gets in the top spot for now. Litton lost a cylinder or two late in the run and slowed.

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Left Lane: Megan McKernan Runs 5.490/264.86, Now #2
Right Lane: Greg Hunter Runs 5.534/262.39, Now #3

McKernan makes a clean pass to get in the second spot for now. Hunter falls in just behind in the third spot for now.

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Left Lane: Dan Mercier Runs 5.469/256.41, Now #2
Right Lane: Johnny Ahten Runs 5.488/256.94, Now #3

A couple of decent passes, both right down the groove. Mercier gets in the second spot for now, Ahten to the third spot.

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Left Lane: Don St. Arnaud Runs 5.536/259.31, Now #6
Right Lane: Alan Bradshaw Runs 6.053/231.68, Now #12

Bradshaw put a cylinder out on the right side late in the run and slowed. St. Arnaud went right down the groove with a decent pass to get in the sixth spot for now.

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Left Lane: Garrett Bateman Runs 5.767/213.13, Now #12
Right Lane: Aaron Olivarez Runs 5.616/254.47, Now #7

Bateman had a hole out at the hit and never picked it up. Olivarez was hitting on all eight cylinders all the way through the run and gets in the seventh spot for now.

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Left Lane: Duane Shields Runs 5.583/253.23, Now #8
Right Lane: Shawn Cowie Runs 5.518/236.92, Now #5

Cowie was on a good run but explodes the engine about 1100 feet out. Shields makes a clean pass and gets in the eighth spot for now.

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Left Lane: Ray Martin Runs 5.401/265.06, Now #2
Right Lane: Joey Severance Runs 5.434/265.06, Now #3

A couple of good runs, both right down the groove. Martin gets in the second spot for now, Severance in the third.

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Left Lane: Jim Whiteley Runs 5.308/270.48, Now #1
Right Lane: Chris Demke Runs 5.752/268.22, Now #16

Demke loses traction early, pedals once and gets the slicks to bite. He goes through the lights and just gets in the show on the bump. Whiteley makes an impressive pass and takes the pole to end the session.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink