Fri, 03 Oct 2014, 13:20 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Rick Green

MOHNTON, Pa. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 30th annual Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Bruce Horner Runs 6.409/133.70, Now #2
Right Lane: Mike Lewis Runs 5.347/260.86, Now #1

Horner started mixing up cylinders and then there was a bang around half track and the chutes came out. Lewis with a nice looking pass, straight down the groove. His first pass of the season. Mike Lewis' incremental times: 60ft-0.939 sec., 330ft-2.439, 660ft-3.555/224.10 mph, 1,000ft-4.509.

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Left Lane: Earl Nichols Jr. Runs 5.639/212.56, Now #2
Right Lane: Ben Dier Runs 6.010/238.64, Now #3

both cars with tire shake early...

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Left Lane: Richard St. Pierre Runs 5.546/256.55, Now #2
Right Lane: Karen Stalba Runs 5.601/259.26, Now #3

St. Pierre with a good clean pass to start the weekend. Richard St. Pierre's incremental times: 60ft-0.979 sec., 330ft-2.465, 660ft-3.649/207.91 mph, 1,000ft-4.673. Stalba with a clean pass. Karen Stalba's incremental times: 60ft-1.000 sec., 330ft-2.563, 660ft-3.746/212.46 mph, 1,000ft-4.743.

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Left Lane: Richard Bourke Runs 6.134/225.71, Now #7
Right Lane: Brandon Greco Runs 5.494/255.63, Now #2

Bourke was dropping cylinders right from the hit. Greco with a good clean pass to go to the number two spot. Brandon Greco's incremental times: 60ft-0.926 sec., 330ft-2.404, 660ft-3.592/204.91 mph, 1,000ft-4.618.

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Left Lane: Frank Schuster Runs 5.494/257.53, Now #2
Right Lane: Mike Kosky Runs 8.413/98.70, Now #10

Schuster with a real nice pass until right in the lights when there was a puff of smoke. He goes to the number two spot. Frank Schuster's incremental times: 60ft-0.927 sec., 330ft-2.416, 660ft-3.606/209.10 mph, 1,000ft-4.626. Kosky with a lot of tire shake before he clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Wayne Morris Runs 5.555/264.49, Now #5
Right Lane: Dan Mercier Runs 14.313/69.45, Now #12

Morris with a good pass to get into the top half of the show. Wayne Morris' incremental times: 60ft-0.997 sec., 330ft-2.525, 660ft-3.704/211.30 mph, 1,000ft-4.706. Mercier with a lot of tire shake right at the hit and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: John Finke Runs 5.678/256.55, Now #8
Right Lane: Dan Page Runs 11.398/93.91, Now #13

Finke was straight down the groove into the top half of the show. John Finke's incremental times: 60ft-1.064 sec., 330ft-2.671, 660ft-3.841/214.72 mph, 1,000ft-4.819. Page was up in smoke right at the hit.

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Left Lane: Mia Tedesco Runs 5.320/267.85, Now #1
Right Lane: Jeff Veale Runs 12.729/82.01, Now #15

Tedesco launched hard and keep it hitting on all eight to go to then number one spot. Mia Tedesco's incremental times: 60ft-0.940 sec., 330ft-2.414, 660ft-3.541/222.33 mph, 1,000ft-4.493. Veale was up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle.

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Left Lane: Jackie Fricke Runs 5.690/247.02, Now #11
Right Lane: Duane Shields Runs 5.319/270.10, Now #1

Fricke with tire shake right at the hit and pedaled it and then dropped a cylinder and never got it to clean up. Shields keep it hooked up all the way down the 1320 to go to the number one spot. Duane Shields' incremental times: 60ft-0.931 sec., 330ft-2.417, 660ft-3.541/222.77 mph, 1,000ft-4.495.

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Left Lane: Bill Reichert Runs 22.520/30.92, Now #20
Right Lane: Randy Meyer Runs 5.251/270.16, Now #1

Reichert was up in smoke right at the hit. Meyer launched hard and was straight down the groove to go to the number one spot with the quickest and fastest pass of the round. Randy Meyer's incremental times: 60ft-0.949 sec., 330ft-2.408, 660ft-3.501/226.85 mph, 1,000ft-4.432.

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Left Lane: Chris Demke Runs 5.294/272.94, Now #2
Right Lane: Rich McPhillips Runs 5.336/271.24, Now #5

Demke with a great looking pass to go to the number two spot. Chris Demke's incremental times: 60ft-0.940 sec., 330ft-2.381, 660ft-3.508/219.36 mph, 1,000ft-4.473. McPhillips was straight down the groove to get into the top half of the show. Rich McPhillips' incremental times: 60ft-0.973 sec., 330ft-2.464, 660ft-3.576/225.45 mph, 1,000ft-4.518.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink