Fri, 31 Oct 2014, 15:27 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, 14th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Aaron Olivarez Runs 6.034/187.70, Now #2
Right Lane: Greg Sereda Runs 5.728/241.80, Now #1

11:43 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 81 degrees, relative humidity 25 percent, barometer 27.75 inches, adjusted altitude 4,423 feet, track temperature 96 degrees.

Olivarez had raw fuel coming out of the pipes on the right side all the way through the run. Sereda makes a clean pass.

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Left Lane: Rishi Kanick Runs 5.491/245.05, Now #1
Right Lane: Casey Grisel Runs 5.665/259.61, Now #2

Kanick goes right down the groove with a good pass to take the early pole. Grisel makes a clean pass and gets in the second spot for now.

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Left Lane: Eugene Tumbarello Runs 5.704/249.67, Now #3
Right Lane: Ross Stickler Runs 18.335/20.79, Now #6

Stickler gets about 60 feet out, strikes the tires and has to back off the throttle. Tumbarello makes a decent pass and gets in the third spot for now.

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Left Lane: Derik Milanesio Runs 5.566/245.23, Now #2
Right Lane: Cameron Ferre Runs 14.697/74.73, Now #7

Ferre goes up in smoke at the hit and has to give up on the run. Milanesio goes right down the groove with a good pass to get in the second spot for now.

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Left Lane: Jeff Ashwell Runs 5.709/247.29, Now #6
Right Lane: Dan Mercier Runs 5.573/262.49, Now #3

Mercier makes a clean pass and gets in the third spot for now. Ashwell was falling behind all the way through the run.

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Left Lane: Ashley Sanford Runs 5.336/266.69, Now #1
Right Lane: Don St. Arnaud Runs 5.515/260.31, Now #3

Sanford goes right down the groove with an impressive pass to take the top spot for now. St. Arnaud makes a clean pass but was well behind Sanford at the line.

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Left Lane: Megan McKernan No Time, Now #14
Right Lane: John Finke Runs 5.893/220.40, Now #10

McKernan completes the burnout but has problems and is pushed off the track. finke had a cylinder or two out on the left side all the way through the run.

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Left Lane: Johnny Ahten Runs 5.306/269.03, Now #1
Right Lane: Garrett Bateman Runs 5.520/264.39, Now #5

Ahten makes the quickest pass of the round so far and takes the pole for now. Bateman makes a clean pass and moves into the fifth spot.

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Left Lane: Chase Copeland Runs 5.501/269.24, Now #4
Right Lane: Mark Taliaferro Runs 17.050/47.73, Now #16

Taliaferro goes up in smoke at the hit, gets about 50 feet out and backs off the throttle. Copeland makes a clean pass and gets into the fourth spot for now.

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Left Lane: Shawn Cowie Runs 9.419/86.28, Now #15
Right Lane: Jackie Fricke Runs 12.995/77.05, Now #16

Fricke goes up in smoke at the hit and backs off the throttle quickly. Cowie had problems about 200 feet out, pedaled a couple of times, then gave up on the run.

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Left Lane: Duane Shields Runs 5.728/248.48, Now #13
Right Lane: Joey Severance Runs 5.413/267.32, Now #3

Severance goes right down the groove with a clean pass and moves into the third spot to end the session. Shields was struggling all the way through the run.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink