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Fri, 12 Feb 2016, 20:22 PM

Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 56th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time/top speed this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time/speed, and position in order prior to run:

Left Lane: Troy Buff Runs 3.921/306.05, Now #6; Best prior run: 7.001/85.61, Was #15
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 3.817/321.27, Now #3; Best prior run: 6.463/116.71, Was #14

4:46 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 80 degrees, relative humidity 34 percent, barometer 28.96 inches, adjusted altitude 3,015 feet, track temperature 87 degrees.

Brittany Force is number one at 3.794 and Leah Pritchett is on the bump spot at 5.296.

We don't usually see these two this far down the ladder.

They make up for the first session blues with two clean passes into the top half of the field. Nice!

Troy Buff's incremental times: 60ft-0.860 sec., 330ft-2.206, 660ft-3.138/272.12 mph.
Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.861 sec., 330ft-2.176, 660ft-3.069/284.75 mph.

Left Lane: Dave Connolly Runs 3.791/291.32, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.162/138.36, Was #13
Right Lane: Leah Pritchett Runs 3.804/314.46, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.296/130.86, Was #14

Team cars come to the line outside the top twelve.

They both get into the field is style! Spectacular to boot!

They leave hard with 0.834 and 0.847 sixty foot times for the pair and run together to near the finish line. Pritchett's engine lights up big time first. Connolly's lights his motor up right after that.

Pritchett goes to number three and Connolly takes over the new top spot at only 291.320!

Dave Connolly's incremental times: 60ft-0.834 sec., 330ft-2.127, 660ft-3.016/283.07 mph.
Leah Pritchett's incremental times: 60ft-0.847 sec., 330ft-2.167, 660ft-3.057/285.47 mph.

Left Lane: Antron Brown Runs 3.782/315.05, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.491/173.74, Was #11
Right Lane: Clay Millican Runs 3.746/324.36, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.857/150.93, Was #14

4:57 p.m. Just a small cleanup with just a little oil in Pritchett's lane. Leah Pritchett was charged with an oildown, #1 for the season. That will cost 5 points and $1K. J.R. Todd is on the bump spot at 4.655.

Great drag race with side by side flames over the wings in both lanes. They run together to the finish line and take over the two top spots with ease. Nice!

Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.848 sec., 330ft-2.142, 660ft-3.027/286.13 mph.
Clay Millican's incremental times: 60ft-0.833 sec., 330ft-2.116, 660ft-3.002/286.13 mph.

Left Lane: Richie Crampton Runs 3.748/322.65, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.349/185.87, Was #12
Right Lane: Morgan Lucas Runs 3.806/318.39, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.684/160.61, Was #14

...and the hits keep coming! Team Lucas cars a pair run together right on down the track.

Great pass for Crampton to just miss the top spot by 0.006. Lucas dumps into the top twelve on a clean pass.

Richie Crampton's incremental times: 60ft-0.837 sec., 330ft-2.127, 660ft-3.006/288.52 mph.
Morgan Lucas' incremental times: 60ft-0.851 sec., 330ft-2.168, 660ft-3.056/285.89 mph.

Left Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 3.844/313.00, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.008/303.16, Was #13
Right Lane: J.R. Todd Runs 6.228/107.81, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.655/163.29, Was #14

Troy Buff is on the bump spot at 3.921.

Todd hazes the tires before the 330 lights and lifts.

McMillen moves into the threes on a strong pass and takes over the bump spot for now.

Terry McMillen's incremental times: 60ft-0.870 sec., 330ft-2.179, 660ft-3.079/280.66 mph.
J.R. Todd's incremental times: 60ft-0.845 sec., 330ft-2.326, 660ft-4.144/115.63 mph.

Left Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 3.798/319.37, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.833/319.98, Was #11
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 3.722/323.66, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.822/317.34, Was #10

Schumacher shows the DSR power and flies on down the track into the new top spot on a clean and straight pass.

The strength of the field shows in Langdon's 3.798 only taking the number seven spot! Stout...

Shawn Langdon's incremental times: 60ft-0.846 sec., 330ft-2.149, 660ft-3.046/282.72 mph.
Tony Schumacher's incremental times: 60ft-0.843 sec., 330ft-2.115, 660ft-2.985/291.01 mph.

Left Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 3.750/326.24, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.815/322.73, Was #10
Right Lane: Brittany Force Runs 3.753/319.52, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.794/319.98, Was #6

A great side by side pair of runs to wrap up Friday's qualifying.

Force is off the line first and they swap best incrementals going down the track. Torrence gets the best of it in the lights by just 0.003 seconds and a better speed. Strong numbers for both cars.

Steve Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.838 sec., 330ft-2.139, 660ft-3.014/290.07 mph.
Brittany Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.841 sec., 330ft-2.133, 660ft-3.009/288.83 mph.

5:15 p.m. Tony Schumacher is number one at 3.722 and Terry McMillen is on the bump spot at 3.844. Eight cars in the three seventies!

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink