Sun, 12 Feb 2017, 15:59 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 2 Eliminations

By Rick Green

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 57th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Duane Shields                        7402 Randy Eakins                 
E2                         No Time           ****WINNER****  0.123  5.679 189.28
 Prior rounds:
E1    (C Grisel    ) 0.059  5.407 275.84      (A Bradshaw  ) 0.087  5.868 252.19
 Qualified:            #10  5.521 272.83                       #15  5.930 226.58

Weather conditions: air temperature 70 degrees, relative humidity 49 percent, barometer 28.94 inches, adjusted altitude 2,407 feet, track temperature 99 degrees.

Eakins is 2 - 0 against Shields in prior events.

Shields crew can't get the car to fire...Eakins does his burnout and still Shields can't get the car to fire. Finally the starting line crew tells Eakins to take a single.

Eakins with his quickest pass of the weekend on the single.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  888 Fred Hanssen                            1 Joey Severance               
E2                   0.180  5.554 265.17     ****WINNER****  0.053  5.463 266.69
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Ahten     ) 0.013  5.505 264.55      (B Litton    ) 0.021  5.236 274.55
 Qualified:            #11  5.532 267.00                        #3  5.285 272.72

This is the first time Hanssen and Severance have faced each other in eliminations.

Severance with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win.

Severance will have lane choice over Eakins in the semifinal.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  709 James Day                               3 Shawn Cowie                  
E2                  -0.234 15.159  52.46     ****WINNER****  0.067  5.288 273.16
 Prior rounds:
E1    (C Demke     ) 0.020 11.671  68.02      (D St. Arnaud) 0.103  5.287 269.29
 Qualified:             #9  5.422 261.47                        #1  5.241 271.62

This is the first time Day and Cowie have faced each other in eliminations.

Day double steps it and turns on the red light. Cowie launched hard and kept it hooked up for the easy win. Shawn Cowie's incremental times: 60ft-0.932 sec., 330ft-2.373, 660ft-3.501/219.65 mph, 1,000ft-4.466.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  706 Ashley Sanford                          7 Garrett Bateman              
E2                   0.073  5.500 262.95     ****WINNER****  0.040  5.255 275.34
 Prior rounds:
E1    (D Milanesio ) 0.060  5.624 264.91      (K Baldwin   ) 0.066  5.288 269.46
 Qualified:            #12  5.562 260.36                        #4  5.316 273.05

Bateman is 1 - 0 against Sanford in prior events.

Bateman with the starting line advantage and never trails as he runs low E.T. of the round for the win. He will have lane choice over Cowie in the semifinal. Garrett Bateman's incremental times: 60ft-0.962 sec., 330ft-2.420, 660ft-3.517/228.42 mph, 1,000ft-4.448.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink