Sat, 25 Feb 2017, 16:41 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Rick Green

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 33rd annual NHRA Arizona Nationals 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:

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Left Lane: Terry Haddock No Time, Now #15; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Steve Faria Runs 3.905/311.56, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.295/129.06, Was #12

Weather conditions: air temperature 66 degrees, relative humidity 23 percent, barometer 28.80 inches, adjusted altitude 2,105 feet, track temperature 101 degrees.

Haddock with trouble getting the car to start...Faria did the burnout and was back to the starting line before Haddock got the car to start. Haddock didn't do a burnout and staged the car so he could get a time on the ladder. He is up in smoke right at the hit.

the word following this run was the run is disallowed because he was told not to fire the car, he will have one chance to get in the show.

Faria with a good looking pass until on the top end when he started drifting toward the centerline. He runs his career quickest and fastest pass to move up to the number 10 spot.

Steve Faria's incremental times: 60ft-0.847 sec., 330ft-2.190, 660ft-3.130/272.01 mph.

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Left Lane: Brittany Force Runs 3.737/325.06, Now #6; Best prior run: 6.377/93.04, Was #13
Right Lane: Scott Palmer Runs 3.876/297.48, Now #11; Best prior run: 3.971/278.29, Was #11

Force launched hard and kept it hooked up to make her quickest pass of the weekend to move into the top half of the show.

Brittany Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.828 sec., 330ft-2.115, 660ft-2.997/287.53 mph.

Palmer with a real nice pass, his quickest pass of the weekend, but will stay in the number 11 spot.

Scott Palmer's incremental times: 60ft-0.870 sec., 330ft-2.199, 660ft-3.098/281.01 mph.

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Left Lane: Shawn Reed Runs 3.956/255.73, Now #13; Best prior run: 9.362/76.63, Was #14
Right Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 4.281/189.87, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.768/322.11, Was #10

Reed two steps it on the starting line, he has a good pass until just past half track when it started to smoke the tires. He makes his quickest pass of the weekend to move up the ladder one spot.

Shawn Reed's incremental times: 60ft-0.882 sec., 330ft-2.206, 660ft-3.108/281.36 mph.

McMillen started to lose traction early and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Clay Millican Runs 3.956/227.65, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.751/316.30, Was #8
Right Lane: Troy Buff Runs 3.978/231.64, Now #9; Best prior run: 3.764/321.96, Was #9

Millican was on good looking pass and then the car went silent just past half track. The word from the top end was Millican felt something weird and clicked it off.

Buff was on a good pass and then car went silent about the same time as Millican's car.

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Left Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 3.684/325.14, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.751/326.48, Was #7
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.320/183.00, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.709/322.88, Was #5

Torrence launched hard and kept it hooked up and hitting on all eight to go to the number three spot. He makes his quickest pass of the season and the quickest of the session.

Steve Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.820 sec., 330ft-2.093, 660ft-2.954/293.73 mph.

Kalitta was up in smoke early and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Antron Brown Runs 3.679/324.05, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.689/326.56, Was #4
Right Lane: Troy Coughlin Jr. Runs 3.741/320.81, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.696/326.48, Was #5

This is a great side-by-side drag race. Brown with a great pass, he ties his own time for the seventh quickest pass in Top Fuel history. He goes to the number three spot.

Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.821 sec., 330ft-2.085, 660ft-2.946/293.86 mph.

Coughlin was right there with him with another good looking pass.

Troy Coughlin Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-0.846 sec., 330ft-2.133, 660ft-3.001/290.76 mph.

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Left Lane: Leah Pritchett Runs 3.816/249.12, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.658/329.34, Was #1
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 3.819/251.63, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.667/323.89, Was #2

Pritchett started to haze the tires and the word from the top end was the car pitched the blower belt.

Schumacher's car went silent early.

Leah Pritchett's incremental times: 60ft-0.827 sec., 330ft-2.100, 660ft-2.951/294.05 mph.

Tony Schumacher's incremental times: 60ft-0.824 sec., 330ft-2.095, 660ft-2.961/292.01 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink