Sat, 19 Aug 2017, 13:22 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Rick Green

BRAINERD, Minn. - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 36th annual Lucas Oil NHRA 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: Alex Laughlin Runs 5.359/263.82, Now #7; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Mike Edstrom Runs 5.327/263.67, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.522/260.36, Was #11

Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 62 percent, barometer 28.60 inches, adjusted altitude 3,343 feet.

Laughlin with his first shot at the track this weekend, he wasn't here yesterday. He is straight down the groove with a good pass. Alex Laughlin's incremental times: 60ft-0.925 sec., 330ft-2.448, 660ft-3.575/223.58 mph, 1,000ft-4.524.

Edstrom with a good looking pass to move up to the number four spot. Mike Edstrom's incremental times: 60ft-0.933 sec., 330ft-2.405, 660ft-3.521/222.66 mph, 1,000ft-4.486.

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Right Lane: Gord Gingles Runs 5.283/274.61, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.477/269.08, Was #12

Gingles launched hard and kept it hooked up to make his quickest pass of the season to go to the number one spot. He makes the second fastest pass of the event. Gord Gingles' incremental times: 60ft-0.952 sec., 330ft-2.422, 660ft-3.531/226.96 mph, 1,000ft-4.472.

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Left Lane: Bob Sargent Runs 20.100/34.66, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.532/243.90, Was #13
Right Lane: Jackie Fricke Runs 5.315/271.35, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.395/274.50, Was #10

Sargent is up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle and clicks it off.

Fricke was straight down the groove with a great pass to go to the number four spot. Jackie Fricke's incremental times: 60ft-0.950 sec., 330ft-2.461, 660ft-3.567/227.46 mph, 1,000ft-4.503.

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Left Lane: Dean Dubbin Runs 5.421/263.56, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.421/261.78, Was #12
Right Lane: Justin Ashley Runs 5.297/263.26, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.385/269.67, Was #10

Dubbin is straight down the groove and matched his qualifying time from yesterday. Dean Dubbin's incremental times: 60ft-0.905 sec., 330ft-2.398, 660ft-3.567/211.73 mph, 1,000ft-4.568.

Ashley launched hard and kept it hitting on all eight to go to the number two spot. Justin Ashley's incremental times: 60ft-0.926 sec., 330ft-2.410, 660ft-3.520/227.27 mph, 1,000ft-4.463.

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Left Lane: James Stevens Runs 5.328/268.33, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.401/265.64, Was #11
Right Lane: Joey Severance Runs 5.295/271.95, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.343/255.05, Was #8

This is a good side-by-side drag race.

Stevens with his quickest pass of the weekend to move up the ladder a couple spots. James Stevens' incremental times: 60ft-0.918 sec., 330ft-2.364, 660ft-3.509/216.48 mph, 1,000ft-4.491.

Severance skipped the second session yesterday and he launched hard and was straight down the groove to go to the number two spot. Joey Severance's incremental times: 60ft-0.900 sec., 330ft-2.370, 660ft-3.503/219.01 mph, 1,000ft-4.470.

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Left Lane: Duane Shields Runs 5.380/268.92, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.352/270.48, Was #10
Right Lane: Alan Bradshaw Runs 5.313/270.10, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.312/269.19, Was #5

Shields with another good, clean pass, but doesn't improve. Duane Shields' incremental times: 60ft-0.961 sec., 330ft-2.474, 660ft-3.596/223.50 mph, 1,000ft-4.552.

Bradshaw with another good pass, but he won't improve. Alan Bradshaw's incremental times: 60ft-0.940 sec., 330ft-2.425, 660ft-3.546/223.84 mph, 1,000ft-4.494.

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Left Lane: Megan Meyer Runs 5.298/274.44, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.317/275.11, Was #7
Right Lane: Robin Samsel Runs 5.311/259.01, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.312/274.55, Was #4

Meyer kept it hooked up to go to the number four spot. Megan Meyer's incremental times: 60ft-0.952 sec., 330ft-2.445, 660ft-3.557/232.39 mph, 1,000ft-4.489.

Samsel with his quickest pass of the weekend, but is bumped back one spot by Meyer. Robin Samsel's incremental times: 60ft-0.957 sec., 330ft-2.437, 660ft-3.535/228.04 mph, 1,000ft-4.473.

Gingles holds on to the number one spot for the first time in his career.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink