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Thu, 31 Aug 2017, 13:59 PM

Competition Eliminator Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Jim Samuel

BROWNSBURG, Ind. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Competition Eliminator at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 63rd annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, amount over/under index, and position in order following run, class and class index:

Right Lane: Fred Allen Runs 8.276/161.88/-0.324, Now #1 A/EA Index: 8.60

1:22 p.m. - Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 50 percent, barometer 29.15 inches, adjusted altitude 2,673 feet, track temperature 101 degrees.

Allen started Comp Eliminator qualifying off with a straight run down the groove.

Left Lane: Danny Holt Runs 9.210/112.47/0.510, Now #2 C/EA Index: 8.70
Right Lane: Chris Ray Runs 10.292/86.78/1.582, Now #3 A/PM Index: 8.71

Both drivers were off the pace with this pair of runs.

Left Lane: Bill Riemenapp Runs 17.504/58.07/8.454, Now #5 C/SR Index: 9.05
Right Lane: Carey Bales Runs 8.767/113.85/1.167, Now #3 DD/AT Index: 7.60

Riemenapp sat at the starting line for a bit, then had a slow run down the track. Bales went down the groove.

Left Lane: Brian Savani Runs 7.898/170.45/-0.452, Now #2 D/A Index: 8.35
Right Lane: Travis Gusso Runs 8.448/160.10/-0.592, Now #1 D/SM Index: 9.04

Both drivers took their cars down the groove to take the top two spots in the order for now.

Left Lane: Brad Plourd Runs 6.451/208.01/0.171, Now #5 AA/AM Index: 6.28
Right Lane: David Billingsley Runs 8.133/162.65/-0.687, Now #1 D/EA Index: 8.82

Both runs looked good but Billingsley's was quick enough to put him in the number one spot for now.

Left Lane: Clint Neff Runs 7.750/156.99/-0.550, Now #3 K/AA Index: 8.30
Right Lane: Greg Tabler Runs 7.014/188.02/-0.416, Now #5 B/DA Index: 7.43

Two good runs down the track.

Left Lane: Ronnie Bohn Runs 7.541/172.72/-0.649, Now #3 J/D Index: 8.19
Right Lane: Greg Kamplain Runs 6.869/184.98/-0.681, Now #2 B/ED Index: 7.55

Bohn and Kamplain drove the cars down the groove.

Left Lane: Brandon Baxter Runs 6.717/206.48/-0.453, Now #6 A/AA Index: 7.17
Right Lane: Andrew Holt Runs 13.187/59.52/4.597, Now #14 F/D Index: 8.59

Holt had a slow run down the track. Baxter took his car straight down the groove.

Left Lane: Doug Engels Runs 7.574/136.46/-0.446, Now #9 D/ED Index: 8.02
Right Lane: Van Puckett Runs 8.050/153.95/-0.490, Now #6 G/AA Index: 8.54

Two good rides down the groove put these drivers solidly in the field.

Left Lane: Brian Stufflebeam Runs 7.328/180.94/-0.582, Now #6 A/EA Index: 7.91
Right Lane: Steve Ambrose Runs 7.710/168.75/-0.690, Now #1 J/AA Index: 8.40

Ambrose took over the top spot in the order for now. Stufflebeam had a good run.

Left Lane: Larry Pritchett Runs 7.870/174.12/-0.580, Now #8 A/SM Index: 8.45
Right Lane: Rick Brown Runs 8.295/161.61/-0.615, Now #5 B/TA Index: 8.91

Two more runs down the groove.

Left Lane: Wes Leopold Runs 8.026/168.70/-0.504, Now #11 A/SMA Index: 8.53
Right Lane: Jim Greenheck Runs 7.302/185.10/-0.638, Now #5 C/AA Index: 7.94

Leopold had a wheelstand coming off the starting line but quickly got the front end back down. Greenheck had a solid run down the groove.

Left Lane: Ray Skillman Runs 8.347/161.32/-0.633, Now #6 D/SMA Index: 8.98
Right Lane: Pete Pawlak Runs 7.707/176.33/-0.233, Now #19 C/AA Index: 7.94

Like other drivers before them, Skillman and Pawlak drove down the groove to make the field.

Left Lane: David Rampy Runs 7.259/167.91/-0.651, Now #4 A/EA Index: 7.91
Right Lane: Shaun Vincent Runs 8.408/157.10/-0.632, Now #8 C/TA Index: 9.04

Two more runs down the groove. Two more cars in the field.

Left Lane: Robert Bailey Runs 6.665/205.16/-0.615, Now #11 A/ED Index: 7.28
Right Lane: Jason Coan Runs 8.068/160.00/-0.642, Now #6 G/EA Index: 8.71

Bailey and Coan both had good runs and are now in the field.

Left Lane: Brian Browell Runs 7.230/182.72/-0.630, Now #10 D/D Index: 7.86
Right Lane: Frank Cervelli Runs 7.008/158.93/-0.422, Now #22 B/DA Index: 7.43

Another pair of runs down the track.

Left Lane: Dick Maris Runs 6.987/190.19/-0.613, Now #13 C/DA Index: 7.60
Right Lane: Todd Frantz Runs 7.029/187.03/-0.571, Now #17 C/DA Index: 7.60

Two more runs and both drivers are in the field.

Left Lane: Troy Galbraith Runs 6.817/184.93/-0.613, Now #14 B/DA Index: 7.43
Right Lane: Jim Kimbrough No Time, Now #35 C/DA Index: 7.60

Kimbrough did his burn out and the car shut down and could not back up. Galbraith took his dragster down the groove.

Left Lane: Mike Farrell Runs 7.847/168.16/-0.573, Now #18 B/SR Index: 8.42
Right Lane: Brian Seibenick Runs 8.948/151.41/0.178, Now #31 F/DA Index: 8.77

Seibenick's car launched slowly and was slow for a couple hundred feet before getting up to speed.

Left Lane: James Smith Runs 13.811/62.56/5.941, Now #37 C/AA Index: 7.87
Right Lane: Kevin Self Runs 8.965/146.64/-0.595, Now #15 F/EA Index: 9.56

Smith had a good looking run going but then his car started to buck. He had to back off the throttle. Self drove his Bantam down the middle of his lane.

Right Lane: Terry Smith Runs 8.327/109.80/1.157, Now #34 A/DA Index: 7.17

Smith's run looked okay but was not close to the index.

Right Lane: Frank Aragona Runs 7.444/159.46/-0.636, Now #8 E/DA Index: 8.08

Aragona drove his dragster down the track and took the 8th spot in the order for now.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink