Sat, 18 May 2019, 14:08 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Rick Green

DINWIDDIE, Va. - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Second annual Virginia 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: Clay Millican Runs 7.063/80.92, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.749/325.30, Was #1
Right Lane: Todd Paton Runs 3.926/309.63, Now #13; No Prior Run

Weather conditions: air temperature 90 degrees, relative humidity 43 percent, barometer 29.75 inches, adjusted altitude 3,023 feet, track temperature 130 degrees.

Millican is up in smoke early and clicks it off.

Patton with his first pass of the season and he is straight down the groove to go to the number 13 spot. Todd Paton's incremental times: 60ft-0.877 sec., 330ft-2.222, 660ft-3.150/273.94 mph.

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Left Lane: Lex Joon Runs 4.643/164.55, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.107/138.76, Was #17
Right Lane: Leah Pritchett Runs 6.079/114.04, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.793/321.58, Was #6

Joon who just got bumped out gets back in the show. He slows on the top end.

Pritchett started to haze the tires and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Antron Brown Runs 3.864/307.86, Now #11; Best prior run: 3.843/317.94, Was #11
Right Lane: Richie Crampton Runs 4.892/150.35, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.796/314.83, Was #7

Brown is straight down the groove in the heat of the day. Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.847 sec., 330ft-2.164, 660ft-3.081/275.11 mph.

Crampton started to haze the tires and clicked it off.

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Right Lane: Dan Mercier Runs 4.527/180.40, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.124/287.60, Was #14

Mercier started to haze the tires early and clicked it off. He will stand on his pass from yesterday.

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Left Lane: Scott Palmer Runs 8.776/92.23, Now #12; Best prior run: 3.886/321.65, Was #12
Right Lane: Austin Prock Runs 3.882/318.24, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.824/324.83, Was #10

Palmer is up in smoke right at the hit and clicked it off.

Prock kept it hooked up and makes a good looking pass. Austin Prock's incremental times: 60ft-0.857 sec., 330ft-2.181, 660ft-3.119/273.50 mph.

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Left Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 4.710/161.40, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.811/320.51, Was #8
Right Lane: Billy Torrence No Time, Now #9; Best prior run: 3.812/319.75, Was #9

McMillen started to haze the tires and clicked it off.

Torrence never got staged and was timed out.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.153/214.52, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.783/323.81, Was #5
Right Lane: Brittany Force Runs 4.857/147.86, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.772/319.98, Was #3

Kalitta started to lose traction and clicked it off.

Force hazed the tires early and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 3.824/322.65, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.773/321.81, Was #4
Right Lane: Mike Salinas Runs 3.996/239.10, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.754/323.04, Was #2

This was a good side-by-side drag race to wrap round three of qualifying.

Torrence launched hard and kept it hooked up to make the quickest pass of the session. He will stay in the number four spot. Steve Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.853 sec., 330ft-2.171, 660ft-3.075/282.60 mph.

Salinas was on a good pass until he started to haze the tires on the top end.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink