Fri, 31 May 2019, 13:58 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Dave Rowe

JOLIET, Ill. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 22nd annual Route 66 NHRA Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Right Lane: Dave Kovar Runs 14.726/68.18, Now #1

12:21 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 60 percent, barometer 29.19 inches, adjusted altitude 2,819 feet, track temperature 108 degrees.

Kovar goes up in smoke as soon as he hits the throttle and gives up on the run.

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Left Lane: Marina Anderson Runs 11.871/73.89, Now #1
Right Lane: Mitch Myers Runs 18.016/66.40, Now #3

Meyer double steps thew throttle at the hit and goes up in smoke. Anderson goes up in smoke at the hit and backs off the throttle.

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Left Lane: Krista Baldwin Runs 5.512/265.27, Now #2
Right Lane: Jared Dreher Runs 5.391/259.71, Now #1

A good side-by-side, both right down the groove, under power all the way through the run. Dreher takes the top spot for now, Baldwin right behind in second.

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Left Lane: Rachel Meyer Runs 5.347/268.22, Now #1
Right Lane: Tom Fox Jr. Runs 5.392/268.71, Now #3

Two good passes, side-by-side all the way through the run. Meyer goes to the top spot for now, Fox to third.

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Left Lane: Robin Samsel Runs 5.315/271.68, Now #1
Right Lane: Will Smith Runs 6.118/242.58, Now #6

Samsel goes down the groove with an impressive pass to move up to the top spot. Smith's engine sounded like it was struggling all the way through the run.

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Left Lane: Jasmine Salinas Runs 16.812/48.78, Now #10
Right Lane: Shane Conway Runs 5.595/256.21, Now #6

Salinas goes up in smoke at the hit, stays on the throttle for a second, then gives up on the run. Conway looked like he had a cylinder out on the left side all the way through the run.

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Left Lane: Joey Severance Runs 5.334/271.62, Now #2
Right Lane: Garrett Bateman Runs 5.362/270.86, Now #4

Another good side-by-side, both right down the groove with good, clean passes. Severance gets in the field in the second spot for now, Bateman in fourth.

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Left Lane: Troy Coughlin Jr. Runs 5.255/277.37, Now #1
Right Lane: Josh Hart Runs 5.447/268.92, Now #8

Coughlin goes right down the groove with an impressive run to take the top spot for now. Hart makes a clean pass but was falling behind all the way through the run.

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Left Lane: Chris Demke Runs 5.387/272.89, Now #7
Right Lane: Duane Shields Runs 5.250/278.63, Now #1

Shields goes down the groove with an impressive pass to snatch the top spot from Coughlin. Demke drifted a little to the left early in the run but made a decent pass and gets in the show in the seventh spot.

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Left Lane: Jackie Fricke Runs 5.384/277.60, Now #8
Right Lane: Megan Meyer Runs 5.250/275.28, Now #2

Meyer makes a great pass, equalling Shields, but will be in the second spot with the slower speed. Fricke makes a clean run and gets in the show in the eighth spot to end this session.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink