Sun, 01 Sep 2019, 16:32 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #4

By Rick Green

BROWNSBURG, Ind. - Notes from round 4 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 65th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. 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: Luigi Novelli Runs 4.480/192.52, Now #18; Best prior run: 3.986/295.92, Was #18
Right Lane: Chris Karamesines No Time, Now #21; No Prior Run

Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 72 percent, barometer 29.15 inches, adjusted altitude 2,811 feet, track temperature 104 degrees.

Novelli started to drop cylinders and then the engine let go with a quick fireball and he clicked it off. He will be down to one shot to get in the show.

Karamesines hit the throttle as he rolled through the water and the engine went silent.

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Left Lane: Lex Joon Runs 5.032/143.25, Now #20; Best prior run: 6.064/110.21, Was #20
Right Lane: T.J. Zizzo Runs 4.523/168.51, Now #16; Best prior run: 3.782/326.08, Was #16

Joon starts to lose traction and clicks it off.

Zizzo starts to smoke the Goodyears and clicked it off. He stays on the bubble in the quickest field in Top Fuel history. T.J. Zizzo is on the bump spot at 3.782.

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Left Lane: Pat Dakin Runs 4.675/159.66, Now #17; Best prior run: 3.813/308.00, Was #17
Right Lane: Clay Millican Runs 5.882/105.16, Now #9; Best prior run: 3.706/324.36, Was #9

Dakin started to lose traction and the popped with a quick flash of flames.

Millican started to smoke the tires early and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Wayne Newby Runs 6.306/96.77, Now #15; Best prior run: 3.771/323.19, Was #15
Right Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 3.774/324.05, Now #14; Best prior run: 3.764/325.14, Was #14

Newby started to haze the tires early and clicked it off.

McMillen is straight down the groove with a good clean pass. He will not improve, and stays in the number 14 spot.

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Left Lane: Scott Palmer Runs 4.883/152.49, Now #12; Best prior run: 3.740/321.27, Was #12
Right Lane: Austin Prock Runs 4.929/145.42, Now #13; Best prior run: 3.742/328.06, Was #13

They are both up in smoke early and they both clicked them off.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 3.747/331.53, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.706/332.75, Was #8
Right Lane: Jordan Vandergriff Runs 3.794/318.62, Now #11; Best prior run: 3.717/324.36, Was #11

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

Kalitta launched hard and kept it hooked up to make the quickest pass of the session. Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.850 sec., 330ft-2.148, 660ft-3.019/291.57 mph.

Vandergriff was right there with him to make the third quickest pass of the session. Jordan Vandergriff's incremental times: 60ft-0.854 sec., 330ft-2.147, 660ft-3.041/283.49 mph.

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Left Lane: Richie Crampton Runs 3.730/325.77, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.696/326.32, Was #5
Right Lane: Shawn Reed Runs 3.810/302.35, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.714/326.00, Was #10

Crampton kept it hooked up and hitting on all eight to make the quickest pass of the session. Richie Crampton's incremental times: 60ft-0.841 sec., 330ft-2.127, 660ft-2.996/291.51 mph.

Reed was straight down the groove with a good clean pass. Shawn Reed's incremental times: 60ft-0.852 sec., 330ft-2.159, 660ft-3.052/284.27 mph.

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Left Lane: Leah Pritchett Runs 4.711/155.70, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.701/322.42, Was #7
Right Lane: Mike Salinas Runs 6.611/87.38, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.681/331.20, Was #4

Pritchett started to lose traction and clicked it off.

Salinas was up in smoke early and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Antron Brown Runs 3.787/320.81, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.698/329.02, Was #6
Right Lane: Billy Torrence Runs 3.710/325.92, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.655/333.33, Was #2

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

Brown kept it hooked up and he makes his sixth quickest pass of the session. Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.842 sec., 330ft-2.153, 660ft-3.042/286.32 mph.

Torrence launched hard and kept it hooked up to make the quickest pass of the session. Billy Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.836 sec., 330ft-2.103, 660ft-2.976/290.76 mph.

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Left Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 3.685/329.02, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.656/331.12, Was #3
Right Lane: Brittany Force Runs 8.440/81.24, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.645/332.26, Was #1

Torrence kept it hooked up and hitting on all eight all the way down the track to make the quickest pass of the session. Steve Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.822 sec., 330ft-2.087, 660ft-2.956/292.14 mph.

Force had holes out right at the hit and clicked it off.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink