Sun, 29 Sep 2019, 12:37 PM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

MADISON, Ill. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, eighth annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   21 Terry McMillen                         25 Clay Millican                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.069  3.781 323.81                     0.058  3.801 326.08
 Qualified:             #9  3.727 329.10                        #8  3.721 325.06

Weather conditions: air temperature 86 degrees, relative humidity 64 percent, barometer 29.63 inches, adjusted altitude 3,079 feet, track temperature 103 degrees.

Clay Millican was runner-up here last year.

Millican is 12 - 6 against McMillen in prior events.

Millican with the starting line advantage, but McMillen has the lead 150 feet and never trails from there on for the win. Terry McMillen's MOV: 0.0096 seconds (approximately 5 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  303 Pat Dakin                               5 Brittany Force               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.050  3.793 327.27                     0.078  3.802 294.31
 Qualified:            #13  3.758 328.22                        #4  3.708 331.12

Force is 6 - 2 against Dakin in prior events.

Dakin with the starting line, but then Force has the lead as they go by the Christmas tree. Then it drops cylinders on the left side and Dakin drives back around and holds on for the win.

Pat Dakin's MOV: 0.0374 seconds (approximately 16 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  317 T.J. Zizzo                            374 Austin Prock                 
E1                   0.056  3.769 329.75     ****WINNER****  0.047  3.744 326.00
 Qualified:            #14  3.791 323.43                        #3  3.707 332.10

This (No. 3) spot equals Austin Prock's best starting position of the year. This is the 66th start for T.J. Zizzo in Top Fuel.

This is the first time Zizzo and Prock have faced each other in eliminations.

Prock with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Austin Prock's MOV: 0.0343 seconds (approximately 17 feet). Prock with the quickest pass of race day for the win.

Zizzo with a great pass, his quickest pass of the weekend in the losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  386 Kyle Wurtzel                          474 Billy Torrence               
E1                   0.079  3.908 274.22     ****WINNER****  0.084  3.793 326.08
 Qualified:            #15  3.877 309.42                        #2  3.699 321.88

This is the first time Wurtzel and Torrence have faced each other in eliminations.

Wurtzel with the slight starting line advantage, but Torrence has the lead by the time they go by the Christmas tree and never trails from there on for the win.

Wurtzel started to drop cylinders and then the engine let go with a big fireball.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  748 Cameron Ferre                        7211 Mike Salinas                 
E1                   0.056  4.011 300.66     ****WINNER****  0.071  3.733 328.70
 Qualified:            #16  3.973 301.20                        #1  3.687 330.55

Mike Salinas starts from the No. 1 spot for the fifth time this year. Cameron Ferre is making his 17th start in Top Fuel.

Salinas is 1 - 0 against Ferre in prior events.

Ferre with the starting line advantage, but Salinas had the lead by the time they went by the Christmas tree. He never trailed from there on for the win with low E.T. of race day. He will have lane choice over McMillen.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 Scott Palmer                            1 Steve Torrence               
E1                         No Time           ****WINNER****  0.070  3.746 325.77
 Qualified:            #12  3.753 329.42                        #5  3.708 327.90

Torrence is 10 - 0 against Palmer in prior events.

Palmer banged it on the burnout and stops on the track about 330 feet. He gets out of the car and over the wall to give Torrence a single.

Torrence is straight down the groove with a good clean pass. He will have lane choice over Dakin in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Antron Brown                          777 Leah Pritchett               
E1                   0.052  6.001 116.41     ****WINNER****  0.064  3.764 326.87
 Qualified:            #11  3.748 326.32                        #6  3.709 327.51

Brown is 17 - 12 against Pritchett in prior events.

Brown with the starting line advantage, but is up in smoke right off the starting line and he clicked it off.

Pritchett with a good clean pass for the win. She will give up lane choice to Prock in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Doug Kalitta                           58 Richie Crampton              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.067  4.285 248.48                     0.079  5.086 136.25
 Qualified:            #10  3.741 327.59                        #7  3.710 324.75

Doug Kalitta's three round wins in Reading gave him 680 for his career and moved him past Larry Dixon and into eighth place on the all-time win list and it's the second most in Top Fuel history (Schumacher - 842).

Kalitta is 13 - 8 against Crampton in prior events.

Kalitta with the starting line advantage, but is up in smoke. Crampton is then up in smoke, Kalitta pedals it. He gets it to hook up enough to get the win. He used up an engine in the lights, but got the win. He will give up lane choice to Billy Torrence in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink