Sat, 12 Oct 2019, 17:29 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Rick Green

CONCORD, N.C. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 12th annual NTK NHRA Carolina 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: Terry McMillen Runs 3.767/326.24, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.800/324.83, Was #11
Right Lane: Todd Paton Runs 5.399/131.79, Now #18; Best prior run: 7.735/91.99, Was #18

Weather conditions: air temperature 87 degrees, relative humidity 37 percent, barometer 29.26 inches, adjusted altitude 3,271 feet, track temperature 105 degrees.

McMillen launched hard and kept it hooked up to move into the top half of the show. Terry McMillen's incremental times: 60ft-0.857 sec., 330ft-2.147, 660ft-3.027/287.78 mph.

Patton is dropping cylinders around 330 feet and clicks it off.

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Right Lane: Austin Prock Runs 3.850/316.15, Now #13; Best prior run: 3.948/312.35, Was #14

Prock makes his quickest pass of the weekend to move up the ladder one spot. Austin Prock's incremental times: 60ft-0.859 sec., 330ft-2.187, 660ft-3.092/283.07 mph.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 3.786/328.46, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.773/323.35, Was #10
Right Lane: Justin Ashley Runs 4.081/249.53, Now #12; Best prior run: 3.831/319.67, Was #12

Kalitta with another good looking pass, he will not improve. Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.854 sec., 330ft-2.163, 660ft-3.051/288.58 mph.

Ashley starts to mix up cylinders around the 1/8 mile mark and clicks it off.

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Left Lane: Leah Pritchett Runs 3.714/331.20, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.766/323.50, Was #7
Right Lane: Clay Millican Runs 3.764/322.11, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.773/325.06, Was #9

Pritchett launched hard and kept it hooked to make her quickest pass of the weekend and move to the number two spot. Leah Pritchett's incremental times: 60ft-0.848 sec., 330ft-2.125, 660ft-2.987/293.79 mph.

Millican kept it hitting on all eight to make his quickest pass of the weekend to move into the top half of the show. Clay Millican's incremental times: 60ft-0.850 sec., 330ft-2.135, 660ft-3.021/287.66 mph.

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Left Lane: Billy Torrence Runs 3.755/325.92, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.765/325.77, Was #8
Right Lane: Richie Crampton Runs 3.732/329.50, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.742/328.06, Was #4

This is a great looking side-by-side drag race.

Torrence with his quickest of the weekend with a nice pass to go to the number six spot. Billy Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.840 sec., 330ft-2.140, 660ft-3.020/290.32 mph.

Crampton kept the candles lit all the way down the track to make his quickest pass of the weekend to move up the ladder one spot. Richie Crampton's incremental times: 60ft-0.831 sec., 330ft-2.120, 660ft-2.998/290.94 mph.

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Left Lane: Antron Brown Runs 3.785/327.90, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.758/328.94, Was #7
Right Lane: Brittany Force Runs 3.730/321.04, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.738/328.14, Was #4

Brown with another good pass, but will not improve...Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.857 sec., 330ft-2.166, 660ft-3.049/289.32 mph.

Force launched hard and kept it hooked up to go to make her quickest pass of the weekend to move up the ladder one spot. Brittany Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.839 sec., 330ft-2.114, 660ft-2.991/291.13 mph.

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Left Lane: Mike Salinas Runs 10.046/77.11, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.752/328.70, Was #5
Right Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 3.727/326.16, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.711/325.53, Was #1

Salinas is up in smoke right at the hit and clicks it off.

Torrence kept it hitting on all eight all the way down the track for the second quickest pass of the session. Steve Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.844 sec., 330ft-2.116, 660ft-2.990/290.82 mph.

Torrence holds on for the number one spot for the fourth time this season and the 23rd time in his career.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink