Sat, 16 Nov 2019, 19:27 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Rick Green

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 55th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals 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: Jim Maroney Runs 4.506/183.27, Now #17; Best prior run: 3.971/308.85, Was #17
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.009/300.13, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.094/225.75, Was #18

Weather conditions: air temperature 83 degrees, relative humidity 24 percent, barometer 28.80 inches, adjusted altitude 3,284 feet, track temperature 97 degrees.

Maroney is mixing up cylinders early and lost traction before he clicked it off.

McClenathan is dropping cylinders early, but stayed with it for his quickest and fastest pass this season.

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Left Lane: Justin Ashley Runs 3.763/318.32, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.777/317.49, Was #13
Right Lane: Shawn Reed Runs 3.746/327.98, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.966/292.46, Was #16

Ashley launched hard and kept it hooked up to make his career quickest pass. The car dropped a cylinder or two after the finish line and then has a quick fire. The word is there is oil on the track. Hr moves up to the number 10 spot... Justin Ashley's incremental times: 60ft-0.838 sec., 330ft-2.139, 660ft-3.017/287.72 mph.

Reed is straight down the groove, he kept it hooked up and hitting on all eight to move into the top half of the show. Shawn Reed's incremental times: 60ft-0.836 sec., 330ft-2.124, 660ft-3.009/286.68 mph.

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Left Lane: Austin Prock Runs 3.733/328.22, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.776/327.98, Was #14

Prock kept the big Goodyears hooked up and hitting on eight to make his quickest pass of the weekend. He moves into the top half of the show. Austin Prock's incremental times: 60ft-0.838 sec., 330ft-2.114, 660ft-2.996/287.41 mph.

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Left Lane: Scott Palmer Runs 3.823/320.89, Now #15; Best prior run: 3.775/328.14, Was #14
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 3.717/324.28, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.797/326.24, Was #15

Palmer with a clean pass, but will not improve and will start Sunday from the number 15 spot. Scott Palmer's incremental times: 60ft-0.870 sec., 330ft-2.185, 660ft-3.076/285.59 mph.

Kalitta kept it hooked up and the candles lit to make his quickest pass of the weekend. He goes to the number four spot. Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.843 sec., 330ft-2.119, 660ft-2.980/292.84 mph.

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Left Lane: Antron Brown Runs 3.776/324.36, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.729/330.07, Was #8
Right Lane: Terry McMillen Runs 3.739/323.43, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.773/324.83, Was #14

Brown with another good pass, but will not improve. Antron Brown's incremental times: 60ft-0.844 sec., 330ft-2.144, 660ft-3.032/285.47 mph.

McMillen with his quickest pass of the weekend to move up the ladder four spots. Terry McMillen's incremental times: 60ft-0.843 sec., 330ft-2.123, 660ft-2.998/288.58 mph.

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Left Lane: Brittany Force Runs 3.761/320.97, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.726/331.69, Was #7
Right Lane: Steve Torrence Runs 3.686/329.99, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.764/326.00, Was #14

Force is straight down the groove with another good pass, she will not improve and will start from the number eight spot. Brittany Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.840 sec., 330ft-2.133, 660ft-3.017/286.68 mph.

Torrence launched hard and kept it hooked up and hitting on all eight to go to the number one spot. Steve Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.818 sec., 330ft-2.091, 660ft-2.956/292.08 mph.

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Left Lane: Clay Millican Runs 3.699/328.30, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.719/325.14, Was #7
Right Lane: Richie Crampton Runs 3.810/321.35, Now #13; Best prior run: 3.751/325.45, Was #13

Millican is straight down the groove, he had it hitting on all eight all the way down the track. Clay Millican's incremental times: 60ft-0.829 sec., 330ft-2.105, 660ft-2.968/291.63 mph.

Crampton with another good pass, but will not improve. Richie Crampton's incremental times: 60ft-0.842 sec., 330ft-2.155, 660ft-3.056/280.84 mph.

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Left Lane: Jordan Vandergriff Runs 3.776/318.09, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.719/327.90, Was #7
Right Lane: Mike Salinas Runs 3.716/330.72, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.699/327.11, Was #4

Vandergriff with another good pass, he will not improve. He stays in the number seven spot. Jordan Vandergriff's incremental times: 60ft-0.837 sec., 330ft-2.142, 660ft-3.023/286.50 mph.

Salinas with another great pass, he will not improve, but runs third quickest pass of the session. He will stay in the number four spot. Mike Salinas' incremental times: 60ft-0.839 sec., 330ft-2.122, 660ft-2.988/292.90 mph.

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Left Lane: Billy Torrence Runs 3.701/327.51, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.708/330.63, Was #5
Right Lane: Leah Pritchett Runs 3.708/327.66, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.694/322.88, Was #2

This is a great side-by-side drag race to wrap up Top Fuel qualifying.

Torrence kept it hitting on all eight and hooked up to make his quickest pass of the weekend. He runs the third quickest pass of the session. He will stay in the number five spot. Billy Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.828 sec., 330ft-2.101, 660ft-2.970/292.01 mph.

Pritchett with another great pass, the fourth quickest of the session. She will stay in the number two spot. Leah Pritchett's incremental times: 60ft-0.837 sec., 330ft-2.105, 660ft-2.975/291.26 mph.

Steve Torrence holds on to the number one spot for the fifth time this season and the 24th time in his career.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink