Sun, 18 Oct 2020, 11:53 AM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, 35th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Doug Kalitta                          123 Antron Brown                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.060  3.713 328.38                     0.051  3.762 324.51
 Qualified:             #7  3.761 313.95                        #8  3.765 323.50

Weather conditions: air temperature 79 degrees, relative humidity 72 percent, barometer 29.37 inches, adjusted altitude 2,911 feet, track temperature 80 degrees.

For his career Doug Kalitta has qualified in the top half of the field 73% of the time.

This is the 60th meeting between Antron Brown and Doug Kalitta and that's the sixth most between any two Top Fuel drivers in history.

Brown is 34 - 25 against Kalitta in prior events.

Brown with the starting line advantage, but Kalitta had the lead by the 330 feet and never trailed from there on for the win. Doug Kalitta's MOV: 0.0408 seconds (approximately 19 feet).

Kalitta with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win.

Brown with his quickest pass in the losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   25 Clay Millican                           5 Billy Torrence               
E1                   0.070  3.797 310.63     ****WINNER****  0.075  3.711 324.59
 Qualified:             #6  3.741 322.19                        #9  3.768 327.66

Millican and Torrence have each won 3 times against the other in prior events.

Millican with a slight advantage on the tree, but Torrence had the difference made up by the time they went by the Christmas tree and never trailed from there on for the win.

Torrence with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 1211 Justin Ashley                         415 Lee Callaway                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.067  3.801 292.14                     0.107  3.904 297.02
 Qualified:             #2  3.687 323.04                       #13  7.044  96.36

This is the first time Ashley and Callaway have faced each other in eliminations.

This (No. 2) is the best starting spot for Justin Ashley and just the second time in his 12 races that he has been in the top half of the field.

Ashley with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. He used up another bullet for the win. The word from the top end is there is oil. Justin Ashley was charged with an oildown, #3 for the season. That will cost 15 points.

He will give up lane choice to Kalitta in the next round.

Callaway with a clean pass in the losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 5050 Scott Palmer                          777 Leah Pruett                  
E1                   0.094  3.778 317.57     ****WINNER****  0.079  3.780 317.27
 Qualified:            #10  3.862 305.29                        #5  3.732 318.77

Leah Pruett is 10 - 3 overall against Scott Palmer but just 3 - 3 in their last six meetings.

Pruett with the starting line advantage and the power to hold on for the hole shot win. Leah Pruett's MOV: 0.0131 seconds (approximately 6 feet).

Palmer with his quickest pass of the weekend in the losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  328 Joey Haas                             356 Tony Schumacher              
E1                   0.051  3.938 301.87     ****WINNER****  0.075  3.733 321.73
 Qualified:            #12  4.587 166.70                        #3  3.700 326.87

When starting from the No. 3 spot Tony Schumacher is 50 - 9 in round 1. Joey Hass is the 104th different driver to face Tony in eliminations.

Haas with the starting line advantage, but Schumacher has the difference made up by the time they go by the Christmas tree and never trails from there on for the win.

Haas runs his career quickest and fastest pass in the losing effort.

Schumacher will give up lane choice to Billy Torrence in the second round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  748 Cameron Ferre                           1 Steve Torrence               
E1                   0.091 11.292  52.74     ****WINNER****  0.072  3.704 328.30
 Qualified:            #14 15.264  42.67                        #1  3.662 327.51

This is the 26th No. 1 spot for Steve Torrence and that is 10th best in the history of the Top Fuel class. He is 22 - 3 in round 1 when qualified No. 1.

Torrence is 3 - 0 against Ferre in prior events.

Ferre with troubles getting the car to fire, Torrence and his team wait. He gets it to fire...

Torrence with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. He runs low E.T. of race day. He will have a bye in round two because of the short field.

Ferre's car went silent right off the starting line.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  448 Kebin Kinsley                         333 Shawn Langdon                
E1                   0.077  4.217 231.40     ****WINNER****  0.052  3.742 307.44
 Qualified:            #11  3.948 303.78                        #4  3.727 317.49

Kebin Kinsley's first race in Top Fuel was here in 2014. When he went to the finals at Indy in 2017 he beat Shawn Langdon in the second round.

Kinsley is 1 - 0 against Langdon in prior events.

Langdon with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. It appeared that Langdon was mixing up cylinders on the top end, but gets the win. He will have lane choice over Pruett in the next round.

Kinsley clicked it off early.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink

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