Sat, 22 May 2021, 15:33 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

BAYTOWN, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, 34th annual Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals presented by Pennzoil:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  613 Joey Severance                       7015 Jasmine Salinas              
E1                         No Time           ****WINNER****  0.123  7.000 127.75
 Qualified:             #2  5.232 275.39                       #11 11.002  79.82

Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 100 percent, barometer 30.16 inches, adjusted altitude 1,961 feet, track temperature 93 degrees.

Severance is 1 - 0 against Salinas in prior events.

Severance is leaking fluids on the burnout nd is shut off.

Salinas starts to lose traction and clicks it off, but gets the win

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   51 Rachel Meyer                            4 Jackie Fricke                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.019  5.195 280.49                     0.044  5.268 278.17
 Qualified:             #3  5.238 271.68                       #10  6.020 228.38

Meyer is 1 - 0 against Fricke in prior events.

Rachel Meyer's father, Randy, won this race in 3 consecutive years (2013 - 2015). He is the only TAD driver to win three in a row here.

Meyer with a great light and runs low E.T. and top speed of the event for the win.

Jackie Fricke has been to 3 races this year and she has gone to the final round at all three.

Fricke with a good looking pass in the losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 737M Madison Payne                          54 Robin Samsel                 
E1                   0.128  5.320 279.21     ****WINNER****  0.132  5.289 275.56
 Qualified:             #6  5.256 260.06                        #7  5.283 277.94

This is the first time Payne and Samsel have faced each other in eliminations.

Madison Payne's father, Jay, was in the final round at this race 9 times and he won this race 6 times in the TAD class.

Payne with the slight starting line advantage, but Samsel has the difference made up by the time they go by the Christmas tree and takes the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Julie Nataas                            7 James Stevens                
E1                         No Time           ****WINNER****  0.092  5.302 269.46
 Qualified:             #5  5.256 277.03                        #8  5.285 272.61

Stevens is 2 - 1 against Nataas in prior events.

Nataas is shut off after the burnout and Stevens will get the freebie. He will have lane choice over Salinas in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 2380 Matthew Cummings                      528 Aaron Cooper                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.079  5.243 274.44                     0.046  5.416 271.30
 Qualified:             #4  5.255 270.37                        #9  5.565 267.75

Cummings is 1 - 0 against Cooper in prior events.

Cooper with the starting line advantage, but Cummings has the difference made up by 330 feet and never trailed for the win. He runs his quickest pass of the day. He will give up lane to Meyer in the next round.

Cooper 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
  417 Karl Brounkowski                        2 Shawn Cowie                  
E1                   0.039  7.647 116.17     ****WINNER****  0.077  5.225 266.53
 Qualified:            #12 11.713  62.55                        #1  5.224 275.62

Karl Brounkowski's first race in TAD was at this event in 2001.

Shawn Cowie has won 21 races in his 98 starts (21.4%). That a better winning percentage than John Force (19%), Greg Anderson (20%) or Steve Torrence (17%). He is the defending event champion.
He is 12 - 0 in his last 12 final round appearances.
This is Cowie's 17th #1 spot and that is tied for 9th most in class history.

Brounkowski with the starting line advantage, but starts to shake and cowie is just a tick off his qualifying time for the win. He will have lane choice over Samsel in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink

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