Mon, 24 May 2021, 10:54 AM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

BAYTOWN, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel 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
   77 Josh Hart                             333 Shawn Langdon                
E1                   0.067 No Time           ****WINNER****  0.048  3.803 304.94
 Qualified:             #8  4.537 170.26                        #7  4.407 179.92

Weather conditions: air temperature 78 degrees, relative humidity 97 percent, barometer 30.14 inches, adjusted altitude 1,987 feet and 100 degree track temperature.

Josh Hart beat Shawn Langdon in the finals at Gainesville.
Shawn Langdon wins 72% of his rd. 1 races when he has lane choice.

Langdon with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. He started to drop a cylinder or two in the lights.

Hart lost traction right at the hit and had a big fireball by 100 feet and came to a stop on the track

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  211 Arthur Allen                           25 Clay Millican                
E1                   0.177  3.870 301.13     ****WINNER****  0.062  3.759 323.50
 Qualified:            #10  6.539  96.31                        #5  3.777 302.89

This is the first time Allen and Millican have faced each other in eliminations.

Millican with the starting line advantage and makes a great looking pass for the win.

Allen with his career quickest and fastest pass in the losing effort. His first 300 mph pass.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Billy Torrence                       7211 Mike Salinas                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.085  3.694 329.50                     0.089  4.264 191.21
 Qualified:            #11  6.629 132.19                        #4  3.755 326.32

Mike Salinas has qualified in the top half at 20 of his last 25 races.
Billy Torrence is 25 - 5 in rd. 1 in his last 30 races.

Torrence with the starting line advantage and then runs low E.T. and top Speed of the event for the win. He will have lane choice over Millican in the next round.

Salinas started to haze the tires and drop cylinders to end his day.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Antron Brown                          415 Lee Callaway                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.082  4.142 207.98                     0.122 10.054  90.28
 Qualified:             #3  3.749 325.22                       #12  7.030  97.95

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

Brown with the starting line advantage and the win as he is hazing the tires and dropping cylinders on the top end.

Callaway was up in smoke right at the hit and hew clicked it off.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  777 Leah Pruett                             7 Justin Ashley                
E1                   0.020 12.703  60.13     ****WINNER****  0.039  3.770 317.79
 Qualified:             #2  3.733 312.86                       #13  8.329  83.12

This is Leah Pruett's 300th round of competition.

Ashley is 2 - 0 against Pruett in prior events.

Pruett with a great light and is up in smoke right at the hit and she pedals it a couple time, but can't get it to hook up.

Ashley had problems on the burnout, the idle was real high. He got the car stopped and the crew got the car to idle down. He is straight down the groove with a good looking pass for the win.

Ashley will have lane choice over Langdon in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  443 Mitch King                              1 Steve Torrence               
E1                   0.362  6.574  99.23     ****WINNER****  0.063  4.047 261.07
 Qualified:            #14 12.120  75.09                        #1  3.727 326.48

Steve Torrence is 25 - 3 in rd. 1 after qualifying #1.
Mitch King's first race in TF was at this event in 2002.

They swapped lanes...

Torrence with the starting line advantage, he started to haze the tires and pedaled it. It started dropping cylinders, but he held on for the win. He will have a bye in the next round.

King was up in smoke right at the hit. He used up an engine as Safety Safari called oil. Mitch King was charged with an oildown, #1 for the season. That will cost 5 points.

It started raining. We are on hold. 11:48 am

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Doug Kalitta                          745 Brittany Force               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.045  3.765 281.01                     0.055  4.738 171.69
 Qualified:             #9  4.548 168.68                        #6  4.039 215.96

Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 100 percent, barometer 30.09 inches, adjusted altitude 1,810 feet, track temperature 88 degrees.

Brittany Force and Doug Kalitta have raced 28 times and each has won 14 times.
They have raced 8 times in rd. 1 and each has won 4 times.

Kalitta with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Kalitta slowed on the top end, but held on for the win. He will have lane choice over brown in the next round.

Force stated to haze the tires and clicked it off.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink

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