Sat, 11 Sep 2021, 15:25 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

MOHNTON, Pa. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, 36th annual Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  178 Earl Nichols Jr.                        6 Duane Shields                
E1                   0.045  5.370 268.33     ****WINNER****  0.080  5.333 278.23
 Qualified:             #9  5.341 271.52                        #6  5.242 272.23

Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 58 percent, barometer 30.17 inches, adjusted altitude 1,894 feet.

Shields is 1 - 0 against Nichols Jr. in prior events.

Nichols Jr. with the starting line advantage and the lead until right in the lights when Shields chases him down for the win in a close one. Duane Shields' MOV: 0.0022 seconds (approximately 10 inches).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 1900 Dan Page                               15 Tom Fox Jr.                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.050  5.333 268.60                     0.256  5.962 137.43
 Qualified:             #7  5.285 274.94                        #8  5.296 271.41

This is the first time Page and Fox Jr. have faced each other in eliminations.

Page with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win.

Fox Jr. banged it just past half track and the chutes were out.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   54 Robin Samsel                         1011 Dan Dietrich                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.122  5.161 279.38                           No Time      
 Qualified:             #2  5.184 277.09                       #13  6.935 131.65

Samsel is 1 - 0 against Dietrich in prior events.

Dietrich rolled up to the water and then shut the car off.

Samsel launched hard and kept it hooked up to make the quickest pass of the event on the single. This is his career quickest pass. Robin Samsel's incremental times: 60ft-0.927 sec., 330ft-2.374, 660ft-3.449/232.51 mph, 1,000ft-4.366.

He will have lane choice over Page in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 1072 Bruce Horner                            4 Jackie Fricke                
E1                         No Time           ****WINNER****  0.174  5.224 278.46
 Qualified:            #12  5.923 211.79                        #3  5.196 277.09

This is the first time Horner and Fricke have faced each other in eliminations.

Horner can't get the car to fire, so Fricke will have the single.

She is straight down the groove with good looking pass. She will have lane choice over Shields in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7015 Jasmine Salinas                      1966 Mike Hepp                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.152  5.231 284.93                     0.100 11.257  70.40
 Qualified:             #5  5.205 281.54                       #10  5.449 264.96

This is the first time Salinas and Hepp have faced each other in eliminations.

Hepp with the starting line advantage, but lost traction early and clicked it off.

Salinas was straight down the groove with a great pass and big top end speed. this is her career fastest pass. Jasmine Salinas' incremental times: 60ft-0.952 sec., 330ft-2.439, 660ft-3.533/230.76 mph, 1,000ft-4.448.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 1128 Karen Stalba                          118 Frank Schuster               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.125  5.242 279.32                           No Time      
 Qualified:             #4  5.203 280.49                       #11  5.617 257.19

Schuster is a no-show.

Stalba is straight down the groove with a good pass. she will give up lane choice to salinas in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 2380 Matthew Cummings                      185 Mike Kosky                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.081  5.192 277.77                           No Time      
 Qualified:             #1  5.181 258.32                       #14  7.219 114.85

This is the first time Cummings and Kosky have faced each other in eliminations.

Kosky did the burnout and was shut off after the burnout.

Cummings on the single, he launched hard nd kept it hooked up. He makes the second quickest pass of round one. Matthew Cummings' incremental times: 60ft-0.936 sec., 330ft-2.394, 660ft-3.475/231.48 mph, 1,000ft-4.394.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink

E-mail rick@fastnews.net for information about supporting these reports.