Sun, 16 Oct 2022, 15:02 PM 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, 37th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  777 Leah Pruett                            77 Josh Hart                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.047  3.888 229.84                    -0.035  3.707 330.03
 Qualified:             #8  3.731 304.18                        #9  3.750 328.25

Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 90 percent, barometer 30.01 inches, adjusted altitude 2,400 feet, track temperature 102 degrees.

Leah Pruett wins 70% of her Rd. 1 races when qualified in the top half of the field. Josh Hart is 13 - 6 in Rd.1 this year.

Hart is 3 - 0 against Pruett in prior events.

Hart goes red to give Pruett the win.

Hart makes his quickest and fastest pass of the weekend in the losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 Doug Kalitta                            4 Justin Ashley                
E1                   0.059  3.714 326.13     ****WINNER****  0.044  3.699 331.08
 Qualified:             #7  3.712 327.75                       #10  3.766 330.86

Doug Kalitta is 3 - 7 against Justin Ashley overall and 0 - 2 this year. Justin Ashley is 35 - 17 in Rd. 1 in his career (and 14 - 5 this year)

Ashley with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Ashley kept it hooked up all the way down the track. He makes his quickest and fastest pass of the weekend for the win.

Kalitta was just a couple ticks off his qualifying time in the losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Antron Brown                          356 Tony Schumacher              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.072  3.684 330.54                     0.072  3.715 326.16
 Qualified:             #4  3.693 331.93                       #13  3.801 326.58

Antron Brown is 39 - 33 against Tony Schumacher. Those 39 wins are the most for him against any opponent and those 33 losses are the most for him against any opponent. Tony Schumacher wins 74% of his Rd.1 races overall but he is 4 - 4 against Brown in Rd. 1

They have identical reaction times and then it is all Brown for the win. He makes his quickest pass of the weekend for the win.

Schumacher 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
   51 Clay Millican                         448 Kebin Kinsley                
E1                   0.062  3.795 271.36     ****WINNER****  0.030  3.799 322.97
 Qualified:             #2  3.685 332.08                       #15  3.855 315.21

This (#2) is the best starting spot for Clay Millican in his last 42 races. Kebin Kinsley is making his 20th start in TF.

Kinsley is 1 - 0 against Millican in prior events.

Kinsley with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. He kept it hitting on all eight all the way down the track. He makes his quickest and fastest pass this season for the win.

Millican started mixing up cylinders and then the engine let go with a big fireball.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  374 Austin Prock                           40 Alex Laughlin                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.050  3.736 326.23                     0.066  3.837 318.83
 Qualified:             #1  3.682 334.57                       #16  3.870 318.38

The #1 TF qualifier has only won this race twice in the last 20 years. Alex Laughlin is #16 and the last time the #16 TF qualifier won a round here was 2007.

Prock is 1 - 0 against Laughlin in prior events.

Prock with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. He will have lane choice over Pruett in the next round.

Laughlin with his quickest and fastest pass of the weekend in the losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Brittany Force                        323 Buddy Hull                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.053  3.722 336.30                     0.047  5.840 108.10
 Qualified:             #3  3.689 335.75                       #14  3.840 323.65

Brittany qualified #3 and the #3 TF qualifier at this event is 28 - 7 in Rd. 1.

Buddy Hull is making his 12th start (and is looking for his first round win).

This is the first time Force and Hull have faced each other in eliminations.

Hull with a slight starting, but starts to lose traction.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7211 Mike Salinas                          421 Spencer Massey               
E1                         No Time           ****WINNER****  0.104  3.783 319.47
 Qualified:             #5  3.699 331.15                       #12  3.789 324.93

Mike Salinas wins 80% of his Rd.1 races when he has lane choice. Spence Massey's 209 round wins are 17th most in TF.

Salinas doubled stepped it and turned on the red light to give Massey the win. Massey with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win

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

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 Shawn Langdon                           1 Steve Torrence               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.052  3.730 322.79                     0.068  3.735 327.53
 Qualified:            #11  3.788 312.57                        #6  3.700 330.01

Steve Torrence is 16 - 3 in Rd. 1 this year. Shawn Langdon is 6 - 7 against Torrence in Rd. 1

Torrence is 20 - 13 against Langdon in prior events.

Langdon with the slight starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Langdon with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win. He will give uplane choice to Force in the next round.

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