Sun, 29 Oct 2023, 14:58 PM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

LAS VEGAS - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  356 Tony Schumacher                         9 Shawn Langdon                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.074  3.697 326.87                     0.073  3.744 323.74
 Qualified:             #9  3.723 331.61                        #8  3.711 327.51

Weather conditions: air temperature 55 degrees, relative humidity 19 percent, barometer 30.26 inches, adjusted altitude 1,784 feet, track temperature 76 degrees.

Schumacher is 19 - 17 against Langdon in prior events.

Shawn Langdon "leaves first" 67% of the time overall and 72% of the time against Schumacher. Tony Schumacher is 4 - 6 against Langdon in round 1

Langdon with a tick advantage on the tree, but Schumacher has the lead as they go by the Christmas tree and doesn't trail from there on for the win. Schumacher with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Brittany Force                          2 Antron Brown                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.058  3.704 331.04                     0.056  3.739 315.34
 Qualified:            #10  3.732 335.48                        #7  3.708 329.10

Brown is 27 - 14 against Force in prior events.

Brown with a couple ticks on the tree, but Force has the lead by the time they go by the Christmas tree and never trails from there on for the win. Force with her quickest pass of the weekend for the win.

Brown uses up an engine on the top end with a quick fireball.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  182 Dan Mercier                             4 Justin Ashley                
E1                   0.129  3.752 304.87     ****WINNER****  0.065  3.736 326.79
 Qualified:            #11  3.747 323.89                        #6  3.708 334.82

Justin Ashley wins 73% of his Rd. 1 races when he has lane choice. Dan Mercier is making his 6th start this year.

Ashley is 2 - 0 against Mercier in prior events.

Ashley with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Josh Hart                             777 Leah Pruett                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.044  3.740 326.40                     0.087  3.699 332.26
 Qualified:            #12  3.749 324.20                        #5  3.704 330.96

Leah Pruett is 122 - 84 in Rd. 1 in her career and 14 - 5 this year. Josh Hart is 4 - 1 against Pruett.

Hart with the starting line advantage and the power to hold on for the hole shot win in close one. Josh Hart's MOV: 0.0023 seconds (approximately 13 inches). Hart with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win.

Pruett with her 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                           6 Steve Torrence               
E1                   0.088  3.705 331.12     ****WINNER****  0.074  3.694 332.51
 Qualified:            #15  3.846 251.06                        #2  3.683 331.69

The #2 TF qualifier at this event is 21 - 1 in Rd. 1 (and hasn't lost since 2010). Clay Millican is 3 - 13 in Rd. 1 when starting 15th.

Torrence is 17 - 9 against Millican in prior events.

Torrence with the starting line advantage and the win in a great race. Steve Torrence's MOV: 0.0255 seconds (approximately 12 feet).

Millican was on a great pass, his quickest pass of the weekend in the losing effort. Right in the lights the left tire went away. He did a great job driving and kept it in his lane.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  723 Rob Passey                           7211 Mike Salinas                 
E1                   0.215  7.672  92.00     ****WINNER****  0.106  3.695 334.15
 Qualified:            #16  3.989 304.05                        #1  3.680 331.77

Coming into this race Mike Salinas had qualified #1 14 times and won the race once. The #16 TF qualifier at this event has never won a round. Passey is 2 - 1 in Rd. 1 this year.

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

Salinas with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. He will have lane choice over Schumacher in the next round by 0.002 second.

Passey with problems right at the hit and clicked it off.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7728 Kelly Harper                            3 Austin Prock                 
E1                   0.112  3.806 317.27     ****WINNER****  0.077  3.719 289.51
 Qualified:            #14  3.817 318.54                        #3  3.692 328.86

This is the 11th time this year that Austin Prock has been in the top half of the field. He is 6 - 5 in Rd. 1 in those races. Kelly Harper is making his 1st TF start.

Prock with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Right in the lights Prock uses up an engine with a big explosion. He will have lane choice over Ashley in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  317 T.J. Zizzo                             10 Doug Kalitta                 
E1                   0.119  3.719 318.99     ****WINNER****  0.060  3.683 334.73
 Qualified:            #13  3.800 326.00                        #4  3.696 334.90

Doug Kalitta wins 77% of his Rd. 1 races when he has lane choice. T.J. Zizzo is 1 - 4 against Kalitta.

Kalitta with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Kalitta with the quickest pass of race day for the win. He will have lane choice over Hart in the next round.

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

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink