Fri, 08 Mar 2024, 21:00 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Final Session |
By Dave Rowe |
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, 55th annual NHRA Gatornationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time/top speed this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time/speed, and position in order prior to run:
Left Lane: Brad McBride No Time, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.516/233.03, Was #15
8:19 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 72 degrees, relative humidity 82 percent, barometer 29.94 inches, adjusted altitude 1,671 feet, track temperature 87 degrees.
McBride could not get the engine to start and did not make a pass.
Left Lane: Jeff Veale Runs 5.532/274.16, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.477/271.08, Was #14
Right Lane: Sarah Allen Runs 5.518/270.10, Now #16; Best prior run: 32.924/30.38, Was #19
A good side-by-side, both down the groove with good runs. Veale doesn't improve and stays in the 14th spot. Allen makes a full pass this time and gets in on the bump, for now.
Left Lane: Dan Dietrich Runs 15.584/44.46, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.468/264.96, Was #13
Right Lane: Taylor Vetter Runs 7.850/114.17, Now #19; Best prior run: 9.741/101.06, Was #19
Dietrich leaves the line and rattles the tires. he pedals a couple of times and gives up on the run. Vetter had traction problems, pedals, gets about 500 feet out and gives up on the run.
Left Lane: James Stevens Runs 5.320/270.97, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.353/269.89, Was #11
Right Lane: Mike Coughlin Runs 5.390/259.86, Now #12; Best prior run: 6.271/183.52, Was #18
Another good side-by-side, both down the groove under power all the way through the run. Stevens makes his quickest pass of the weekend and moves up to the ninth spot. Coughlin makes his quickest pass of the weekend and gets in the field, bumping out Allen.
James Stevens' incremental times: 60ft-0.936 sec., 330ft-2.387, 660ft-3.524/217.60 mph, 1,000ft-4.495.
Mike Coughlin's incremental times: 60ft-0.944 sec., 330ft-2.447, 660ft-3.581/221.31 mph, 1,000ft-4.542.
Left Lane: Jeff Chatterson Runs 11.636/72.89, Now #11; Best prior run: 5.351/265.53, Was #11
Right Lane: Megan Smith Runs 5.363/276.46, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.535/272.61, Was #18
Chatterson had traction problems and was off of the throttle early. Smith goes down the groove with a good pass and gets in the show bumping out McBride.
Megan Smith's incremental times: 60ft-0.975 sec., 330ft-2.516, 660ft-3.633/227.08 mph, 1,000ft-4.562.
Left Lane: Kirk Wolf Runs 5.249/259.46, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.295/276.24, Was #6
Right Lane: Phil Burkart Runs 7.309/120.29, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.459/254.95, Was #14
Wolf goes down the groove with another good run, improving on his earlier time and moving up to the third spot for now. Burkart had problems about 400 feet out, sparks were coming from somewhere around the engine, and he was out of power early.
Kirk Wolf's incremental times: 60ft-0.946 sec., 330ft-2.408, 660ft-3.498/229.12 mph, 1,000ft-4.427.
Left Lane: Jackie Fricke Runs 5.414/266.90, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.283/277.72, Was #6
Right Lane: Angelle Sampey Runs 5.316/272.61, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.333/249.49, Was #10
Fricke's dragster was a little sluggish off of the line and she slowed from her earlier attempts. Sampey made her quickest pass of the weekend and moved up to the seventh spot.
Jackie Fricke's incremental times: 60ft-0.984 sec., 330ft-2.501, 660ft-3.622/222.18 mph, 1,000ft-4.581.
Angelle Sampey's incremental times: 60ft-0.964 sec., 330ft-2.459, 660ft-3.569/226.73 mph, 1,000ft-4.505.
Left Lane: Hunter Green Runs 24.352/22.86, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.270/272.23, Was #5
Right Lane: Todd Bruce Runs 5.340/271.41, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.318/273.66, Was #9
Green lost traction at the hit, the dragster made a move to the right, then he aborted the run. Bruce went down the groove with a good pass but did not improve.
Left Lane: Julie Nataas Runs 5.262/270.27, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.263/263.51, Was #4
Right Lane: Karen Stalba Runs 11.924/68.25, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.316/257.92, Was #8
Nataas goes down the groove with her quickest pass of the weekend but stays in the fourth spot. Stalba had traction problems at the hit and was off of the throttle early.
Left Lane: Joe Maynard Runs 5.553/269.94, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.226/274.11, Was #2
Right Lane: Matthew Cummings Runs 10.294/70.78, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.220/274.27, Was #1
Maynard loses traction at the hit, pedals once and recovers. Cummings had traction problems pedaled, then gave up on the run.
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