Sat, Oct 3, 06:27 PM TOPEKA - Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session # 2

By Rick Green

TOPEKA, Kan. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Top Fuel at the 10th annual Parts America Nationals, 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):

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Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 15.254/ 69.87 Now #11, (Best prior run: 10.181/ 75.13 Was #11)
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 9.962/ 88.24 Now # 9, (Best prior run: 5.689/159.29 Was # 9)

We start this session with a couple of up-in-smoke-right-off-the-starting-line runs. Looks like this will be a crew chief challenge to find the right combination on this tricky track.

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Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.561/321.77 Now # 1, (Best prior run: 4.637/303.54 Was # 2)
Right Lane: Connie Kalitta Runs 4.631/308.85 Now # 3, (Best prior run: 11.921/ 74.59 Was #17)

This answers the previous question, now we know the track will hold the big numbers. Connie is right with Gary until half-track and then the Team Winston Top Fuel Dargster just powers away with the third quickest pass in NHRA history. Connie with a great pass, but the excitement really starts for him in the shut down area. He started to drift in behind Scelzi and when he corrected it he got it up on two wheels. He then bumped it into the wall while on two wheels, but does a great job keeping it up right and getting it stopped.

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Left Lane: Eddie Hill Runs 10.283/ 69.64 Now # 7, (Best prior run: 5.013/307.58 Was # 7)
Right Lane: Joe Amato Runs 7.538/105.59 Now #11, (Best prior run: 11.783/ 78.44 Was #17)

Both cars are up in smoke as soon as they hit the throttle. Hill lifts and Amato gets back on the throttle and blisters the tires through the quarter mile to get in the show -- for now. Now there is some question that Amato might have touched the wall, something we could not see with all the tire smoke.

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Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 10.785/ 66.29 Now # 9, (Best prior run: 5.243/265.95 Was # 9)
Right Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 5.429/304.67 Now #10, (Best prior run: 17.219/ 58.47 Was #20)

This is a repeat of the previous pair as both of them go up in smoke. Schumacher lifts, but Bernstein, like Amato, was not in the show so he gets back on the throttle. Look at his mile-per-hour -- pretty impressive considering the up in smoke and the off-and-on the throttle run.

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Left Lane: Shelly Anderson Runs 4.913/237.71 Now # 7, (Best prior run: 10.975/ 82.11 Was #17)
Right Lane: Mike Dunn Runs 11.133/ 0.00 Now # 4, (Best prior run: 4.754/308.85 Was # 4)

Shelly's dragster breaks the rearend on the top end, but still moves into the top half of the field. Dunn was up in smoke early and clicks it off.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 9.841/ 90.70 Now # 2, (Best prior run: 4.561/315.78 Was # 2)
Right Lane: Tim Gibson Runs 8.521/148.22 Now #15, (Best prior run: 11.470/ 66.83 Was #18)

Kalitta is up in smoke around the 200-foot mark, while Gibson makes it a little farther down track before he loses traction.

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Left Lane: Robert Reehl Runs 5.104/280.54 Now #10, (Best prior run: 13.051/ 73.21 Was #19)
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.620/318.92 Now # 3, (Best prior run: 5.240/190.63 Was # 9)

Reehl starts to lose traction right off the starting line and pedals it one time to get in the show. Dixon with a great pass to move into the number three spot.

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Left Lane: Bruce Sarver Runs 6.859/119.06 Now # 8, (Best prior run: 4.875/305.18 Was # 7)
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.674/315.23 Now # 5, (Best prior run: 13.998/ 59.14 Was #20)

Sarver has problem right off the starting line as the engine starts eating itself up, the green header flames very evident. Cory Mac marches right down broadway to get in the show.

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Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.800/292.58 Now # 7, (Best prior run: 10.271/ 92.96 Was #19)
Right Lane: Pat Dakin Runs 9.995/ 97.70 Now #19, (Best prior run: 10.632/ 91.27 Was #20)

Head goes from the outside to the inside as the engine starts mixing up the cylinders on the top end. Dakin is up in smoke by the 200-foot mark.

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Left Lane: Cristen Powell Runs 12.967/ 68.68 Now #17, (Best prior run: 8.254/ 94.42 Was #17)
Right Lane: David Grubnic Runs 5.722/142.90 Now # 8, (Best prior run: 4.819/296.44 Was # 8)

Cristen does not move 60 feet and she is blistering the big Goodyears, while Grubnic starts to spin the tires from half-track on.

That is the end of this round as Scelzi steals the number one spot because of his faster mile-per-hour, and Joe Amato is on the bump.