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Sat, Oct 3, 09:54 PM

TOPEKA - Comp Eliminator Round 1 Eliminations

By Ed Dykes

TOPEKA, Kan. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Comp Eliminator at the 10th annual Parts America Nationals:

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)
   7 Pete Carbery        7.448 -0.522  Q  23 Tom Suggs           8.500 -0.350
   B/A    Index:  7.97                     C/EA   Index:  8.85 
                  0.437 10.769  2.799 E1 *****WINNER***** 0.501  8.404 -0.446

2:48 PM, overcast skies, 56 degrees. And we start with the traditional redlight, of course.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)
   9 Clint Sallee        7.199 -0.501  Q  33 Joe Angelo          7.638 -0.022
   C/D    Index:  7.70                     B/ED   Index:  7.66 
 *****WINNER***** 0.555  7.317 -0.383 E1                  0.491 20.117 12.457

And another...

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)
  12 Doug Engels         7.543 -0.487  Q  28 Duane Robison       7.987 -0.263
   A/EA   Index:  8.03                     C/A    Index:  8.25 
 *****WINNER***** 0.599  7.689 -0.341 E1                  0.330  8.208 -0.042

And another...

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)
   6 Mike Hazlett        7.444 -0.526  Q  22 Russ Kelly          7.017 -0.353
   B/A    Index:  7.97                     A/ED   Index:  7.37 
 *****WINNER***** 0.564  9.721  1.751 E1                  0.480  6.999 -0.371

And yet another... Hazlett had a huge wheelstand in the Steve Schmidt-lookalike Cutlass, almost getting the wall when he landed.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)
  13 Maryann Austin      7.519 -0.471  Q  29 Lou Ficco           7.784 -0.186
   C/ED   Index:  7.99                     B/A    Index:  7.97 
 *****WINNER***** 0.660  8.521  0.531 E1                  0.518 12.897  4.927

Ficco gets the huge holeshot and then can't take advantage of it when he breaks at the 330' mark... in our first non-redlight race of the round.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)
   2 Randy Jones         7.986 -0.554  Q  18 Mike Johnson        7.572 -0.398
   D/A    Index:  8.54                     B/A    Index:  7.97 
 *****WINNER***** 0.563  8.008 -0.532 E1                  0.551 15.907  7.937

Jones wasn't watching the mirror, here.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)
  11 Jason Tinberg       8.551 -0.489  Q  27 Tom Haueter         7.862 -0.288
   D/EA   Index:  9.04                     D/ED   Index:  8.15 
 *****WINNER***** 0.534  9.064  0.024 E1                  0.466  8.921  0.771

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)
  15 John Linton         7.536 -0.454  Q  34 Mike Artmann        7.385  0.025
   C/ED   Index:  7.99                     A/A    Index:  7.36 
 *****WINNER***** 0.596  7.539 -0.451 E1                  0.381 11.969  4.609

Artmann didn't see the redlight, so when he got out of shape early he worked hard to get it straightened out... didn't work, tho.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)
  14 Brian Browell       7.555 -0.465  Q  30 Mike Corvo          8.117 -0.133
   D/D    Index:  8.02                     C/A    Index:  8.25 
                  0.473  8.332  0.312 E1 *****WINNER***** 0.608  8.442  0.192

These guys are really impatient today... I can't remember when we've seen so many redlights in Comp. eliminator.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)
   4 Larry Pritchett     8.289 -0.531  Q  20 Alan Christeson     7.294 -0.366
   D/SM   Index:  8.82                     B/ED   Index:  7.66 
 *****WINNER***** 0.745  8.285 -0.535 E1                  0.000 (Broke)

No chance for a redlight here, Christeson breaking on the burnout and the Safari guys pushes him back to the staging lanes. Pritchett goes ahead and takes a CIC, anyway, proving what a good sport he is.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)
   3 David Billingsley   7.712 -0.538  Q  19 Tom Schmidt         8.177 -0.393
   C/A    Index:  8.25                     B/EA   Index:  8.57 
 *****WINNER***** 0.550  7.734 -0.516 E1                  0.551  8.191 -0.379

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)
   5 Bo Nickens          7.623 -0.527  Q  21 Bill Harris         8.499 -0.361
   D/ED   Index:  8.15                     E/A    Index:  8.86 
 *****WINNER***** 0.606  7.824 -0.326 E1                  0.540  8.658 -0.202

Maybe Bo knew he wouldn't need a great leave here, given Harris' 0.361-under qualifying performance. Regardless, he left the door open.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)
  26 Mike Foster         7.348 -0.312  Q  10 Al Bresch           9.136 -0.494
   B/ED   Index:  7.66                     C/SM   Index:  9.63 
 *****WINNER***** 0.577  7.287 -0.373 E1                  0.981  9.172 -0.458

No, that 0.981 is not a typo... sorry, Al.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)
   8 Don Stratton        8.256 -0.514  Q  24 John Geyer          6.812 -0.348
   B/SR   Index:  8.77                     A/D    Index:  7.16 
 *****WINNER***** 0.575  8.233 -0.537 E1                  0.619  9.075  1.915

Geyer got very close to the centerline and had to lift to keep from crossing over... nobody told Stratton, tho.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)
   1 Robert Bailey       6.812 -0.558  Q  17 David Cook          8.400 -0.420
   A/ED   Index:  7.37                     D/SM   Index:  8.82 
                  0.581  6.839 -0.531 E1 *****WINNER***** 0.581  8.000 -0.820

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---(+/-)
  16 Larry Mayes         8.387 -0.433  Q  32 Ted May             7.568 -0.052
   D/SM   Index:  8.82                     BB/AT  Index:  7.62 
 *****WINNER***** 0.503  8.356 -0.464 E1                  0.498  7.080 -0.540

The last two pull to the line, and yet another race is decided by a redlight.