Fri, Oct 30, 09:39 PM BAYTOWN - Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session # 1

By Larry Sullivan Conservative Tuneups Reign

BAYTOWN, Texas - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Fuel at the 2nd annual Matco Tools Supernationals, listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 6.409/133.25 Psn # 2
Right Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 5.695/155.87 Psn # 1

3:14 PM Head sports some pretty powerful sponsorship this weekend, Racers for Christ and Visa credit cards. But even the power of God and all the money those little plastic cards command couldn't find much traction beyond the 330-foot mark this time around. Scelzi got further down the track, but also lost traction.

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Left Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.681/302.82 Psn # 2
Right Lane: Joe Amato Runs 4.652/261.24 Psn # 1

Amato lost power around 1,000 feet here, clocked at 267.61 mph at half track and on a very good run before the flames went out. Nice pass by Herbert too, just shy of his career-best ET (a 4.678 at Reading).

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Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 10.507/ 85.26 Psn # 6
Right Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 4.672/318.02 Psn # 2

Dixon lost traction after 200 feet. Vandergriff laid down a strong pass, with a huge speed, the car clean and straight.

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Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.688/309.38 Psn # 4
Right Lane: Mike Dunn Runs 9.136/ 82.54 Psn # 7

Dunn also lost traction after 200 feet, while Kalitta made a full pass, clean and straight.

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Left Lane: Bruce Sarver Runs 4.634/304.25 Psn # 1
Right Lane: Shelly Anderson Runs 5.335/183.07 Psn # 6

Shelly was on a good pass, but then the engine flashed some flames, the car faltered, and then the engine let go with a big flash of flame. Sarver was on a very strong pass to past 1,000 feet, and then his engine ate some parts, orange flames flashing from the headers.

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Left Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 12.539/ 75.64 Psn #12
Right Lane: Connie Kalitta Runs 8.670/ 97.69 Psn # 9

Scelzi left Cory Mac plenty of room to excel here, but both teams were too greedy here and both were up in smoke before 200 feet.

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Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 4.761/285.53 Psn # 7
Right Lane: Eddie Hill Runs 4.648/313.15 Psn # 2

That's a new career-best top speed for Hill, a nice, smooth, clean run. Nothing wrong with Schumacher's run either, but the flames went out way before the finish line.

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Right Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 4.654/317.79 Psn # 4

That was a pretty run - maybe only good for fourth, but there was no wasted motion and the crew should be able to tune from that one very nicely.

That's all until this evening.