Sat, Oct 31, 01:42 AM BAYTOWN - Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session # 2

By Larry Sullivan Top of Field Improves a Tenth

BAYTOWN, Texas - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Top Fuel at the 2nd annual Matco Tools Supernationals, 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: Mike Dunn Runs 4.913/275.56 Now # 9, (Best prior run: 9.136/ 82.54 Was #13)
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.688/309.23 Now # 6, (Best prior run: 4.681/302.82 Was # 6)

7:08 PM It's dark, but the track lighting here is excellent - and based on the outstanding Funny Car runs we just saw, the dragsters should fly tonight. Move over John Glenn, here they come...

Both cars in this first pair made it all the way this round, though Herbert's virtually duplicated his first run and Dunn's was way off the pace he usually runs.

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Left Lane: Shelly Anderson Runs 4.747/251.04 Now # 9, (Best prior run: 5.335/183.07 Was #10)
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.584/318.02 Now # 1, (Best prior run: 10.507/ 85.26 Was #14)

Shelly was enroute to an even better run, but the header flames dipped once, then went out around 1,000 feet. Dixon kept them lit all the way, a pretty pass to take over the top spot (for now).

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Left Lane: Connie Kalitta Runs 10.251/ 86.53 Now #14, (Best prior run: 8.670/ 97.69 Was #14)
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 4.588/318.13 Now # 2, (Best prior run: 4.688/309.38 Was # 8)

Connie lost traction almost immediately. No such problem for Doug, the car on a rope from start to finish, missing the top spot by 0.004 seconds.

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Left Lane: Eddie Hill Runs 4.574/313.91 Now # 1, (Best prior run: 4.648/313.15 Was # 4)
Right Lane: Bruce Sarver Runs 10.809/ 75.15 Now # 4, (Best prior run: 4.634/304.25 Was # 3)

This one brought cheers and whistles from the crowd, Hill very much a favorite of these Houston fans. Those are career-best numbers for Hill. The run was visibly quick and clean, the header flames steady and tall, the car on a straight line from one end to the other.

Sarver, who started the round on the pole position, lost traction after 200 feet.

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Left Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 4.603/313.15 Now # 5, (Best prior run: 4.654/317.79 Was # 6)
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 4.601/313.37 Now # 4, (Best prior run: 12.539/ 75.64 Was #15)

The crowd also loved this one, the two cars welded together from start to finish, Bernstein getting the win light, but Cory Mac getting the position.

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Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.549/322.23 Now # 1, (Best prior run: 5.695/155.87 Was #13)
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 6.376/131.08 Now #12, (Best prior run: 4.761/285.53 Was #11)

Schumacher lost traction after 200 feet. Scelzi grabbed the top spot away from Hill on a stout effort, resetting the track speed record in the process, another visibly quick, clean, smooth run, the header flames above the rear wing all the way down the track.

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Right Lane: Allen Hartley Runs 11.072/ 85.99 Now #16, (No prior time)

Hartley has gone from A/Fuel to AA/Fuel and his experience paid off here, the car starting into a power-wheelie and Hartley recognizing the problem and shutting it down quickly. However, the front end was about four feet in the air by then and it came down hard, so he may have some damage to the front end.

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Left Lane: Joe Amato Runs 4.565/318.02 Now # 2, (Best prior run: 4.652/261.24 Was # 8)
Right Lane: Jim Head Runs 8.706/ 99.59 Now #14, (Best prior run: 6.409/133.25 Was #14)

Amato jumps right into the middle of the pole-position battle, moving Hill down a spot on yet another nice run. Head didn't fare so well, his car losing traction after 200 feet.

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Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 4.720/302.31 Now # 9, (Best prior run: 4.672/318.02 Was # 9)

Vandergriff closed the round with a mostly-good run, the car strong to just before 1,000 feet and then eating some engine parts.

That's it for the Pros tonight, they will be back at 11 AM Saturday.