Sat, Oct 31, 10:40 PM BAYTOWN - Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Larry Sullivan Scelzi Hangs On to Pole

BAYTOWN, Texas - Notes from final, round 4 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: Joe Amato Runs 4.645/309.81 Now # 2, (Best prior run: 4.565/318.02 Was # 2)
Right Lane: Cory McClenathan Runs 7.025/110.56 Now # 3, (Best prior run: 4.574/319.26 Was # 3)

4:12 PM Cory Mac dropped a cylinder early in the run. No visible problem for Amato, the car clean and straight.

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Left Lane: Bob Vandergriff Runs 4.697/303.74 Now #11, (Best prior run: 4.672/318.02 Was #11)
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 9.647/ 74.79 Now #13, (Best prior run: 4.761/285.53 Was #13)

Schumacher lost traction after 100 feet. Vandergriff's engine started eating parts at half track, the header flames flickering and changing colors.

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Left Lane: Mike Dunn Runs 4.645/317.79 Now # 9, (Best prior run: 4.661/314.90 Was #10)
Right Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.650/313.15 Now #11, (Best prior run: 4.791/299.70 Was #14)

Two nice passes, but with the times being run here this weekend, they aren't good enough to get out of the bottom half of the field.

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Left Lane: Shelly Anderson Runs 12.850/ 73.42 Now #13, (Best prior run: 4.747/251.04 Was #13)
Right Lane: Doug Herbert Runs 4.636/311.95 Now # 9, (Best prior run: 4.646/317.12 Was #10)

Another career-best ET for Herbert, on a nice run. Shelly got about 100 feet off the starting line and then lost traction violently.

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Left Lane: Connie Kalitta Runs 4.665/302.41 Now #12, (Best prior run: 8.670/ 97.69 Was #15)
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 4.591/313.80 Now # 5, (Best prior run: 4.584/318.02 Was # 5)

Connie finally got a good run down the track - but Dixon's made Kalitta look like he was standing still!

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Left Lane: Eddie Hill Runs 12.002/ 76.53 Now # 4, (Best prior run: 4.574/313.91 Was # 4)
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 11.491/ 80.39 Now # 6, (Best prior run: 4.588/318.13 Was # 6)

Hill is very popular here (and elsewhere), the crowds around his transporter rivaled only by those around John Force's "compound." But we got "synchronized tire smoke" here, both losing traction after less than 100 feet.

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Left Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 4.618/318.80 Now # 7, (Best prior run: 4.603/313.15 Was # 7)
Right Lane: Bruce Sarver Runs 4.764/305.70 Now # 8, (Best prior run: 4.634/304.25 Was # 8)

Bernstein has been consistently in the low sixties and that's the kind of stuff that wins races.

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Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.608/300.00 Now # 1, (Best prior run: 4.549/322.23 Was # 1)

Scelzi stages knowing he's secure as the number-one qualifier and nothing to lose by going for the record...as his 0.853 60-foot shows. But the engine starts eating internal parts at half track and he loses "smash" (that's a fighter pilot term for momentum).

That's a wrap on qualifying, the ladder featuring Kenny Bernstein versus Mike Dunn in round one, the number four and five drivers in the points battle.