Sun, Feb 7, 07:06 PM POMONA - Top Fuel Round 3 Eliminations

By Ed Dykes Louie the Lizard Leaves Line & Loses

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 3 eliminations in Top Fuel at the 39th annual NHRA AutoZone Winternationals:

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   6 Larry Dixon         4.593 311.77  Q   7 Kenny Bernstein     4.625 306.81
   (C Kalitta   ) 0.482  4.552 313.07 E1   (D Kalitta   ) 0.454  4.751 316.38
   (B Vandergrif) 0.480  4.578 274.44 E2   (E Hill      ) 0.804  4.608 316.60
 *****WINNER***** 0.485  4.540 318.84 E3                  0.271 11.145  79.00

3:48 PM, the sun has set, and dusk is enveloping Pomona Raceway, the header flames clearly visible now. This is a huge race, and it's over before it began, the Bud King too quick at the start and he lights the big red bulb. So Dixon goes to the final, and has a chance at becoming the first-ever back-to-back winner of this event.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   4 Tony Schumacher     4.584 306.67  Q   1 Mike Dunn           4.503 312.35
   (T Gibson    ) 0.653  4.575 317.79 E1   (B Sarver    ) 0.515  4.513 312.50
   (J Head      ) 0.462  4.553 324.75 E2   (C McClenatha) 0.471  4.561 318.02
                  0.489  4.601 319.07 E3 *****WINNER***** 0.442  4.544 318.92

And the hits just keep on coming... another great drag race, here. Dunn was away first, but Schumacher was right there with him, and they were welded together from that point on. Dunn stretched the lead on the top end and crossed the stripe a tenth of a second ahead of the Exide Batteries machine. So the Mopar crew gives up lane choice to the Miller machine, by a margin of just 0.004 seconds. It's gonna be a GREAT final round...