Mon, Feb 8, 03:38 PM POMONA - Top Fuel Final, Round 4 Eliminations

By Ed Dykes Dunn is Hot, Hot, Hot!

POMONA, Calif. - Results of final, round 4 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
   1 Mike Dunn           4.503 312.35  Q   6 Larry Dixon         4.593 311.77
   (B Sarver    ) 0.515  4.513 312.50 E1   (C Kalitta   ) 0.482  4.552 313.07
   (C McClenatha) 0.471  4.561 318.02 E2   (B Vandergrif) 0.480  4.578 274.44
   (T Schumacher) 0.442  4.544 318.92 E3   (K Bernstein ) 0.485  4.540 318.84
 *****WINNER***** 0.459  4.522 313.88 E4                  0.487 13.595  60.85

12:21 PM Mike Dunn's string of final-round woes finally comes to an end here, Dixon up in smoke early in the run and Dunn with another low-50s ET, right down the groove. This one came at a cost, the engine exploding in a ball of fire at the finish line, but as Dunn said after his national record run Saturday, "We'll gladly sacrifice an engine every round if that's what it takes to run these numbers. His worst run all weekend was a 4.63, and he ran 4.513, 4.561, 4.544 in the first three rounds of eliminations. The 4.522 is the third-quickest elapsed time in history, Dunn now owning the top three ETs ever. That makes him the "King of Quick."