Sun, 14 Nov 1999, 04:24 PM POMONA - Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan Ugly First Round

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the 35th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   9 Scott Kalitta       4.632 307.93  Q    8 Don Lampus          4.632 312.06
                  0.503 10.020  79.54  E1 *****WINNER***** 0.485  4.756 292.46

11:07 AM The start of the race was delayed a few minutes while paramedics tended to one of the pre-race ceremony skydivers, who slammed into the right-side wall while trying to land on the track. We'll post a separate report with the skydiver's name and condition as soon as the information is available.

Kalitta launched, shook, and lost traction violently. As well as we could tell through the smoke, Lampus made a clean run down the right lane, hazing the tires on the top end of the run.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
  10 Bob Vandergriff     4.675 295.79  Q    7 Kenny Bernstein     4.610 320.05
                  0.476  4.700 287.35  E1 *****WINNER***** 0.451  4.640 318.47

Vandergriff was well ahead at half track, even after a very snaking run to that point, but then the rear tires started to spin and Bernstein thundered by to win by a margin of victory = 0.085 seconds (approximately 36 feet) with a very strong run on the top end of the course.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
  11 Jim Head            4.693 305.63  Q    6 Cory McClenathan    4.597 317.34
 *****WINNER***** 0.485  4.691 303.98  E1                  0.505 10.887  67.12

This is Head's last race with Checker-Schucks-Kragen and he'd like to win the event to help in his search for a new sponsor. He took the first step here when Cory Mac lost traction before going 100 feet. Head drove a very crooked path to the finish line, the rear tires trailing smoke from half track onward. Then the Safety Safari went to work, Head's top-end tire spin apparently a little more than the engine could handle.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   5 Joe Amato           4.587 322.58  Q   12 Tim Gibson          4.693 304.39
 *****WINNER***** 0.516  5.549 241.41  E1                  0.474  9.598  80.32

A pedaling contest developed here, but Gibson lost traction after 100 feet and then pedaled several times while Amato got almost to half track, then started spinning the tires and pedaling trying to regain traction. Then the Safety Safari went to work again, in both lanes, the on-and-off pedaling overstressing both engines.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   1 Gary Scelzi         4.570 322.11  Q   16 Randy Parks         4.735 303.91
 *****WINNER***** 0.477  4.624 313.51  E1                  0.498  5.121 201.19

The cleanup was extensive, a cloud of rice hull ash hanging over the track like a low haze and the tractor pushing a bow wave of the absorbent material ahead of it as it worked it into the "wall-to-wall" oilspill.

The cleanup lived up to the Safety Safari reputation, the track as good or better than before the incident. Scelzi's run was almost flawless, a little softer than his fifties yesterday. Parks gave it his best, but started spinning the tires around half track and shut it off before the 1,000-foot mark. Scelzi will have lane choice against Lampus in round two.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   2 Tony Schumacher     4.574 327.03  Q   15 Andrew Cowin        4.722 303.78
 *****WINNER***** 0.518  4.707 304.53  E1                  0.448  4.920 272.12

Cowin gave Schumacher all he could, deep-staging and taking the early lead, but the 1999 Winston champion pulled even at half track. Then Cowin began spinning the rear tires and lost momentum while Schumacher made it through the top end with just a little tire spin. However, he lost lane choice to Bernstein in round two.

There was a brief delay getting Cowin's car off the track, the clutch coming apart as he came to a stop in the shutdown area.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   3 Mike Dunn           4.580 311.70  Q   14 Larry Dixon         4.718 297.48
 *****WINNER***** 0.476  4.651 299.53  E1                  0.488  4.839 275.79

Two clean runs here, no tire smoke, no oil, both cars with conservative tuneups after watching the problems those with aggressive tuneups were having today. Dunn advances with lane choice over Head in round two.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   4 Doug Kalitta        4.586 307.16  Q   13 Terry Mullins       4.694 309.56
 *****WINNER***** 0.517  4.574 308.00  E1                  0.501  4.800 296.96

Final pair. Two more clean runs, Mullins with a little tire smoke on the top end and Kalitta with an aggressive tuneup and making it stick. He will have lane choice over Amato in round two, by almost one second!