Sun, 13 Oct 2002, 12:59 PM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 17th annual O'Reilly Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec:

Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   8 Doug Kalitta        4.625 323.74  Q    9 Clay Millican       4.632 313.04
 *****WINNER***** 0.410  4.587 320.39  E1                  0.496  4.688 309.27

11:20 AM It's 59 degrees, 60 percent relative humidity, the barometer 30.39 and steady, the track temperature 74 degrees, under a light overcast. The density altitude is just a couple hundred feet above sea level, almost 3,000 feet better than yesterday.

This is the first time Kalitta and Millican have raced each other this year. Kalitta buried Millican, cutting a psychic light and dipping into the fifties for the first time this weekend. Both cars made clean, full passes, but Kalitta was in a different league on this one.

Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   7 Tony Schumacher     4.621 326.67  Q   10 Cory McClenathan    4.651 314.46
                  0.487  4.607 322.00  E1 *****WINNER***** 0.485  4.588 322.00

Schumacher was 2-1 against Cory Mac this year, and Cory evened up the tally in a great drag race. They left right together, but McClenathan led all the way, Schumacher closing in a bit on the top end, but unable to catch the Berryman dragster today. Cory Mac's incremental margins: 60ft(0.015), 330ft(0.042), 660ft(0.033), 1,000ft(0.025). MOV: 0.0217 seconds (approximately 10 feet).

Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   6 Darrell Russell     4.615 320.97  Q   11 David Grubnic       4.662 316.45
 *****WINNER***** 0.486  4.664 302.62  E1                  0.509  4.724 307.48

Russell defeated Grubnic in their only prior meeting this year. Today is crew chief Wayne Dupuy's 39th birthday, by the way. Happy Birthday, Wayne. Russell was away first and both cars were eating engine parts on the top half of the track, but both drivers stayed in the throttle to the line. Russell got there first by about a car length. There's oil in Grubnic's lane, so we'll be down for a minute.

Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   5 Kenny Bernstein     4.612 322.69  Q   12 John Smith          4.720 314.79
 *****WINNER***** 0.469  4.620 320.97  E1                  0.468  4.702 311.85

Bernstein was 7-0 against John Smith this year. It's been 22 years since Bernstein lost to a driver named Smith, by the way. The string is intact and Bernstein is 8-0, but Smith gave him a drag race and if "Big Red" had faltered, Smith was right there. By a car length, Bernstein moves to a possible second-round match with Larry Dixon.

Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   4 Larry Dixon         4.611 324.20  Q   13 Jim Cavalieri       4.721 306.64
 *****WINNER***** 0.495  4.614 320.05  E1                  0.539  4.706 299.00

Cavalieri has pulled off some big upsets in the past, but this was probably his toughest challenge. Dixon's team did not take him lightly and Dixon was first away from the line. It was almost a carbon copy of the Bernstein-Smith race, except Cavalieri had a big flash of flame from the left side of the engine at about 1,000 feet. Dixon will face Bernstein with lane choice and a chance to virtually lock up the title. On the other hand, if Bernstein can put Dixon away and go on to win the race, he could cut the margin down to about tree rounds.

Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   2 Doug Herbert        4.595 308.32  Q   15 Mike Smith          4.793 311.20
 *****WINNER***** 0.516  4.559 316.78  E1                  0.542  6.202 142.42

This is the first time Herbert has faced Mike Smith this year. Herbert left first and ran away, the car on rails. Smith started to smoke the tires, pedaled, then saw Herbert disappear and lifted. Here are Herbert's incremental times on that great run: 60ft-0.853 sec., 330ft-2.147, 660ft-3.071/272.06mph, 1,000ft-3.862. That's a huge half-track speed! Herbert faces Cory Mac next round and will have lane choice.

Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   3 Rhonda Hartman-Smi  4.608 318.24  Q   14 Jim Head            4.750 295.17
 *****WINNER***** 0.520  4.647 313.91  E1                  0.488  5.330 175.84

This is the first time Head and Hartman-Smith have faced each other this season. There was a brief scare when Hartman-Smith fired her engine, her father's jacket getting tangled in the throttle linkage as she started to pull away. Fortunately there were no injuries and no damage to the car. Head left first and led to half track, his car back hard on the wheelie bar on the launch, but he appeared to lose the blower belt at half track and she went by for an easy win. Hartman-Smith races Russell next round and will have lane choice.

Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   1 Andrew Cowin        4.550 321.19  Q   16 Scott Weis          4.798 269.05
 *****WINNER***** 0.517  4.579 325.73  E1                  0.526  5.655 160.65

Cowin was 1-0 against Weis coming into this one and he streaked away for an easy win, Weis grenading the engine at about 1,000 feet. The track is dry, so the engine blankets and other oil containment devices did their job. Cowin races Kalitta next round and will have lane choice. Kalitta ran the second-quickest elapsed time of the round and still lost lane choice by 0.008 seconds!