Saturday's Charlotte Shots
Saturday, September 17, 2011
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For the second straight day, it is an overcast and chilly start to the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals. Temps as of 10 a.m. were still in the upper 50s, prompting many to pull out the long pants and jackets. Drizzle has also been falling throughout the morning, but it is light and expected to clear later today. For now, the pesky light showers have delayed the start of today’s activities, which were slated to begin with round two of Super Street at 9:30 a.m. The NHRA Full Throttle classes are scheduled to run at 11:15 a.m. and again at 1:45 p.m. |
This weekend, the rear slicks on the Top Fuel and Funny Car entries feature a special Goodyear tire that is honoring and supporting the U.S. armed forces. The tires feature a patriotic design highlighted by “Support Our Troops” at the top of each tire’s sidewall. The tire is part of the launch of Goodyear’s Support Our Troops initiative, an 11-week awareness and fund-raising effort for members of the armed services and their families. |
[10:35 a.m.] The jet dryers have hit the track at zMAX Dragway, and racing is expected to get underway soon. Super Street will be the first class out on the track, running second round. Stock round two and Super Gas round two will also run ahead of the Pros, which are still slated for an 11:15 a.m. start. UPDATE: Super Street began running at 10:40 a.m. |
| [11:30 a.m.] After a forgettable Friday during which he ran a best of 21.63, Indy Pro Stock Motorcycle runner-up Jerry Savoie got his bike sorted out this morning, clocking a 6.932 that moved him up to seventh in the field for now. |
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[11:40 a.m.] Jim Underdahl was one of the few riders who made a big move during the first session, wheeling his Suzuki Extended Protection entry to a 6.909 that moved him up to fourth on the Pro Stock Motorcycle sheets and earned him a qualifying bonus point with the third-quickest run of the session. |
[11:45 a.m.] No. 1 Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifier Eddie Krawiec showed the way in the first session with a 6.880-second run. The pass didn’t better his 6.83 polesetting run from yesterday, it did garner the points leader an additional three points. Karen Stoffer, who was best of yesterday’s second session, was the second quickest with a 6.884. |
| [11:50 a.m.] Greg Anderson is the early pacesetter in Pro Stock after he clocked a 6.513 early in the third session. The run was an improvement on his 6.515 from yesterday, but he remained No. 2 behind his teammate, Jason Line. |
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[12 p.m.] Warren Johnson made a nice 6.554 run to move up in the Pro Stock field, to ninth. With one pair remaining, the run by “the Professor” ranks as the third-best run of the session. |
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[12:10 p.m.] Greg Anderson’s time from early in the session held up as the best Pro Stock run of it, but his teammate, Jason Line, got close, running five-thousandths slower, 6.518. Anderson and Line’s quasi-teammate, Ronnie Humphrey, also made a nice pass, stopping the clocks at 6.543 seconds. His run tied Allen Johnson as the third best of the session, but Humphrey lost the tiebreaker, 211.79 to 211.16 mph, giving A.J. the final qualifying bonus point. |
| [12:35 p.m.] After overpowering the track in last night’s second session when they were going for a national record, Larry Dixon’s Al-Anabi Top Fuel team found the right combo for this morning’s conditions, bettering the run that earned him the No. 1 spot yesterday with a 3.775 that solidified his hold of the top spot. |
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[12:45 p.m.] Spencer Massey became the second Top Fuel driver to dip into the 3.7s, wheeling his FRAM-backed mount to a 3.792. Massey's run remained the second quickest of the session and leaves him No. 2 in the order heading into the final qualifying session. Del Worsham was the third-quickest driver of Q3 with a 3.800. |
[1 p.m.] John Force went from outside the Funny Car field up to ninth after making a solid 4.098 run in his special 9/11 first responders tribute car. Force’s run is the best of the session thus far. |
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[1:40 p.m.] After an incredible 3.99 pass last night, Matt Hagan made another spectacular run in the third Funny Car qualifying session, but this was spectacular for a different reason. After stopping the clocks in 4.038 seconds, just five-thousandths short of the 4.035 he needed to back up his 3.99 for a national record, Hagan’s engine let go, trailing flames through the shutdown area. Hagan was uninjured, but his team will definitely have work to do before the final qualifying session later today. |
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[2:15 p.m.] Justin Finley opened the final qualifying session with a 6.958 that took him from outside the field into it. When Finley moved into the field, it lowered the bump to a 6.986 (later lowered further), making this the quickest Pro Stock Motorcycle field in history. |
| [2:25 p.m.] Reigning world champion and defending event champion LE Tonglet can breathe a little easier after riding his Nitro Fish mount to a 6.974 that gives him a starting spot in tomorrow’s Pro Stock Motorcycle eliminations. Tonglet entered the third session in 16th place and was bumped out of the field before he came up to run, but he made a clutch run to nab the No. 15 spot on the ladder. |
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[2:50 p.m.] Entering the playoffs in the 10th spot, Ron Krisher already faced an uphill battle in the championship hunt, but the task got even harder, and perhaps impossible, when he missed the tough Pro Stock field. Krisher was unable to better his 6.576, leaving him a thousandth behind 16th-place V. Gaines. |
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[3 p.m.] The Summit team continued to have its way with the Pro Stock field. As he did earlier in the day, Greg Anderson was best of the final session. Anderson’s quasi-teammate and brother-in-law, Ronnie Humphrey (pictured), was second-quickest of Q4 with a 6.538, and Jason Line maintained the No. 1 spot, his third straight pole at this track (he was low at this event last year and at the four-wide race earlier this year). |
| [3:15 p.m.] Dave Grubnic had reason to smile after he make a heroic last run of 6.857 that took him from dead last on the Top Fuel sheets — and outside the field — up to ninth and securely in Sunday’s eliminations. |
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[3:35 p.m.] Most of the Top Fuel drivers have been improving during this final session, including Tony Schumacher, who just jumped to the top of the order with a 3.771 at a booming 325.92 mph. His run tied for the third quickest and was the third fastest ever. |
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[3:40 p.m.] Spencer Massey matched his teammate’s 3.771 on his final pass. Tony Schumacher will get the No. 1 Top Fuel starting spot in the speed tiebreaker, 325.92 to 324.98. |
[3:45 p.m.] zMAX Dragway commemorated Matt Hagan’s first three-second Funny Car run with a sign on the inside wall of lane two, the lane in which the DieHard pilot recorded the 3.995. |
[3:55 p.m.] Johnny Gray has joined the ranks of strong contenders in Funny Car today with back-to-back 4.05s. His 4.058 in the earlier session today was the second-best run, and the 4.054 he just posted ranks as the best run of Q4 to this point. |
| [4:30 p.m.] Melanie Troxel’s ProCare Rx team lead the final Funny Car qualifying session with a 4.042. Troxel oiled the track on the run, but she had a credit in the bank, so the time stood, though she did lose five points. |
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