1 November 2010
Mark Mariani driving for Rapisarda Racing makes it through to Round two in Las Vegas at the NHRA Nationals, see his progress day-by-day below.
Also see 'Aussie Dave' Grubnic performances from this weekend driving for Kalitta Racing, Dave has been driving NHRA Top Fuel in the United States since 1995.
NHRA Top Fuel is run over 1000 foot which differs to ANDRA Top Fuel at 1320 foot (Traditional Quarter Mile).
31 October 2010 (USA)
Top Fuel Final
Sunday 6:14 p.m. – Final results from the 10th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
Weather conditions: air temperature 70 degrees, relative humidity 31 percent, barometer 27.98 inches, adjusted altitude 3,535 feet, track temperature 81 degrees.
(W) Tony Schumacher (U.S. Army Dragster) R/T: 0.063 ET: 3.845 MPH: 316.60
(L) Dom Lagana (Tire Kingdom Dragster) R/T: 0.070 ET: 3.987 MPH: 274.39
Schumacher with the starting line advantage and never trailed and increased his lead at every incremental down the track. This Schumacher’s 67th career win and his sixth win this year. Schumacher with the win moved to within 85 points of Dixon going into Pomona
Semi-Finals
Sunday 4:31 p.m. – Semifinals winners and final-round matchup in Top Fuel:
Top Fuel final four coming up. Schumacher vs. Grubnic. Brown vs. Lagana. Of the four, Schumacher the only one to win a race this year or ever if you’re Lagana.
Weather conditions: air temperature 74 degrees, relative humidity 28 percent, barometer 27.96 inches, adjusted altitude 3,703 feet, track temperature 98 degrees.
(W) Tony Schumacher (U.S. Army Dragster) R/T: 0.060 ET: 3.808 MPH: 323.12
(L) David Grubnic (Technicoat Dragster) R/T: 0.079 ET: 3.993 MPH: 238.64
Dom Lagana (3.892 at 312.06) def. Antron Brown (3.951 at 283.13); Tony Schumacher (3.808 at 323.12) def. David Grubnic (3.993 at 238.64)
That means our other Aussie, Dave Grubnic (American Resident now) is now also out after lossing against Tony Schumacher.
Final: Schumacher vs. Lagana.
Elimination Round 2
Saturday 2:58 p.m. – Second-round winners and semifinals matchups in Top Fuel:
Weather conditions: air temperature 76 degrees, relative humidity 27 percent, barometer 27.97 inches, adjusted altitude 3,795 feet, track temperature 101 degrees.
Brown, looking for his first win of the season defeats Mariani
(W) Antron Brown (Matco Tools Dragster) R/T: 0.066 ET: 3.875 MPH: 318.09
(L) Mark Mariani (Dragster) R/T: 0.084 ET: 4.001 MPH: 302.28
Mark Mariani’s dream weekend came to an end in the second round when Antron Brown outran him, but it was an incredibly respectable effort for the Australian team, while the victory was another check mark in the confidence-builder column for Brown after recent struggles.
Brown with the starting line advantage and never trailed to take the win. Mariani with a great weekend in his NHRA debut.
Unfortunatly thats the end of our Giant Killer from Australia who in effect cancelled Cory Mac out of the Championship hunt.
Grubnic advances with win over Torrence
(W) David Grubnic (Technicoat Dragster) R/T: 0.069 ET: 4.386 MPH: 269.78
(L) Steve Torrence (Capco Racing Dragster) R/T 0.067 ET: 4.713 MPH: 209.69
Torrence is 3 – 0 against Grubnic in prior events. Torrence with a slight starting line and then start to smoke the tires and pedaled it. Grubnic then started to smoke the tires and he pedaled it. Torrence then started to haze the tires on the top end. Grubnic’s engine let go with a big fireball. Grubnic gets the win light.
That win ties Grubby with Steve-o for eighth place
Grubnic will meet the winner of upcoming Schumacher-Langdon match.
Being Schumacher with a run aof 3.82 to beat Langdon’s 3.90. Schumacher run at 325.61 mph, the fastest run in class history at 1000ft. Also a NHRA National record after a 325.14 earlier in the event backs it up.
Dom Lagana def. Larry Dixon; David Grubnic def. Steve Torrence; Antron Brown def. Mark Mariani; Tony Schumacher def. Shawn Langdon
Semifinals: Schumacher vs. Grubnic; Brown vs. Lagana.
Elimination Round 1
Sunday 11:38 a.m. – First-round winners and second-round matchups in Top Fuel:
Weather conditions: air temperature 68 degrees, relative humidity 34 percent, barometer 28.04 inches, adjusted altitude 3,188 feet, track temperature 87 degrees.
Mariani meets championship contender Cory McClenathan
(W) Mark Mariani (Dragster) R/T: 0.100 ET: 3.930 MPH: 307.44
(L) Cory McClenathan (Fram Dragster) R/T: 0.103 ET: 4.312 MPH: 181.52
They leave together and McClenathan has the lead until the car starts mixing up cylinders just past half track and Mariani drives back around him for the win. Mariani will give up lane choice to Brown in the next round.
Maraini pulls off the huge upset over Cory Mac who hazed the tires off the line and dropped a cylinder, then banged the blower before the finish line.
Mariani was on the winning end of one of the biggest upsets in a long while. The native Australian, in his first NHRA start, went straight down the track with his quickest run of the weekend to beat championship hopeful Cory McClenathan who ran into traction troubles and could only watch as his title hopes slipped away. McClenathan’s misfortune was a tremendous welcome to America gift for Mariani.
“Wow, that’s fantastic,” said Mariani from the top end of the track. “But we didn’t come here and sit back, we wanted to take a shot at it, and we’re having a great time. We love it here.”
Grubnic (Aussie Dave) #4 Qualifier wins against Palmer and progresses to round two
(W) David Grubnic (Technicoat Dragster) R/T: 0.121 ET: 3.846 MPH: 317.49
(L) Scott Palmer (Tigerflow Dragster) R/T: 0.078 ET: 4.089 MPH: 243.15
Grubnic is 4 – 1 against Palmer in prior events. Palmer with the starting line advantage, but Grubnic has the difference made up by 150 feet and blast on through for the win light. Grubnic driving the Technicoat colors today is just a few ticks off his qualifying, but will have lane choice over Torrence in the next round. Palmer started mixing up cylinders on the top end.
Shawn Langdon def. Brandon Bernstein; Antron Brown def. T.J. Zizzo; Dom Lagana def. Clay Millican; Steve Torrence def. Chris Karamesines; David Grubnic def. Scott Palmer; Larry Dixon def. Troy Buff; Tony Schumacher def. Bob Vandergriff; Mark Mariani def. Cory McClenathan.
Second round: Schumacher vs. Langdon; Grubnic vs. Torrence; Mariani vs. Brown; Dixon vs. Lagana.
30 October 2010 (USA)
Qualiying Round Four
Saturday 7:50 p.m. – Here are the top 16 qualifiers in Top Fuel for the 10th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals:
1. Tony Schumacher; 2. Cory McClenathan; 3. Larry Dixon; 4. David Grubnic; 5. Steve Torrence; 6. Clay Millican; 7. T.J. Zizzo; 8. Brandon Bernstein; 9. Shawn Langdon; 10. Antron Brown; 11. Dom Lagana; 12. Chris Karamesines; 13. Scott Palmer; 14. Troy Buff; 15. Mark Mariani; 16. Bob Vandergriff.
- 3.98 for Marani, who gets in, and 4.06 for Strasburg, who does not.
- Nice job by the Aussie team.
- Pretty impressive to show up for your first NHRA race with 26 cars on the grounds and make the field.
- Grubnic is Qualified fourth
- Wonder what the odds are on a Grubnic vs. Mariani final?
- Mark will meet Cory McClenatan in Round 1
- Dave will meet Scott Palmer in Round 1
- Brisbane, Australia born Grubnic has been competiting in NHRA Top Fuel in the United States since 1995.
Qualifying Round Three
Saturday 3:05 p.m. – After several lengthy delays for oil-downs and a track cleanup, the third round of Top Fuel qualifying has ended in spectacular fashion. Tony Schumacher backed up his national speed-record run from yesterday (325.14 mph – see pic) with a blistering pass of 3.816 seconds at 324.12 mph – within the 1 percent required to certify Friday’s run as the record. Schumacher remained the top qualifier, Cory McClenathan moved up to No. 2 and Larry Dixon is No. 3.
Mark runs 4.040/297.81 against Ron August’s 29.765/0.00- His quickest pass of the weekend to get in the show for now.
- Incremental times: 60ft-0.902 sec., 330ft-2.276, 660ft-3.231/264.80 mph.
- August went up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle.
- Mark now sits 15th just in front of Doug Kalitta on the Bump with a 4.086
- If this stay’s the same Mark would meet Cory McClenathan in Round 1 – Yikes
- Cory McClenanthan is in a points battle with Larry Dixon for the championship lead
29 October 2010 (USA)
Qualifying Round Two
Friday 6:18 p.m. – Tony Schumacher saved the best for last, turning in a pass of 3.812 seconds at a track-record speed of 325.14 mph and reclaiming the provisional pole in Top Fuel. Larry Dixon, who held the provisional pole briefly after his 3.825-second pass, is No. 2 and Steve Torrence is No. 3 after two rounds of qualifying.
- Mariani was up in smoke right off the starting line
- Faria is off the throttle …early
- Mark: rt 0.120 / ET 8.316 / MPH 78.930
- Steve: rt 0.098 / ET 4.379 / MPH 216.030
- TF Q2 Las Vegas: Mark now sits 19th with 26 cars having run passes to date
- 16 car field so mark needs to better his time
- Two more Qualifying session on Saturday (2moro) for him to make it into the field.
Qualifying Round One
Friday 3:08 p.m. – Tony Schumacher wrapped up the first round of pro qualifying by posting the quickest time in Top Fuel with a pass of 3.871 seconds at 321.73 mph. Cory McClenathan was second at 3.892 (316.01) and Clay Millican was third at 3.932 (301.20). Top Fuel points leader Larry Dixon did not make a full pass and was ninth.
- 20 Top Fuel Dragsters put down qualifying passes in session one
- Tony Schumacher Top Qualified with a 3.871
- Antron Brown (#7 championship) set the Q1 bump with a 5.712 for a 16 car field
- Mark in 8th after with a 4.479 (1,000 ft)
- Mark projected to meet Larry Dixon (Q9) in round one if no change in next qualifying
- Larry Dixon Qualified with a 4.489
Mariani is making his debut on the NHRA tour coming over from Australia. He was on a good pass and then slowed on the top end. Mark Mariani’s incremental times: 60ft-0.930 sec., 330ft-2.326, 660ft-3.340/226.20 mph.
(W) Tony Schumacher (U.S. Army Dragster) 0.063 3.845 316.60
(L) Dom Lagana (Tire Kingdom Dragster) 0.070 3.987 274.39
Weather conditions: air temperature 70 degrees, relative humidity 31 percent, barometer 27.98 inches, adjusted altitude 3,535 feet, track temperature 81 degrees.
Schumacher with the starting line advantage and never trailed and increased his lead at every incremental down the track. This Schumacher’s 67th career win and his sixth win this year. Schumacher with the win moved to within 85 points of Dixon going into Pomona