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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 17, 2007) – Rod Fuller raced his red, white and blue Valvoline dragster to the No. 2 qualifying position Saturday at Gainesville Raceway with a qualifying-best 4.535-second effort. It is the third consecutive event that the Las Vegas racer has finished second in the Top Fuel order.
Battling a tricky Gainesville Raceway quarter mile, Fuller and the Valvoline team – as did many NHRA competitors – struggled to master the historic Florida drag strip. The four-time NHRA Top Fuel winner carded his best run of the weekend on Friday, using a tune-up from crew chief Rob Flynn to power to a run of 4.535 seconds at 323.66 mph. The run paced the 16-car field on the opening day of qualifying.
“The conditions were so good on Saturday, it was just tricky to get down the track,” Flynn said. “We're still learning how to race this car in different conditions. We learned a lot even though we struggled. On the last run, we now know we have to tame it down a bit. We’ll do that on Sunday morning and go from there.”
“We’re happy that Valvoline is back for this race,” team owner David Powers added. “It’s important that we do well from them and that these engines continue to be lubricated by Valvoline.”
Fuller, who leads the NHRA Top Fuel standings, will battle No. 15 qualifier J.R. Todd in the first round of Top Fuel eliminations at 11 a.m. (ET) on Sunday at Gainesville . Fuller has a career-mark of 1-1 versus the 2006 NHRA Rookie of the Year. ESPN2 will air two hours of final eliminations coverage at 5 p.m. (ET).
Q1 9.946 ET, 80.63 MPH No. 14
Q2 4.535 ET, 323.66 MPH No. 1
Q3 8.506 ET, 90.00 MPH No. 1
Q4 12.571 ET, 77.72 MPH No. 2
FULLER QUALIFIES SECOND FOR THIRD STRAIGHT RACE
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 17, 2007) – Rod Fuller raced his red, white and blue Valvoline dragster to the No. 2 qualifying position Saturday at Gainesville Raceway with a qualifying-best 4.535-second effort. It is the third consecutive event that the Las Vegas racer has finished second in the Top Fuel order.
Battling a tricky Gainesville Raceway quarter mile, Fuller and the Valvoline team – as did many NHRA competitors – struggled to master the historic Florida drag strip. The four-time NHRA Top Fuel winner carded his best run of the weekend on Friday, using a tune-up from crew chief Rob Flynn to power to a run of 4.535 seconds at 323.66 mph. The run paced the 16-car field on the opening day of qualifying.
“The conditions were so good on Saturday, it was just tricky to get down the track,” Flynn said. “We're still learning how to race this car in different conditions. We learned a lot even though we struggled. On the last run, we now know we have to tame it down a bit. We’ll do that on Sunday morning and go from there.”
“We’re happy that Valvoline is back for this race,” team owner David Powers added. “It’s important that we do well from them and that these engines continue to be lubricated by Valvoline.”
Fuller, who leads the NHRA Top Fuel standings, will battle No. 15 qualifier J.R. Todd in the first round of Top Fuel eliminations at 11 a.m. (ET) on Sunday at Gainesville . Fuller has a career-mark of 1-1 versus the 2006 NHRA Rookie of the Year. ESPN2 will air two hours of final eliminations coverage at 5 p.m. (ET).
Q1 9.946 ET, 80.63 MPH No. 14
Q2 4.535 ET, 323.66 MPH No. 1
Q3 8.506 ET, 90.00 MPH No. 1
Q4 12.571 ET, 77.72 MPH No. 2
