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READING, Pa. (Aug. 22, 2007) – After waiting for nearly two full days, NHRA Top Fuel point leader Rod Fuller posted a runner-up finish Wednesday morning at Maple Grove Raceway in his Ransome CAT dragster. He finished the NHRA regular season with a 184-point lead.
After sitting on pole for the fourth time this season with a 4.521-second pass on Friday evening, Fuller edged teammate Whit Bazemore on Sunday morning before the first wave of rain showers came through the area. On Monday, the 13-time NHRA sportsmen winner knocked off 2006 NHRA Rookie of the Year J.R. Todd and Morgan Lucas to advance to his 13th career Top Fuel final before rain again halted the racing action until Wednesday morning.
The Las Vegas racer was matched against his teammate for the fourth time this season on Sunday. Last month, Fuller knocked off Bazemore in the final round at Denver in the first 1-2 finish for David Powers Motorsports. Bazemore used a slight starting line advantage, but Fuller used Rob Flynn horsepower to clock low elapsed time of the round, 4.526 seconds at 324.20 mph, to advance to round two. Bazemore drove the Matco Tools rail to a lap of 4.556 at 328.78. Fuller is now 4-0 against Bazemore. It was Fuller’s 30th round win of the season.
After Sunday’s racing action was halted due to rain showers following the first round of Top Fuel eliminations, Fuller and his Ransome CAT team enjoyed a festive team dinner at Buca di Beppo in Wyomissing , Pa. On Monday morning under overcast skies, Fuller raced to the semifinals for the 12th time in 17 races this season by knocking off Todd. Fuller’s Ransome CAT dragster shook the tires, but Fuller pedaled the throttle and got his rail to recover and sped to a run of 4.703 at 322.43. Todd’s dragster dropped cylinders and slowed to a run of 4.804 seconds.
Facing off against Lucas for the second time this season, two of the quicker leavers in the class used nearly identical reaction times, but it was Flynn’s “Canadian Horsepower” that made the difference. Fuller powered his yellow-and-black dragster to the win with a pass of 4.550 at 324.05 to barely edge Lucas’ 4.567-second effort to move to the final round for the fifth time this year. Fuller’s elapsed time was the quickest of the semifinals. He is now 3-2 in his career against Lucas.
The racing action finally resumed Wednesday morning at Maple Grove Raceway. Following the semifinals in the other professional categories, the Top Fuel final round roared to life at last. The drivers used excellent reaction times, but Fuller’s Ransome CAT rail shook the tires early, forcing him to pedal and slow to a pass of 4.709 at 324.98. Herbert blasted his red dragster to a run of 4.526 at 323.43 to capture the win. The time equaled low elapsed time of eliminations. Fuller now is 5-8 in his 13 career Top Fuel finals.
“It’s no fun to sit and wait for two days and have it end that way,” Fuller said. “It just wasn’t meant to be. The track was better than we thought and for him to run a 4.52 was awesome. They deserve to win and deserved to be in the Countdown. They earned it; hats off to Doug Herbert and his team.”
The next NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event is the 53rd annual U.S. Nationals, Aug. 29-Sept. 3, at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis . It is the 18th of 23 races on the 2007 NHRA schedule and the first event in the Countdown to Four in NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship playoff format.
R1 FULLER (.063) 4.526 ET, 324.20 MPH def. Bazemore (.050) 4.556 ET, 328.78 MPH
R2 FULLER (.068) 4.703 ET, 322.43 MPH def. Todd (.084) 4.804 ET, 286.32 MPH
R3 FULLER (.063) 4.550 ET, 324.05 MPH def. Lucas (.058) 4.567 ET, 323.43 MPH
R4 Herbert (.039) 4.526 ET, 323.43 MPH def. FULLER (.048) 4.709 ET, 324.98
FULLER SCORES RUNNER-UP FINISH AT READING, FINALLY
READING, Pa. (Aug. 22, 2007) – After waiting for nearly two full days, NHRA Top Fuel point leader Rod Fuller posted a runner-up finish Wednesday morning at Maple Grove Raceway in his Ransome CAT dragster. He finished the NHRA regular season with a 184-point lead.
After sitting on pole for the fourth time this season with a 4.521-second pass on Friday evening, Fuller edged teammate Whit Bazemore on Sunday morning before the first wave of rain showers came through the area. On Monday, the 13-time NHRA sportsmen winner knocked off 2006 NHRA Rookie of the Year J.R. Todd and Morgan Lucas to advance to his 13th career Top Fuel final before rain again halted the racing action until Wednesday morning.
The Las Vegas racer was matched against his teammate for the fourth time this season on Sunday. Last month, Fuller knocked off Bazemore in the final round at Denver in the first 1-2 finish for David Powers Motorsports. Bazemore used a slight starting line advantage, but Fuller used Rob Flynn horsepower to clock low elapsed time of the round, 4.526 seconds at 324.20 mph, to advance to round two. Bazemore drove the Matco Tools rail to a lap of 4.556 at 328.78. Fuller is now 4-0 against Bazemore. It was Fuller’s 30th round win of the season.
After Sunday’s racing action was halted due to rain showers following the first round of Top Fuel eliminations, Fuller and his Ransome CAT team enjoyed a festive team dinner at Buca di Beppo in Wyomissing , Pa. On Monday morning under overcast skies, Fuller raced to the semifinals for the 12th time in 17 races this season by knocking off Todd. Fuller’s Ransome CAT dragster shook the tires, but Fuller pedaled the throttle and got his rail to recover and sped to a run of 4.703 at 322.43. Todd’s dragster dropped cylinders and slowed to a run of 4.804 seconds.
Facing off against Lucas for the second time this season, two of the quicker leavers in the class used nearly identical reaction times, but it was Flynn’s “Canadian Horsepower” that made the difference. Fuller powered his yellow-and-black dragster to the win with a pass of 4.550 at 324.05 to barely edge Lucas’ 4.567-second effort to move to the final round for the fifth time this year. Fuller’s elapsed time was the quickest of the semifinals. He is now 3-2 in his career against Lucas.
The racing action finally resumed Wednesday morning at Maple Grove Raceway. Following the semifinals in the other professional categories, the Top Fuel final round roared to life at last. The drivers used excellent reaction times, but Fuller’s Ransome CAT rail shook the tires early, forcing him to pedal and slow to a pass of 4.709 at 324.98. Herbert blasted his red dragster to a run of 4.526 at 323.43 to capture the win. The time equaled low elapsed time of eliminations. Fuller now is 5-8 in his 13 career Top Fuel finals.
“It’s no fun to sit and wait for two days and have it end that way,” Fuller said. “It just wasn’t meant to be. The track was better than we thought and for him to run a 4.52 was awesome. They deserve to win and deserved to be in the Countdown. They earned it; hats off to Doug Herbert and his team.”
The next NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event is the 53rd annual U.S. Nationals, Aug. 29-Sept. 3, at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis . It is the 18th of 23 races on the 2007 NHRA schedule and the first event in the Countdown to Four in NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship playoff format.
R1 FULLER (.063) 4.526 ET, 324.20 MPH def. Bazemore (.050) 4.556 ET, 328.78 MPH
R2 FULLER (.068) 4.703 ET, 322.43 MPH def. Todd (.084) 4.804 ET, 286.32 MPH
R3 FULLER (.063) 4.550 ET, 324.05 MPH def. Lucas (.058) 4.567 ET, 323.43 MPH
R4 Herbert (.039) 4.526 ET, 323.43 MPH def. FULLER (.048) 4.709 ET, 324.98
