1998 NHRA Pioneer Keystone Nationals
Round-by-round Results
Top Fuel Dragster
Sunday
Elimination Round #1 Driver Car ET MPH R/T
(-) Doug Kalitta '98 McKinney 4.630 313.04 .479 (W) Kenny Berstein '98 McKinney 4.644 303.74 .457 The margin of victory here was .008 seconds. Bernstein had a cylinder flicker, but held on for an extremely fast side by side win.
(-) Bruce Sarver '97 McKinney 9.151 82.06 .476 (W) Cory McClenathan '98 McKinney 4.692 303.23 .466 Sarver got shook off Cory's light to beat him to the 60', but blew the tires off at 200', left to watch the McDonald's car blaze through to a solid run.
(-) Connie Kalitta '97 McKinney 6.006 150.17 .501 (W) Eddie Hill '98 McKinney 4.713 301.30 .513 The two were nearly glued together to the eighth mile, but the engine let go in Kalitta's car spewed smoke directly after that point. Hill's pass was the slowest of the weekend for him.
(W) Jim Head '98 Davis 4.701 304.77 .482 (-) Doug Herbert '98 McKinney 4.678 306.01 .519 Head carried the front wheels in the air on this holeshot victory, good enough to take down Herbert's best pass of the weekend by .014 seconds.
(-) Bob Vandergriff '99 McKinney 4.690 306.64 .478 (W) Gary Scelzi '98 Hadman 4.658 303.23 .488 The #1 and #16 qualifiers face off here. Most everyone seems to be keeping ahold of the track here under hazy conditions, the track staying cool. Vandergriff gets a slight holeshot, but Scelzi powers by on top end by .022 seconds, another very close, side-by-side drag race.
(-) Bill Walsh '97 McKinney 6.338 206.18 .456 (W) Cristen Powell '98 Hadman 5.983 233.46 .523 This was a tire-smoking battle from a couple hundred feet out, both drivers trying deperately to regain the hold on the track. Both cars finished under power, right in the traps, with Powell taking the win light.
(-) Pat Dakin '98 McKinney 4.781 301.70 .417 (W) Mike Dunn '98 McKinney 4.653 308.32 .490 Dunn ran straight under power while Dakin tries to convert his telepathic reaction time into a win. Dakin gets out of the groove and does not show visible smoke from the tires, but scrubbed off enough speed to allow Dunn to drive by.
(-) Larry Dixon '98 McKinney 5.594 164.68 .562 (W) Joe Amato '98 McKinney 4.873 304.87 .468 Amato gets a big break here as something lets go on Dixon's car that led him by almost two tenths by the eighth mile. Amato had peddled it early on, hooked it up and left Dixon sitting. Word has it the rear broke in Dixon's car.
11:26 a.m. and we move into round #1 of Nitro Funny Car, after some cleanup in Dixon's lane.
Elimination Round #2
(-) Eddie Hill '98 McKinney 12.258 83.92 .509 (W) Jim Head '98 Davis 4.752 298.21 .497 Hill strikes the tires instantly, Head drives straight through with the chassis arching high in the middle the whole way.
(W) Gary Scelzi '98 Hadman 4.622 307.58 .479 (-) Kenny Berstein '98 McKinney 13.443 71.32 .452 Berstein now, in the opposite lane of Hill, does much the same thing, smoking the tires right off the line. Scelzi goes to the semi's with Low ET of eliminations.
(-) Joe Amato '98 McKinney 10.873 83.24 .471 (W) Mike Dunn '98 McKinney 4.655 306.85 .482 The tire smoke switches lanes again, back to the left, where Amato boils the hides. Dunn's run looked smooth the whole way.
(-) Cristen Powell '98 Hadman 4.666 298.30 .480 (W) Cory McClenathan '98 McKinney 4.618 307.16 .483 Cory Mac resets Low ET of eliminations in this quick side-by-side pass with Cristen. She got a little bit loose near the finish, costing her some ET.
Elimination Round #3 - Semifinals
(W) Gary Scelzi '98 Hadman 4.628 301.10 .511 (-) Jim Head '98 Davis 4.739 299.10 .473
(W) Mike Dunn '98 McKinney 4.640 304.77 .488 (-) Cory McClenathan '98 McKinney 4.719 300.70 .486 Scelzi takes the points lead by 5 points here as Dunn powers by Cory Mac. Both car pulled the front tires slightly off the starting line and stayed glued the track.
Elimination Round #4 - Finals
(W) Gary Scelzi '98 Hadman 4.637 305.39 .492 (-) Mike Dunn '98 McKinney 6.534 117.70 .473 Scelzi powers all the way through, while Dunn drops cylinders around half track and lifts. Congratulations to Team Winston on a double victory, along with PS/Bike Angelle Seeling's win.