2:16 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 62 degrees, relative humidity 47 percent, barometer 32.06 inches, track temperature 91 degrees.

Murphy was scheduled to meet Brad Thompson in this round but due to safety concerns with his new car Brad was a no show so Jim got the single.

 

 

 

From the hit Murphy's early numbers were stellar again.

 

 

 

Murphy decided to save some parts and clicked it off early to a 5.960 at 209.64. This may have proven costly as he lost lane choice in the semis against Rick White.

 

 

Round two found Brett Harris paired with Shannon Stewart who had nosed out Adam Sorokin in round one.

 

 

 

 

 

This was over at the hit when Harris flat drilled Stewart on the tree 0.053 to 0.181.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harris clicked Big Red at the 1200' mark and coasted to a 5.735 at 243.30 win.

 

Stewart hung in with a 6.084 at 232.19.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

McLennan was away first and tried to hold off White but about 330ft out McLennan struck the tires and that ended any chance of the upset.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

White moved to the semis with another solid time - 5.819 at 245.03.

 

 

 

 

The final pair had the makings of a dandy drag race. Troy Green vs. Denver Schutz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the hit it was obvious the High Speed car was not its usual self. Although the spare engine was a twin to the one that was hurt, the performance didn't match their earlier numbers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although Schutz was there for the taking running an off pace 6.009 at 251.95, Green's ride was further off with a shut off 6.289 at 187.77.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top Fuel Semi Finals

 

4:50 p.m. It was cooling off and Rick White, who hadn't made a mistake all weekend, was paired with Jim Murphy who was seeking his unprecedented 5th March Meet win. White had lane choice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

White was really late and Murphy had an early lead. If the early times were an indication this could be have been a dandy. But Murphy, with a very aggressive tune-up, drove through the clutch pretty early in the run and that was the weekend for his efforts. He clicked very early and White streaked away for the win.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

White stopped the clocks with a 5.719 at 247.38 which was his quickest time of the weekend thus far. Murphy was left to coast through at 8.022 at 113.36
.

 

 

 

 

 

With half of the final pair decided, the race to decide White's opponent was between Brett Harris and Denver Schutz who needed to find at least a tenth to get the best of Big Red.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harris was away first and never looked back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harris wanted to make a statement and he did. A 5.656 at 257.28 was low ET of the event and good for lane choice in the final against Rick White. Schutz ran a game 5.843 at 258.17 in a losing effort.

 

 

 

Following the TF semis, Brendan Murry and Rick Williamson came out to take test laps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Murry was very soft while Williamson had picked up his bottom end times over his previous runs until....

 

At the 1000' mark the top of Williamson's engine literally came apart in one of the most violent blower explosives ever seen on a NTF car.

 

 

Had it not been for the blower bag this would have been really ugly as it was parts were flying everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back in the pits the team started an autopsy.

 

 

.

 

Before the final the Neal & White pit was business as usual. What has everybody talking about these guys is not the fact they are as consistent as a bracket car but the fact they hurt less parts than anyone else in the class.

 

 

 

Chuck Neal oversees the engine and he's obviously doing a lot of things right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOP FUEL FINAL

 

6:30 p.m. The entire weekend had been leading up to this pair in the final of Top Fuel. Brett Harris and Rick White were the class of the field and deserved to be sitting in the staging lanes waiting for a shot at history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harris caught a slightly better light (0.057 to 0.090) and from that point on it was one hell of a drag race....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was the scene for the entire quarter mile. Both cars welded together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harris held on to win the quickest side by side match-up for front engined fuelers in history. White was quickest at every split except for the one that mattered. Harris' 5.674 at 263.77 (top speed of the event) nipped White's 5.684 at 259.36 (career best ET and speed).

Brett Harris' incremental times: 60ft-1.025 sec., 330ft-2.609, 660ft-3.814/207.85mph, 1,000ft-4.823

Rick White's incremental times: 60ft-1.016 sec., 330ft-2.599, 60ft-3.805/207.37mph, 1,000ft-4.820.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The thrill of victory!

 

 

 

Cami Beck (granddaughter of champion Top Fuel driver Gary Beck) has been a regular in the Harris camp for the last couple of years and and according to Jack the team has never lost when she has been their "mascot". Or as they now call her - their "good luck charm".

 

 

Cami Beck flanked by the other two "mascots" (Kaden Harris and Josh Jennings) got to drive Big Red into the Winners Circle.

 

 

 

 

Page 1 - Session One of Qualifying

Page 2 - Sessions 3 & 4 Qualifying

Page 3 - Round One of Top Fuel

Page 5 - Funny Car Fever

Page 6 - Other Winners - Misc. Photos