TOP FUEL

Cory McClenathan defeated Michael Gunderson in the opening stanza of eliminations at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals with a solid 3.886-second pass at 286.01 mph, which ended in a fireball just before the finish line.

With repairs made and having lane choice as an advantage, he then faced Kalitta in the second round. They were tight at the launch, but it was Kalitta's 3.900/305.36 pass that claimed the victory over McClenathan's less-than-perfect 3.956/261.32 when something broke on the car.

"We don't know what that is yet, but we'll find out," he said.

McClenathan holds onto fourth place in the rankings.

For the third time in the last four races, Shawn Langdon reached the semifinal round on an NHRA race with a final-four finish at Bristol's Thunder Valley. Meanwhile, teammate and car owner Morgan Lucas was disqualified in the quarterfinals when he fouled out at the starting line for the first time since the Dallas race in the fall of 2007.

Morgan Lucas  (Ron Lewis photo)

"There's a drag racing saying that if you don't red-light every once in awhile you're not trying hard enough," Lucas said. "I guess I was trying a little too hard today but at least I got that out of my system. It's a little disappointing because I've been really consistent at the tree the last few races. I just pushed it too far this time."

Lucas had run a weekend-best pass of 3.839 at 312.28 mph in a Round 1 defeat of six-time IHRA champion Clay Millican. Against Schumacher, his red-light negated a competitive 3.898 at 300.60 mph. Schumacher posted a 3.876 at 308.43 mph.

"He might have been tough to beat any way," Lucas said. "But you still feel bad as a driver when you give it away at the starting line."