Championship Drag Racing

O`Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals
Topeka, KS
(June 1-3)

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Dave Grubnic Optima Batteries dragster

Topeka, Sunday: At the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kan., native Australian Dave Grubnic used a bit of Aussie luck to garner his third semi-final round showing of the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series in Sunday’s Top Fuel final eliminations at Heartland Park Topeka.

Grubnic, driver of the 8,000-horsepower Zantrex-3 Top Fuel dragster, qualified for eliminations in the No. 9 slot. In his opening round duel with Morgan Lucas, both dragsters struggled to maintain valuable traction under the sunny skies of the Heartland. Grubnic was able to maintain enough grip on the quarter-mile to pick up the round win, 6.028 seconds, 244.25 mph to 10.153 sec., 67.59 mph. Grubnic then faced Cory McClenathan in the quarterfinals. Again, both dragsters had problems with tires spinning and smoking, but again, Grubnic was able to helm his black and blue Zantrex-3 entry to another win light, 5.559 sec., 229.04 mph to 5.961 sec., 247.70 mph.

In the semifinals, Grubnic and his nitro-fueled machine rolled to the starting line to face J.R. Todd. This time out Grubnic once more had to battle with the increasingly slicker racing conditions at HPT, but Todd in the other lane fared better to get the win and end Grubnic’s day of racing, 5.086 sec., 293.09 mph to 4.672 sec., 305.36 mph.

Grubnic moves up one position in POWERade points to 7th place.

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