Championship Drag Racing

NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals
Las Vegas, NV
(April 14-17)

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Dave Grubnic Optima Batteries dragster

Las Vegas, Saturday: Zantrex-3 Top Fuel pilot "Aussie Dave" Grubnic, 42, the 2004 Budweiser Shootout special event winner last fall in Las Vegas, struggled in the first three qualifying sessions and was not qualified going into the final session. With a track temperature of around 120 degrees, Grubnic motored his hot rod through the hot and slick quarter-mile with a relieving last gasp pass of 4.707 sec. at 319.75 mph to qualify 14th. He will face No. 3 qualifier Morgan Lucas in the opening round.

"It's a bit unusual for us to struggle like that in qualifying," Grubnic said. "We have a lot of confidence every time we go down the race track, but you never know when an unforeseen mechanical error can pop up. Everything worked like it should in that last run and we got in. Believe you me, that 4.70 felt like a 4.45 as long as we got in."
 
Native Australian Grubnic has made seven final-round appearances in his 11-year career but has not yet won an NHRA national event. He is currently in sixth place in Top Fuel championship points.

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