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Top Fuel Semi Finals
| Before I can lead up to the Semi Finals, you have to watch this video. That is Antron Brown, the driver I mentioned earlier in the story about a crash and how he feels the enclosed cockpit helped him. I was in the media center when that happened and that pow you hear when his engine lets go, we all felt that. The power and violence churning in a Top Fuel and Funny Car engine is scary and amazing at the same time. It's actually a wonder how drivers aren't knocked out every time an engine lets go like that. He walked away from that crash and credits the enclosed cockpit and molded seats as to why he was able to do so. |
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| Now, in many professional series, you can enter a back up car. However, in the NHRA, once you have taken your first round run, you have to use the same car through the finals. If this wasn't the case, Don Shumacher Racing made an executive decision to not put Antron in a back up car if NHRA would allow it anyhow. |
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| Next up where the Al-Anabi Race Teams of Khalid al Balooshi in the Gold Car and Shawn Langdon in the Silver car. Khalid was on a consistent run to the Semi Finals. He was between 320 and 324 MPH and ETs from 3.810 to 3.782. |
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| Shawn Langdon, on the other hand, turned a 294 in first round and sped that up to a 3.738 at 327 against the losing Brandon Bernstein, who had ran 323 in 3.775 seconds. Khalid's consistency hit a snag against Langdon as he shook his tires against Langdon, who turned a 3.749 at 324 MPH. Looks like if you bet on Gold, you don't always win. At least in racing, you don't. |
Top Fuel Finals
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| While Pro Stocks are the champions of close racing, when you get two very fast, very scary cars to run side-by-side and finish with less than .026 second; it can lead to some exciting racing no matter what speed they run. Shawn Langdon was able to defeat Tony Shumacher with a time of 3.721 at 322 MPH and a RT of .011 second. To compare, Tony's time was 3.747 at 322 MPH with a .042 RT. The reaction time was nearly the seperation between the drivers and that is incredible considering the speeds they are running. |
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| Your winner for the 2013 Winternationals in Top Fuel is Shawn Langdon! Langdon's ET would be the quickest of the weekend. To credit Antron Brown after his horrible looking crash, he would take the Top Speed of the event at 328.14 MPH in round 1 eliminations. |
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