Native Australian Dave Grubnic, driver of the bright yellow, 8,000-horsepower DHL Top Fuel dragster, qualified in the top-half of the field for Sunday’s final eliminations of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series national event at Brainerd Int’l Raceway in Brainerd, Minn., but unfortunately made an early exit in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Grubnic, the No. 6 qualifier (3.910 seconds, 306.19 mph) for Sunday’s 16-car eliminations field, rolled to the starting line to face his opponent and No. 11 qualifier Bob Vandergriff, Jr. (3.988 sec., 290.88 mph) in the opening round. Grubnic was out of the gate first (.082 seconds to .113 seconds) and looked on his way to winning the 150th round win of his career, but the DHL charge began to ever so slightly lose traction near the finish line and that allowed his opponent to go around him for the win, 3.989 sec., 276.86 mph to 3.910 sec., 310.70 mph.
Grubnic is now in 10th place in POWERade championship points. Only the top ten pro drivers in points in their respective classes will be eligible for the 2008 Countdown to the Championship – Countdown to 1 that begins at the 19th event in Concord, N.C. Grubnic is just 13 points ahead of the driver in 11th position.
Grubnic, unofficially, recorded the quickest 1,000-ft. elapsed time of the 2008 season, 3.783 sec., in Madison, Ill., in early May.
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