NHRA: Opening squirts please Russell and Co.

PHOENIX (Jan. 18) – Reigning Rookie of the Year driver Darrell Russell
took his first steps as a sophomore Top Fuel professional today during
the National Time Trails testing session at Firebird International
Raceway. Under partial cloudy skies and cool temperatures, Russell
guided his new Bilstein Engine Flush dragster through two partial
passes, successfully producing the best incremental numbers of the
numerous drivers in attendance at the annual preseason gathering.

After a 10-week winter break, Russell began his 2002 campaign as though
he’d never left the cockpit, clicking off a respectable reaction time of
.484 seconds during a planned early-shutoff pass. His 60-foot time
during his first run showed .849 seconds, while his 330-foot numbers
registered a 2.412-second mark.

The real fireworks came later in the day when Russell streaked out to a
stunning .817-second 60-foot time, one of the best ever recorded, after
another solid .489-second launch. Whether the quick start would have
translated to a monster top-half number will never be known, however, as
Russell once again followed the instructions of crew chief Jimmy Walsh
and clicked his 6,000-horsepower machine off just past the 330-foot
timers, which he reached in 2.161 seconds.

“I’ll have to check our books but I think that’s the quickest 60-foot
elapsed time I’ve ever had,” an excited Russell said. “Wow, what a great
start. That really got the guys fired up. Everyone’s pretty happy with
what we accomplished today.

“We did exactly what we wanted to do. We planned both passes to be under
an eighth of a mile. Jimmy changed some things in the fuel management
system and we were trying new clutch settings so we had a lot of things
to take into consideration. We’ll take it further tomorrow and try to
get to a 1,000 feet and maybe even all the way out the back end if the
cars reacting correctly. We’re here for a week so there’s no rush.”

As for his driving skills, the former four-time Top Alcohol Dragster
champion reported feeling in good form from the onset.

“This was my first off-season as a pro and I wasn’t sure how fast it
would all feel when I got back in the car,” Russell said. “The first hit
of the throttle today sure got my attention but then it was back to
business as usual. I fell right back into a groove. It certainly wasn’t
like it felt last year when it was my first time ever in a Top Fuel car.
I’m pleased with everything that happened today.”

Testing resumes in the morning. The POWERade Drag Racing Series begins
in earnest Feb. 7-10 in Pomona, Calif., with the 42nd annual K&N Filters
Winternationals.