Doug Kalitta on a hole-shot in Bristol

Special to Motorsport.com by Bill King

After two days of goofy weather, the fronts cleared Bristol Dragway early Saturday morning. But "goofy" stuck around on a crisp and sunny Appalachian Sunday, shaking the Top Fuel ladder in the early rounds of the O'Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals.

Off tumbled two-time and defending Top Fuel champ Tony Schumacher (the then point's leader) in the opening round, plus two-time POWERade champ Scott Kalitta, four-time runner-up Cory McClenathan and young number-two qualifier Morgan Lucas. The quarter-finals bit top-qualifier Brandon Bernstein and two-time Top Fuel Champion Larry Dixon.

Then Scott Weis' red light put Rod Fuller into a final round match-up with Doug Kalitta, who pasted Scott Palmer in the Semis, after skating through the first two rounds when his opponents - Bruce Litton and David Grubnic - both jumped the tree.

Ironically, it took a 0.010sec hole-shot advantage by Kalitta to knock off ex-sportsman ace Fuller in an exciting side-by-side drag race, punctuated with Fuller motored into the sand-trap at top end when the chutes failed to open. It was a good day's work for the Mac Tools shoe, as Kalitta scored his second straight victory and moved past Schumacher into the Top Fuel points' lead.

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Top Fuel Results:

First Round:

. Brandon Bernstein, McKinney/TFX (Q1) 4.512sec/331.04mph (RT/.120sec) def. David Baca, McKinney/BAE (Q16) 11.794/81.19 (.101)

. Scott Weis, Attac/TFX (Q8) 5.239/195.08 (.091) def. Cory McClenathan, Hadman/BAE (Q9) 9.014/98.98 (.097)

. John Smith, McKinney/BAE (Q13) 4.583/319.67 (.086) def. Scott Kalitta, Attac/TFX (Q4) 4.627/321.42 (.089)

. Rod Fuller, Hadman/TFX (Q5) 4.548/323.97 (.107) def. Mitch King, Hadman/BAE (Q12) 4.801/301.87 (.133)

. Scott Palmer, McKinney/BAE (Q15) 4.679/325.69 (.061) def. Morgan Lucas, Hadman/TFX (Q2) 13.416/67.29 (.098)

. Larry Dixon, McKinney/TFX (Q7) 4.557/327.43 (.067) def. Doug Herbert, McKinney/BAE (Q10) 4.604/321.42 (.070)

. David Grubnic, McKinney/TFX (Q3) 5.248/260.26 (.055) def. Tony Schumacher, Hadman/TFX (Q14) 6.488/179.18 (.060)

. Doug Kalitta, Attac/TFX (Q6) 6.873/148.05 (.088) def. Bruce Litton, Hadman/TFX (Q11) 7.845/95.24 (-.052)

Quarter-Finals:

. Weis, 4.668/302.28 (.108) def. Bernstein, 4.993/274.05 (.089)

. Fuller, 4.687/310.04 (.099) def. Smith, No-Time/Speed (.056)

. Palmer, 4.661/317.42 (.059) def. Dixon, 4.678/304.39 (.090)

. Kalitta, 4.678/302.14 (.055) def. Grubnic, 5.258/299.70 (-.162)

Semi-Finals:

. Fuller, 4.607/324.75 (.097) def. Weis, 5.874/156.17 (-.089)

. Kalitta, 4.567/322.88 (.079) def. Palmer, 7.194/122.97 (.071)

Final:

. Kalitta, 4.593/322.50 (.072) def. Fuller, 4.588/327.35 (.082)

Updated Points: D. Kalitta 474; Schumacher 451; Dixon 405; Lucas 370; Grubnic 366; McClanathan 343; S. Kalitta 323; Herbert 321; Bernstein 304; Fuller 244.