Wheel Stand In Semi-Finals Causes Damage to Chassis – Will Skip US Nationals To Repair
Dean Dubbin and the Dubbin Racing Team rolled into Brainerd with the momentum from their win in Norwalk. The time off between races did not appear to impede the performance of the car or team.
As It Happened:
The DMP Awnings | Kentex backed car was flawless in Q1, securing the number 3 position after a clean and fast run to open up the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd Minnesota.
After pulling the tire loose down track in Q2, and another good pass in Q3, the team found themselves in a solid number 8 spot on the ladder. This led to a first-round matchup with one of the best supercharged alcohol cars in the NHRA TAD Class, number 9 qualifier Shawn Cowie.
When the light went green in round one Cowie’s car lost traction at the hit of the throttle and was no match for Dubbin who went straight down the track for the convincing win. This set up a round two matchup with number one qualifier Jacie Fricke.
Fricke and Dubbin faced each other in the 2018 final round of the Brainerd race.
In round two Dubbin makes an aggressive move early, as the John Finke owned and tuned car struggled to get up on the tire. Dubblin took the lead at 60 feet and never trailed, powering straight down the grove for a big win against Fricke, the recent Northwest Nationals winner.
The Dubbin Racing Team now had 6 consecutive NHRA National event round wins going into the semi-final match-up with Mike Lewis in the Samsel owned and tuned AFuel Dragster.
Dubbin would get away first and make a very aggressive move off the line but the front end of the car would continue to climb as the car moved right toward the centerline. Dubbin would lift off the throttle to bring the front end back down, and could only watch as Lewis streaked to victory ending the Dubbin Racing Team’s chances at two consecutive NHRA National Event victories.
Video Courtesy Of NHRA.tv
Dubbin Reflected on the run: “It’s just one of those things, the car left really hard and it was going to be fast, but the front end continued to go up and just would not come down. I could feel the car moving toward the centerline and I just had to lift to keep from crossing the centerline.
Sometimes these things just happen, and you never know why. There was nothing in any of the run data of the previous runs that led us to believe that a big wheelstand was coming. The car was really good and was doing everything we wanted it to do”.
The front end of the car came down harder than expected and Later examination would reveal damage that would necessitate a full front half chassis replacement by the co-crew chief and respected chassis builder Chase Copeland.
“The front end of the car has some damage so we have decided to skip the US Nationals, said Dubbin. We’ll let Chase (Copeland) have the time he needs to get the car front-halved and ready for the race in Dallas in October.”
The Weekend was another success for the Dubbin Racing Team as the car continues to perform as expected and has been a consistent late-round player at the NHRA National Event Level. Power, consistency, and driver success are not easy to find and keep in the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster category, but the Dubbin Team has it right now, and they will carry that confidence into the Texas Fall Nationals in October with Krik Wolf behind the wheel.
“Chase and Clay are in a nice groove tuning the car, and you can’t ask for much more than what the car and crew are delivering in performance and consistency right now, said Dubbin. Everything and everyone are performing at their peak and we can’t wait to get back on track with a car this good.”
By The Numbers:
Qualifying
Q1: Dean Dubbin Runs 5.281/273.39 [Qualified #3]
The Car launched hard and it stayed hooked up with a great pass and he ties his career quickest pass. Incremental times: 60ft-0.958 sec., 330ft-2.432, 660ft-3.531/228.00 mph, 1,000ft-4.467.
Q2: Dean Dubbin Runs 5.645/236.92 [ Now Qualified #4]
Dean starts to haze the tires just past the 1/8 mile mark and he clicks it off.
Q3: Dean Dubbin Runs 5.342/272.12, [Now Qualified #8]
The car made a nice clean run but Dubbin did not improve and will end qualifying in the number 8 position, which gives him lane choice in round one against #9 qualifier Shawn Cowie.
Eliminations – Listed by (reaction time) | ET | Speed (mph)
R1: Dean Dubbin – (0.066) 5.398 262.03 def. Shawn Cowie – (0.052) 7.055 148.71
R2: Dean Dubbin – (0.079) 5.351 268.44 def. Jackie Fricke (0.057) 5.393 272.01
Semi-Finals: Mike Lewis (0.088) 5.222 275.62 def. Dean Dubbin, (0.079) 8.069 101.47
Race Notes:
During the event Dubbin Racing promoted the #MauiStrong and “Pray For Maui” campaign in support of the families that lost everything in the recent fires on the island of Maui.
“We had a great response to our #MauiStrong campaign, said Dubbin. The outpouring of support was more than we could have ever hoped for. We will continue to keep the spotlight on the help our friends and fellow citizens in Maui are going to need for many months as they rebuild their lives”.
Up Next:
With the damage to the chassis, Dubbin Racing will not compete in the upcoming US Nationals. Up next for Dubbin Racing will be the Texas Fall Nationals, October 12-15
Team Support:
DMP Awnings | Kentex Roofing Systems | Central McGowan | Noonan Racing Engines | NGK Spark Plugs | Goodson | Copeland Race Cars
Stay in touch with the Dubbin – DMP Awnings Team:
Facebook – @DMPAwnings
Instagram – @DMPAwnings_
Twitter – @DMPAwnings
Racer.media – @DMPAwnings
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