Hot Rod Fuller loses in Tennessee first round

Hot Rod Fuller had a bumpy ride at the Ford National Hot Rod Association Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee last weekend. Qualifying 15th, Fuller, in his Yas Marina Circuit DiGiorno Top Fuel Dragster, found himself up against current champion Larry Dixon, losing in the first round of elimination. "After our awesome performances in the test prior to the race, we were super confident coming to Bristol," said Fuller, a seven-time Top Fuel winner. "But we weren't able to deliver when it mattered. There's huge potential in this car and the team. We just need to unlock it." A difficult Friday saw Fuller post a best run of 4.040 seconds and 280.31mph (451.12 km/h), placing him 13th. "Our short times were the fastest of the session," said Fuller. "So we knew the car was fast; it just had to be tamed. On the second run, the car lost fire in one of the cylinders and I had to back off the power." Saturday's third run saw a car malfunction leaving it to a nail-biting fourth run before Fuller qualified for Sunday's finals. Heavy rain and storms delayed Sunday's elimination rounds by four hours. But despite getting the better start against Dixon, Fuller lost to the eventual winner. From gulfnews.