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The low-budget Spring Branch, TX-based racer's 5.889-secs
pass in qualifying paired him up against number-two man Tony Schumacher,
who set a new track speed record in his U.S. Army-backed ride with a
4.565 at 327.74 mph qualifying effort. To say their first-round match
was a David vs. Goliath moment would be an understatement.
Nevertheless, Sosenka actually scored a slight holeshot
on Schumacher, but "The Sarge" quickly surged ahead -- that is, until
he started smoking the tires about 300 feet out. Schumacher never gave
up, pedaling the car several times to regain traction, but Sosenka enjoyed
his best pass of the weekend, going 5.384 at 222.84 -- good enough to
beat Schumacher's 5.882 at 219.22 mph.
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| The moment of truth: Don Sosenka (near
lane) sneaks past a tire-smoking Tony Schumacher in round one of
eliminations. (photo by Ian Tocher) |
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| Don Sosenka (with glasses) arrived at
Atlanta Dragway with only family friend Dennis DeMars, wife Lana,
and son Joey (right) as his crew, but as he advanced in eliminations,
members of Luigi Novelli's and Chris Karamesines' teams dove in
to help prepare Sosenka's car. (photo by Ian Tocher) |
"We're just stepping up little by little. In fact, all
three of those runs were made with 84 percent nitro in the tank and
one mag had 45 degrees and the other had 48 degrees," Sosenka explained.
"I approach it like the old match racer that I am. I sneak up on it
a little at a time."
Sosenka, 51, is a longtime nitro Funny Car racer, but
he bought his Top Fuel car just last year from former IHRA champion
Don Lampus. He qualified for five events with it last year, but the
Atlanta race marked the first time he'd ever gone rounds on Sunday.
PHOTO GALLERY
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| "The Greek" qualified on the bump spot
in Top Fuel with a 5.947-secs pass at 218.83 mph. He faced off against
Kenny Bernstein in round one and cut a perfect .400 light, only
to go up in smoke a couple of hundred feet out. (photo by Ian Tocher) |
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