Gainesville: Dale Brinsfield wrap up

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - All the determination in the world couldn't earn Pro Modified racer Dale Brinsfield a place in the eight-car exhibition program at the NHRA Mac Tools Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. Brinsfield ended his four qualifying attempts as the 10th quickest with a 6.351/221.60.

Brinsfield is quick to point out that his shortcoming wasn't because of a lack of effort.

"We gave it our best and fell a little short this weekend," explained Brinsfield, a former 500-inch Pro Stock racer turned Pro Modified driver.

Brinsfield earned his berth in the field on his first attempt with a 6.351/221.60. He currently resides in the seventh position. The largest aggravation of the weekend was with getting his tire combination to work out.

"We lost a couple of runs dealing with our tires," explained Brinsfield. "On the first run, we were battling the stagger in the tires. When we rolled out for the first session, there was a quarter-inch difference in rollout. That's about as much as you can go. We got back to the pits and the difference was 1