Fri, 2 Sep 2005, 03:19 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By Larry Sullivan

CLERMONT, Ind. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 51st annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time/top speed this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time/speed, and position in order prior to run:

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Left Lane: Steve Franke Runs 6.765/218.97, Now #15; Best prior run: 6.474/222.00, Was #14
Right Lane: Russell Mudd Runs 6.058/201.19, Now #12; Best prior run: 6.958/157.76, Was #17

2:31 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 93 degrees, relative humidity 27 percent, barometer 29.69 inches, adjusted altitude 2,712 feet, track temperature 111 degrees.

Franke's car shook and got over next to the wall. Mudd's car struggled to get down the track, running career-best numbers..

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Left Lane: John Weaver Runs 5.713/251.77, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.769/251.02, Was #6
Right Lane: John Bojec Runs 5.794/238.05, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.952/242.84, Was #11

Two good runs, Bojec (not Bojac) with a career-best elapsed time.

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Left Lane: Brandon Lewis Runs 5.804/249.86, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.841/251.95, Was #11
Right Lane: Frank Manzo Runs 5.739/255.68, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.670/256.06, Was #1

Manzo lost a few hundredths and Lewis found them, both drivers with no obvious problems.

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Left Lane: Paul Lee Runs 7.759/121.08, Now #18; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Fred Hagen Runs 6.081/243.85, Now #13; Best prior run: 6.401/238.64, Was #14

Lee did not make a run yesterday. Lee got about 300 feet out and then fishtailed several times before shutting it down. Hagen stepped way up from yesterday's run with a straight run down the groove.

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Left Lane: Mick Snyder Runs 7.782/119.47, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.769/247.84, Was #7
Right Lane: Danny Townsend Runs 5.754/252.00, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.805/251.49, Was #10

Snyder's car also got very loose about 300 feet out, forcing him to lift. Townsend made a nice run to move into the top half of the field.

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Left Lane: Don DeVault Runs 6.378/233.92, Now #15; Best prior run: 6.482/218.97, Was #16
Right Lane: Don Hudson Runs 6.146/176.72, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.749/249.44, Was #4

Devault launched, shook, and pedaled. That got him off the bump spot. Hudson's car started smoking on the top end and slowed.

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Left Lane: Bobby Martin Runs 6.827/143.37, Now #19; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Bob Newberry Runs 5.680/253.37, Now #2; Best prior run: 7.960/105.63, Was #19

The cleanup in Hudson's lane started at half track and went past the finish line, so these two got to sit under the hot Sun for about 15 minutes before making their run. Martin's run started out nicely, but the car nosed over on the top end. Meanwhile, Newberry avoided the shakes and went right down the groove, right behind Manzo. Don DeVault is now on the bump spot at 6.378.

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Left Lane: Vern Moats Runs 12.099/67.35, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.737/253.04, Was #4
Right Lane: Steve Addleman Runs 6.322/179.23, Now #16; No Prior Run

This was Addleman's first run of the weekend and it was a wild one, the car shaking the tires and skating all over the lane. Moats smoked the tires and lifted immediately.

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Left Lane: Steve Harker Runs 7.085/133.71, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.805/249.26, Was #12
Right Lane: Michael Bell Runs 11.440/88.20, Now #15; Best prior run: 6.129/192.06, Was #15

This was ugly in both lanes, Bell with immediate tire shake and smoke, Bell getting further down the track before suffering the same fate.

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Left Lane: Jay Payne Runs 9.148/94.61, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.767/253.14, Was #7
Right Lane: Jeff Burnett Runs 7.185/194.66, Now #19; Best prior run: 6.784/154.19, Was #19

Burnett shook hard, pedaled, and continued. Payne ran hard for about 300 feet, then shook and slowed.

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Right Lane: Bernie Harrington Runs 10.097/101.01, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.767/246.03, Was #8

Harrington closes out the round with yet another shake-and-coast run, the sunny weather evidently making the track surface a little on the loose side.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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