Sun, 4 Sep 2005, 06:51 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Rick Green

CLERMONT, Ind. - Notes from final, round 5 qualifying in 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: Bob Bode No Time, Now #22; Best prior run: 5.133/267.69, Was #22

Weather conditions: air temperature 76 degrees, relative humidity 35 percent, barometer 29.70 inches, adjusted altitude 1,601 feet, track temperature 114 degrees.

Bode had a little wiggle around 300 feet and then got out of the groove on the top end and collected the finish line cones. His best pass of the weekend will be DQ'ed (4.882 seconds).

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Left Lane: Grant Downing No Time, Now #21; Best prior run: 5.030/298.54, Was #21

As soon as Downing launched he was leaking fluid and the car was completely sideways and headed for the right wall. He was able to save and had it completely sideways head back toward the left wall and then collected the half track cones. He did a great job of driving.

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Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 11.228/88.97, Now #20; Best prior run: 5.010/233.64, Was #20

Pedregon is up in smoke as soon as he throttle and he will not get into the show.

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Left Lane: Paul Lee No Time, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.996/284.45, Was #18
Right Lane: Dale Creasy Jr. Runs 5.110/236.63, Now #22; Best prior run: 7.213/120.94, Was #25

Lee did the burnout and then was pulling up to stage and then got shutoff because he was leaking fluids. Creasy was on a good looking pass until around 1000 feet when he bang the blower and sent the pressure relief panel flying high in the air.

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Left Lane: Terry Haddock Runs 4.949/305.98, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.985/291.89, Was #17
Right Lane: John Lawson No Time, Now #25; Best prior run: 6.990/137.13, Was #25

Haddock with a pretty strong pass, his best of the weekend, but comes up a little short. Lawson got out of the groove and then collected the half track cones, and will not make the show.

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Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.909/317.27, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.837/321.88, Was #15
Right Lane: Jack Wyatt Runs 5.037/287.72, Now #22; Best prior run: 5.502/198.67, Was #24

Wyatt with his best pass of the weekend, but will not get in the show. Looked like he started to haze the tires on the top end. Pedregon was straight down the groove.

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Left Lane: Gary Densham Runs 4.873/314.83, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.835/310.77, Was #14
Right Lane: Mike Ashley Runs 4.885/306.05, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.997/281.54, Was #19

Ashley with a great looking pass, his career best E.T. and mph, but will come just a little short of getting in the show. Mike Ashley's incremental times: 60ft-0.897 sec., 330ft-2.332, 660ft-3.341/253.18mph, 1,000ft-4.170

Densham with a good looking pass, but will stay 14th.

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Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.996/309.42, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.833/320.51, Was #13
Right Lane: Phil Burkart Runs 4.916/309.84, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.852/317.79, Was #16

A pair of good clean passes for these two.

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Left Lane: Tony Bartone Runs 4.901/311.77, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.811/322.19, Was #11
Right Lane: Bob Gilbertson Runs 10.151/87.96, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.827/313.29, Was #12

Gilbertson started to rattle the tires right off the starting line and clicked it off. Bartone with a nice pass right down the groove.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.854/305.36, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.779/322.65, Was #10
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.900/307.51, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.769/322.34, Was #9

Wilkerson with a nice pass the quickest of the session and then when he crossed the finish line the engine let go with a big fireball. Capps with a good clean pass.

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Left Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 5.590/178.17, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.768/323.81, Was #8

Bazemore started to lose traction around half track and then started dropping cylinders.

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Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.857/318.62, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.763/327.74, Was #7
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.833/320.13, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.731/326.00, Was #2

This was a great drag race. Hight with the quickest pass of the session.

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Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.840/320.13, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.748/325.77, Was #5
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.826/322.19, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.726/326.24, Was #1

This too, was a great drag race with Force running the quickest pass of the session. Force is running his "Special 13 Time Champion" paint scheme.

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Left Lane: Eric Medlen Runs 7.960/103.36, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.755/320.66, Was #6
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.866/319.22, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.746/324.51, Was #4

Medlen started to smoke the tires just before half track and clicked it off. Worsham was straight down the groove, but will not improve and will stay fourth.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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