Sat, 22 Oct 2005, 09:41 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Rick Green

LAS VEGAS - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Fifth annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA 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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Right Lane: David Benjamin Runs 6.002/187.44, Now #22; Best prior run: 5.224/300.33, Was #22

Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 29 percent, barometer 28.28 inches, adjusted altitude 3,179 feet, track temperature 84 degrees.

Benjamin started to lose traction and then clicked it off early.

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Left Lane: Stephen Neese Runs 14.629/57.42, Now #23; Best prior run: 5.338/236.13, Was #23
Right Lane: Jack Wyatt Runs 4.934/312.13, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.099/282.60, Was #20

Neese lost traction early and clicked it off. Wyatt with only his second pass this weekend with a good looking pass, but not quick enough to get in the show.

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Left Lane: Dale Creasy Jr. Runs 5.137/293.79, Now #21; Best prior run: 5.115/281.48, Was #21
Right Lane: Tony Bartone Runs 4.799/320.81, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.971/303.43, Was #20

Creasy Jr. with a clean pass, but will not get in the show. Bartone launched hard and keep it hooked up all the way down the 1320 to get into the top half of the show. That will bump out Head and put Bob Gilbertson on the bump spot at 4.839.

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Left Lane: Phil Burkart Runs 4.804/318.69, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.901/315.12, Was #18
Right Lane: Terry Haddock Runs 4.940/310.84, Now #20; Best prior run: 4.960/305.84, Was #20

Haddock with his best pass of the season and will come up short of making the show. Burkart with a great looking pass to get in the show and that will bump out Gilbertson and we now have the quickest Funny Car field ever.

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Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 5.058/306.88, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.893/323.04, Was #18
Right Lane: Gary Densham Runs 4.875/312.93, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.834/318.32, Was #16

Head who just got bumped out and he will not get back in with this pass. Densham with a good clean pass, but didn't improve, so he will stay on the bubble.

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Left Lane: Bob Gilbertson Runs 5.078/231.48, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.839/318.77, Was #17
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 6.606/133.72, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.826/324.67, Was #15

Wilkerson started to lose traction around 500 feet and clicked it off. Gilbertson started to mix up cylinders and then the engine let go with a big flash of flames just past half track.

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Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.760/324.36, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.809/322.19, Was #9
Right Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 4.826/322.19, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.821/321.88, Was #12

Pedregon launched hard and keep it hitting on all eight all the way down the 1320 for the number one spot. Bazemore with another good pass, and is running pretty consistent.

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Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.836/315.78, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.800/325.22, Was #9
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.754/326.71, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.817/323.27, Was #13

Worsham with a nice looking pass. Capps with a great looking pass straight down the groove for the number one spot. Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.909 sec., 330ft-2.304, 660ft-3.271/263.56mph, 1,000ft-4.071

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Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.766/317.57, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.817/324.98, Was #13

Force with his quickest pass of the weekend to get into the number four spot. John Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.904 sec., 330ft-2.304, 660ft-3.265/265.12mph, 1,000ft-4.066

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Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.746/325.45, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.776/327.90, Was #6
Right Lane: Mike Ashley Runs 4.786/315.64, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.804/319.14, Was #12

This was a great looking drag race with Scelzi going to the number one spot and Ashley climbing the ladder a couple spots. Gary Scelzi's incremental times: 60ft-0.904 sec., 330ft-2.295, 660ft-3.263/263.00mph, 1,000ft-4.063
Mike Ashley's incremental times: 60ft-0.909 sec., 330ft-2.309, 660ft-3.277/261.98mph, 1,000ft-4.084

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Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.795/324.59, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.775/327.35, Was #6
Right Lane: Eric Medlen Runs 4.828/320.43, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.782/323.50, Was #8

No help for either one of these drivers.

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Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.781/324.28, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.763/325.77, Was #4
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.766/317.12, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.780/322.27, Was #7

Pedregon with a great looking pass to move up the ladder one spot. Tony Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.909 sec., 330ft-2.305, 660ft-3.271/263.51mph, 1,000ft-4.071 No help for TJ, but still a great looking pass.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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