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Sat, 15 Sep 2007, 06:04 PM

Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Dave Rowe

MILLINGTON, Tenn. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 20th annual O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil 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:

Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.840/316.38, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.507/191.19, Was #19

4:20 p.m. Pedregon is in the countdown but not in the show. He finally gets down the track, going right down the middle of the track, and ges well into the field in the fourth spot.

Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.867/315.34, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.954/301.74, Was #19
Right Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.916/315.19, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.927/319.37, Was #17

Scelzi changed bodies for this pass, the windshield was broken on the previous body. He gets in the show easily, moving into the top half of the field for now. Head makes his quickest run of the weekend and gets in the field in the 15th spot....but we're not done yet.

Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.930/311.49, Now #19; Best prior run: 4.933/293.66, Was #19
Right Lane: Tony Bartone Runs 4.855/315.12, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.922/267.64, Was #18

Bartone makes a great pass here, right down the groove and bumps out Mike Ashley in the process. Wilkerson makes a decent pass but can't get in the show.

Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.915/314.46, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.920/312.28, Was #18
Right Lane: Mike Ashley Runs 6.629/140.44, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.916/311.13, Was #17

Ashley and Worsham are both on the outside looking in, Ashley is second in the countdown points chase, Worsham isn't in the countdown. Trouble for Ashley, he gets about 300 feet out, starts spinning the tires, then the header flames turn green and he has to give up on the run. Worsham has a little better luck going right down the groove and getting into the show in the 15th spot, bumping out Head in the process. Arend is on the bump.

Left Lane: Jerry Toliver Runs 4.908/294.11, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.887/304.80, Was #11
Right Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 7.743/106.15, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.915/309.84, Was #16

Arend gets about 400 feet out and strikes the tires. Toliver makes a clean run but doesn't improve.

Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.812/314.39, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.867/302.69, Was #9
Right Lane: Kenny Bernstein Runs 4.897/309.98, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.908/304.74, Was #14

Johnson makes a big move with a great run for the conditions. Bernstein makes a clean pass and moves up a notch to the 13th spot.

Left Lane: Scott Kalitta Runs 6.042/152.54, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.852/311.85, Was #7
Right Lane: Gary Densham Runs 4.849/287.72, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.898/309.06, Was #14

Kalitta gets about 400 feet out and strikes the tires. Densham was on a great run then the candles went out about 1200 feet down track. He still moves into the top half of the field in the sixth spot.

Left Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.832/313.07, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.851/313.73, Was #7
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.901/297.09, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.890/305.98, Was #13

Pedregon drifted right of the groove around half-track but held on for a good run. Beckman goes right down the groove and moves up to the fifth spot.

Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.762/320.36, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.811/314.02, Was #2
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.880/315.34, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.869/311.70, Was #11

WOW!!!Hight makes a great pass, even driving through a little tire shake about sixty feet out, and he moves around AShley Force to take the top spot. Capps makes a decent pass but no improvement.

Left Lane: Ashley Force Runs 8.078/105.13, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.810/316.38, Was #2
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.818/317.05, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.821/316.45, Was #4

Ashley gets out of shape about 200 feet out, strikes the tires and aborts the run. John makes his quickest pass of the weekend but stays in the fourth spot. That does it for qualifying, Hight is on the pole and will be taking on Arend in the first round tomorrow.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink