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Fri, 26 Sep 2008, 05:40 PM

Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Dave Rowe

MILLINGTON, Tenn. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 21st annual O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

Left Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 4.362/272.34, Now #1
Right Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 9.647/76.75, Now #2

4:00 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 83 degrees, relative humidity 32 percent, barometer 29.70 inches, adjusted altitude 2,316 feet, track temperature 114 degrees.

Arend goes up in smoke at the hit. Hagan was on a decent pass, then started mixing up cylinders about 700 feet out.

Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.186/287.29, Now #1
Right Lane: Tony Bartone Runs 4.406/236.38, Now #3

Bartone and Johnson were side by side for most of the run, then Bartone started hazing the tires about 700 feet out and slowed.

Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 11.372/65.23, Now #6
Right Lane: Jerry Toliver Runs 4.203/288.70, Now #2

Head strikes the tires as soon as he hits the throttle and has to abort the run. Toliver makes a clean pass right down the groove and gets in the second spot for now.

Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.178/290.44, Now #2
Right Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 4.177/292.33, Now #1

A good side-by-side, these two were glued together all the way through the run and get in the one and two spots.

Left Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.659/180.81, Now #8
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.238/286.25, Now #5

Tasca gets about 500 feet out and strikes the tires. Worsham makes a clean pass and gets in the fifth spot for now.

Left Lane: Mike Neff Runs 4.261/278.52, Now #7
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.211/286.62, Now #5

Neff was on a pretty good pass then starts mixing up cylinders about 800 feet out. Capps makes a clean run to get in the fifth spot for now.

Left Lane: John Force Runs 4.163/289.51, Now #1
Right Lane: Gary Densham Runs 10.820/88.13, Now #13

Densham goes up in smoke right off the line and backs off the throttle. Force makes a great run right down the groove and takes the pole for now.

Left Lane: Ashley Force Runs 4.168/286.38, Now #2
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.214/286.19, Now #8

A couple of good looking passes, both right down the groove. Ashley moves in right behind her dad in the second spot, Pedregon gets in the eighth spot for now.

Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.150/291.82, Now #1
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.157/287.17, Now #2

A couple of really impressive runs, both right down the middle of the track. Hight moves into the top spot, Beckman right behind in the second spot. Mike Neff is on the bump spot at 4.261.

Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.203/286.13, Now #9
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.206/292.52, Now #10

Two more good, clean runs to finish the session. Number one and two in points, both with nice runs but they end up in the middle of the pack.

That ends this session, Hight on the pole and Cruz Pedregon in the twelfth qualifying spot.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink