Sat, 6 Sep 2003, 06:59 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, 49th 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: Dale Creasy Jr. Runs 5.499/188.41, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.947/307.09, Was #17

Creasy banged a blower around 1100 feet sending the pressure relief panel high into the air. Creasy will not make the show.

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Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.882/312.93, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.873/305.91, Was #15

Worsham with good clean pass, but will not improve and will have to hope this will stay in the show.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.870/318.09, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.860/319.52, Was #14

Wilkerson has been running consistent most of the event. He has low E.T. of the day so far.

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Left Lane: Bob Bode Runs 5.037/263.77, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.853/283.25, Was #13
Right Lane: Jack Wyatt Runs 5.054/293.86, Now #19; Best prior run: 5.439/235.43, Was #22

Wyatt with his best pass of the event, but will come up short. Bode with a soft set up.

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Left Lane: Frank Pedregon Runs 5.557/177.93, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.843/313.80, Was #12
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.859/317.87, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.340/191.81, Was #22

Frank lost traction around 800 feet and clicked it off. Cruz with a great looking pass here to get in the show. This is the only pass that Cruz has got down the track and under all the pressure. Cruz Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.897 sec., 330ft-2.316, 660ft-3.332/251.11mph, 1,000ft-4.160

We now have the quickest Funny Car field in NHRA history.

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Left Lane: Phil Burkart Runs 4.813/317.42, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.838/318.47, Was #11
Right Lane: Cory Lee Runs 10.999/77.67, Now #22; Best prior run: 5.192/291.76, Was #22

Lee is up in smoke by 300 feet and he clicks it off. Burkart launches hard and keeps the candles lit all the way through the 1320 for the quickest pass of the day.

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Left Lane: Scotty Cannon Runs 4.915/298.21, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.822/316.60, Was #8
Right Lane: Bob Gilbertson Runs 5.726/174.30, Now #19; Best prior run: 5.023/309.56, Was #18

Gilbertson started to lose traction around 300 feet and tries to drive through it, but will not make the show. Cannon with a puff of engine smoke on the top end.

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Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 9.428/82.37, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.813/319.52, Was #6
Right Lane: Terry Haddock Runs 5.403/250.97, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.924/308.99, Was #17

Haddock after running a career best last night is now 17th. He starts to haze the tires around half track and then mix up the cylinders. Capps smoke the tires.

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Left Lane: Dean Skuza Runs 4.874/297.68, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.805/311.41, Was #5
Right Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.788/318.92, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.828/304.94, Was #11

Johnson Jr launched hard and keeps it hitting on all eight all the way through the quarter mile for Tommy's career best E.T. Tommy Johnson Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-0.875 sec., 330ft-2.275, 660ft-3.270/255.92mph, 1,000ft-4.090.

Skuza started to mix up cylinder around 1100 feet and the engine let go right in the lights with a big fire. He was able to get stopped as it skidded to a stop in his own oil. He was out and okay, the Safety Safari was right there to get the fire put out.

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Left Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 4.811/320.43, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.767/323.74, Was #3
Right Lane: Johnny Gray Runs 4.970/306.67, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.821/321.27, Was #9

Bazemore with a strong pass here straight as an arrow. Gray was hazing the tires on the top end.

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Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.829/322.73, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.764/325.53, Was #2
Right Lane: Gary Densham Runs 4.830/311.13, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.786/320.97, Was #4

Scelzi didn't really get the tires to turn over during the burnout. Scelzi launched hard and keep the goodyears stuck and still had a nice looking pass even without a burnout. Densham was was out ahead of 1100 feet and then the engine started eating itself up.

That wraps up qualifying with Force in the number one position and Worsham held on to the bump spot in the quickest field ever in NHRA history.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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