Thu, 11 Nov 2010, 06:12 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Larry Sullivan

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 46th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Right Lane: Grant Downing Runs 9.843/59.54, Now #1

2:28 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 73 degrees, relative humidity 24 percent, barometer 29.07 inches, adjusted altitude 2,232 feet, track temperature 96 degrees.

Downing launched, shook, and both chutes came out. He was able to coast to the first turnoff.

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Left Lane: Terry Haddock Runs 8.401/84.16, Now #2
Right Lane: Gary Densham Runs 6.311/119.44, Now #1

Weather conditions: air temperature 74 degrees, relative humidity 21 percent, barometer 29.07 inches, adjusted altitude 2,307 feet, track temperature 94 degrees.

Both cars had good 60-foot times, but that was about as far as they got Haddock up in smoke shortly after, then Densham.

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Left Lane: Bob Bode Runs 9.276/84.65, Now #4
Right Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 5.660/139.95, Now #1

Same story, different cast. Troxel burped the throttle a second time - that will give her a spot further back in the run sequence tomorrow.

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Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.751/172.01, Now #2
Right Lane: Paul Lee Runs 4.167/304.39, Now #1

Lee made a nice, straight, full pass. Head got about 500 feet at a good pace, then lost traction in a cloud of tire smoke, the car wagging its tail violently.

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Left Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 6.521/96.73, Now #5
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 7.136/85.85, Now #6

300 feet and a cloud of tire smoke...

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Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 5.795/116.33, Now #4
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 8.724/82.51, Now #9

More of the same. Pedregon got further than most, but lost traction around the 500-foot mark.

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Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 5.560/125.06, Now #3
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 7.119/86.47, Now #8

Ditto...Hight got about 600 feet before losing traction, Capps about 300.

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Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 6.275/101.87, Now #7
Right Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.190/290.38, Now #2

Worsham lost traction about where most have smoked the tires, but Tasca almost made a full pass, his car making a hard move toward the centerline near the finish stripe.

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Left Lane: Ashley Force Hood Runs 4.982/163.83, Now #5
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.144/302.82, Now #1

Force Hood made a good pass for about half the distance, then started losing traction. Beckman had no apparent problems anywhere during his run and he's now #1.

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Left Lane: John Force Runs 4.170/297.68, Now #4
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 4.139/293.86, Now #1

Last pair - Hagan with a 37 point lead in the Countdown To One. Force needs to keep Hagan from stretching that lead during qualifying in order to keep from being more than two rounds behind entering qualifying.

Hagan goes to #1 with a strong charge, Force tried to stay with him, fell behind further with each timing increment and he came up fourth. That gives Hagan three more points and now he leads by exactly 40 points. Then everyone held their breath, but both lanes were oil-free.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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