Sat, 06 Oct 2012, 15:59 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Jim Samuel

MOHNTON, Pa. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 28th annual Auto-Plus 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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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.273/284.09, Now #15; Best prior run: 7.632/87.12, Was #18
Right Lane: Mike Smith Runs 4.203/276.58, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.305/148.14, Was #15

3:32 p.m. - Weather conditions: air temperature 68 degrees, relative humidity 58 percent, barometer 29.29 inches, adjusted altitude 1,919 feet, track temperature 78 degrees.

Wilkerson needed to beat the bump time of 5.964 seconds to make the field. He and Blake Alexander ar the two drivers here who were outside the top 16 at the start of this session.

Neither driver had a great run this time out, but Wilkerson got himself into the field for now. He's in the number 15 spot, with Ron Capps and Alexander outside the top 16 and Tony Pedregon on the bump spot at 4.438.

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Left Lane: Blake Alexander Runs 7.349/84.72, Now #18; Best prior run: 7.239/92.00, Was #18
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.116/306.05, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.438/248.07, Was #16

Alexander got about 100 feet off the starting line when he shook the tires hard and shut it down. Pedregon moved up three spots in the order to get off the bump spot.

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Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.055/317.64, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.964/264.60, Was #17

Capps is not in the field and needed to beat Tim Wilkerson's time of 4.273 seconds to bump Wilkerson out and make the field. Capps took his car down the groove to make the field and put himself into the number eight spot for now, bumping Wilkerson from the field. The field is fixed now, with the rest of the runs being for position.

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Left Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 4.057/318.09, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.097/307.86, Was #13
Right Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 8.016/79.37, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.091/304.12, Was #12

Tasca shook the tires off the line and clicked it off at 330 feet. Arend had his quickest run of the four sessions to move up four spots in the order.

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Left Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 4.861/162.55, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.074/311.92, Was #12
Right Lane: Johnny Gray Runs 4.028/318.99, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.039/315.05, Was #7

Gray had a clean run and moved up three spots. Hagan's car shut down at 660 feet.

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Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.070/307.37, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.063/305.77, Was #11
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.041/317.79, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.038/315.19, Was #7

Head and Force each had good runs down the track but neither improved his spot in the order.

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Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 9.538/79.06, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.061/321.81, Was #10
Right Lane: Courtney Force Runs 4.046/319.60, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.028/317.19, Was #5

Hight's rear tires went up in smoke as soon as he launched. Force took her car straight down the groove. Neither changed their place in the order.

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Left Lane: Alexis DeJoria Runs 10.055/71.81, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.032/319.07, Was #6
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.050/313.66, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.997/313.80, Was #2

DeJopria had a lot of tire shake coming off the line and clicked it off at 100 feet. Pedregon went down the groove but was not as quick as he was earlier today.

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Left Lane: Mike Neff Runs 6.127/115.25, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.017/318.84, Was #3
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.011/317.79, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.989/320.58, Was #1

Neff got out about 200 feet when the rear tires shook and he clicked it off. Beckman had a good run but not as quick as the second session yesterday. He'll stay in the top spot in the order.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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