Sat, 06 Jul 2013, 16:31 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Dave Rowe

NORWALK, Ohio - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Seventh annual Summit Racing Equipment 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: Jeff Arend Runs 5.517/130.83, Now #14; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Blake Alexander Runs 7.547/87.49, Now #15; No Prior Run

4:05 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 85 degrees, relative humidity 62 percent, barometer 29.09 inches, adjusted altitude 3,619 feet, track temperature 124 degrees.

Arend did not make an attempt in the last round. Alexander shut down before he staged.

Alexander comes off the line, gets about 200 feet out and goes up in smoke. Arend made it a little further before striking the tires and backing off the throttle. The good news for both, they will be racing tomorrow.

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Left Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 7.465/81.64, Now #15; Best prior run: 13.174/65.39, Was #16
Right Lane: Alexis DeJoria Runs 4.308/294.88, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.124/281.07, Was #13

Tasca gets about 200 feet out and goes up in smoke. The good news, he gets off the bump. DeJoria was moving around in the middle of the run and doesn't improve.

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Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 7.486/87.61, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.115/310.27, Was #12
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 7.863/85.85, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.100/308.92, Was #9

Worsham and Beckman hit the throttle, get about 150 feet out, then both go up in smoke at almost exactly the same time.

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Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 6.244/109.06, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.091/303.43, Was #8

Pedregon gets about 300 feet out and the engine goes silent, not sure why. This session is turning out to be the opposite of last nights session, where almost everyone went down the track with a good run.

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Left Lane: Courtney Force Runs 4.147/311.34, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.106/312.86, Was #10
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.117/306.40, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.082/309.98, Was #7

A good side-by-side, the first one this round. Force and Wilkerson both go right down the middle of the track with the two quickest runs of the round so far.

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Left Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 4.151/306.26, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.071/313.29, Was #6
Right Lane: Chad Head Runs 6.028/111.10, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.065/305.29, Was #5

Head gets about 300 feet out and the car noses over, not sure why. Hagan goes right down the groove with a decent pass.

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Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.332/231.20, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.040/316.82, Was #3
Right Lane: Johnny Gray Runs 7.084/86.64, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.061/312.64, Was #4

Gray shook the tires early, gets about 300 feet out and goes up in smoke. Capps drifted to the left, got close to the wall and had to back off the throttle.

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Left Lane: John Force Runs 6.246/106.87, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.021/317.72, Was #1
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.095/313.00, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.030/318.77, Was #2

Force is pretty aggressive early, a .903 sixty foot time, and he goes up in smoke about 300 feet out.

Hight was drifting a little to the left late in the run but was able to stay on the throttle and make the quickest pass of the round.

Force qualifies number one for the third time this year and the 143rd time in his career.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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