Sat, Nov 14, 09:26 PM POMONA - Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Rick Green

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the 34th annual NHRA Winston Finals, 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: John Force Runs 4.933/308.85 Now # 3, (Best prior run: 5.007/305.81 Was # 5)
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 5.086/300.90 Now # 9, (Best prior run: 5.918/238.53 Was #23)

The bump is Frank Pedregon with a 5.316 seconds. Capps is not in the show, yet. Under pressure and the Team Copenhagen comes through with Capps doing a great job of driving. He started to lose traction around 100 feet down track and pedals it. He gets real close to the centerline and Capps again does a great job pulling it back into his lane. Force breaks into the 4-second zone here, and jumps up a couple spots.

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Left Lane: Gary Densham Runs 23.916/ 51.06 Now #12, (Best prior run: 5.198/270.92 Was #12)
Right Lane: Tom Hoover Runs 5.051/297.52 Now # 8, (Best prior run: 5.159/279.85 Was #11)

Densham loses traction right off the starting line and clicks it off. While Hoover in his last qualifying pass makes the best of it, and moves into the top half of the field.

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Left Lane: Jim Epler Runs 16.126/ 66.29 Now #18, (Best prior run: 5.403/284.99 Was #18)
Right Lane: Chuck Etchells Runs 11.227/ 77.76 Now # 7, (Best prior run: 5.025/301.70 Was # 7)

Epler is up in smoke right off the starting line. Etchells loses traction around 150 feet and he pedals it one time and loses traction, again. Then he clicks it off.

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Left Lane: Wyatt Radke No Time Now #24, (Best prior run: 6.268/148.76 Was #24)
Right Lane: Dale Creasy, Jr. Runs 9.474/ 80.22 Now #15, (Best prior run: 5.265/271.32 Was #15)

Radke breaks on the burnout, and will not make the show. Creasy spins the tires and can not recover, so he will hold on to the number fifteen spot for now.

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Left Lane: Terry Haddock Runs 6.128/172.74 Now #19, (Best prior run: 5.471/211.76 Was #19)
Right Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 9.577/ 81.25 Now # 4, (Best prior run: 4.962/307.37 Was # 4)

Bazemore starts fading toward the centerline and clicks it off. Haddock starts to break the tires loose and pedals it, and then he drives it on through the quarter mile. Apparently he lost the engine as we have oil out on the track from the 330-foot mark on.

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Left Lane: Norman Wilding Runs 7.066/124.72 Now #23, (Best prior run: 5.769/245.49 Was #23)
Right Lane: Randy Anderson Runs 11.121/ 76.71 Now # 9, (Best prior run: 5.056/304.98 Was # 9)

Wilding makes a quick move toward the centerline and does a great job keeping it out of Anderson's lane. Anderson starts to lose traction and he clicks it off.

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Left Lane: Dean Skuza Runs 10.128/ 84.30 Now #14, (Best prior run: 5.262/280.46 Was #14)
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 5.030/289.01 Now # 6, (Best prior run: 5.017/248.55 Was # 6)

Skuza breaks the tires loose around the 150-foot mark and clicks it off. Pedregon with no apparent problems here, but no help.

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Left Lane: Al Hofmann Runs 10.061/ 82.52 Now # 5, (Best prior run: 4.976/307.58 Was # 5)
Right Lane: Dale Pulde Runs 13.496/ 58.07 Now #13, (Best prior run: 5.255/290.04 Was #13)

Hofmann rattles the tires around 200 feet and lifts, while Pulde blows the burst panel at about the same time, so they both coast on through the quarter-mile.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 13.729/ 84.63 Now # 2, (Best prior run: 4.913/304.87 Was # 2)
Right Lane: Al Segrini Runs 15.146/ 79.35 Now #22, (Best prior run: 5.759/232.61 Was #22)

Both cars blow the tires off right off the starting line, and abort the runs.

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Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 10.874/ 90.63 Now #20, (Best prior run: 5.496/179.35 Was #20)
Right Lane: Bob Weickgenannt Runs 10.473/ 77.35 Now #25, (Best prior run: 6.502/180.28 Was #25)

Here are a couple non-qualified cars here. Worsham starts to spin the tires a soon as he hits the throttle, he is grabbing the brake, off and on the throttle at least three times, but still can not save the run. Weickgenannt up in smoke right off the starting line and he clicks it.

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Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 17.049/ 57.28 Now # 1, (Best prior run: 4.867/302.72 Was # 1)
Right Lane: Jerry Toliver Runs 14.509/ 79.82 Now #16, (Best prior run: 5.315/282.92 Was #16)

Up in smoke right off the starting line, so Toliver will have to just wait and hope no one bumps him out.

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Right Lane: Frank Pedregon Runs 5.488/270.35 Now #17, (Best prior run: 5.316/220.13 Was #17)

Pedregon gets down the lane, but is not quick enough to come back and play tomorrow. Cruz is number one for the 12th time this season and will will have the Mad Magazine car in round one.




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