Fri, 28 Jun 2013, 12:56 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Dave Rowe

JOLIET, Ill. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 16th annual O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Right Lane: Fred Hagen Runs 6.799/145.47, Now #1

11:28 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 80 degrees, relative humidity 55 percent, barometer 28.99 inches, adjusted altitude 3,188 feet, track temperature 108 degrees.

This is Hagen's first race this year. He gets about 400 feet out and the car noses over, not sure why.

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Left Lane: Larry Dobbs Runs 5.927/224.02, Now #2
Right Lane: Kevin Newburgh Runs 5.914/243.19, Now #1

Dobbs gets out of the groove early, drifts to the left, but stays on the throttle and makes a full pass. Newburgh goes right down the groove with a clean pass.

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Left Lane: Todd Robertson Runs 11.084/74.33, Now #5
Right Lane: Wayne Butler Runs 5.768/249.12, Now #1

Robertson gets about 200 feet out and is out of power. Butler drifts a little to the left but makes a decent pass to take the early pole.

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Left Lane: Cassie Simonton Runs 5.703/252.80, Now #2
Right Lane: Dale Brand Runs 5.657/255.77, Now #1

Brand makes a move to the left early but steers it back to the groove and takes the early pole. Simonton makes a clean, straight pass to get in just behind in the second spot.

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Left Lane: Ray Drew Runs 5.712/250.88, Now #4
Right Lane: Kris Hool Runs 5.711/256.70, Now #3

A good side-by-side, both right down the groove.

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Left Lane: Andy Bohl Runs 5.658/256.21, Now #3
Right Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 5.642/258.02, Now #1

Gasparrelli makes an impressive pass and takes the top spot for now. Bohl makes a clean, straight pass and gets in the third spot for now.

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Left Lane: Chris Foster Runs 7.687/123.02, Now #12
Right Lane: Todd Veney Runs 5.664/254.52, Now #4

Foster rattles the tires early, makes a move to the right, then back to the left. He can't get the car to settle down and backs off the throttle about 300 feet out. Veney goes right down the groove and gets in the fourth spot for now.

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Left Lane: Shane Westerfield Runs 17.864/46.68, Now #15
Right Lane: Annie Whiteley Runs 5.607/257.48, Now #1

Westerfield has problems right off the line and clicks it off early. Whiteley goes right down the groove with the quickest pass so far to take the top spot for now.

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Left Lane: Dan Pomponio Runs 5.661/255.68, Now #6
Right Lane: Tony Bartone Runs 5.569/263.10, Now #1

Bartone goes right down the groove with the quickest pass of the round and takes the pole to end this session. Pomponio makes a clean pass and gets in the show in the sixth spot.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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