Sat, Oct 24, 05:53 PM ENNIS - Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session # 3

By Ed Dykes

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Funny Car at the 13th annual NHRA Revell 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: Vicky Fanning Runs 11.629/ 57.09 Now #18, (Best prior run: 8.100/ 98.70 Was #18)
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 10.022/ 86.56 Now # 9, (Best prior run: 4.988/272.56 Was # 9)

1:08 PM and the clear skies continue to plague Texas, attracting race fans from all across the region to Billy Meyer's beautiful Motorplex. Here, both drivers step off the throttle before the 300' mark.

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Left Lane: Jim Epler Runs 5.087/309.38 Now #11, (Best prior run: 5.127/308.43 Was #11)
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 5.095/241.15 Now #12, (Best prior run: 5.214/253.73 Was #13)

Lots of raw fuel out the pipes of the Epler Avenger, but the performance didn't seem to be affected. Capps clicked it at just past halftrack, you can just imagine what he would have run if he'd been under power for the full quarter-mile.

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Left Lane: John Force Runs 5.320/206.94 Now #10, (Best prior run: 5.013/300.50 Was #10)
Right Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 5.230/217.91 Now # 2, (Best prior run: 4.891/309.70 Was # 2)

Not what either of these guys wanted, the engines sounding off-tune right from the start.

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Left Lane: Randy Anderson Runs 5.085/289.20 Now #11, (Best prior run: 5.131/291.35 Was #13)
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.920/312.28 Now # 3, (Best prior run: 4.923/303.03 Was # 3)

A couple of solid runs, here, and Anderson manages to move ahead of Epler and Capps. Pedregon is really benefitting from going after Force this weekend, apparently.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 11.045/ 73.85 Now # 7, (Best prior run: 4.957/292.68 Was # 7)
Right Lane: Al Hofmann Runs 9.882/ 84.41 Now # 8, (Best prior run: 4.970/307.06 Was # 8)

We're not seeing a lot of tire smoke from these guys, just shake and in some cases, nothing. They just click 'em, no reason apparent from where we sit.

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Left Lane: Dean Skuza Runs 4.919/313.80 Now # 3, (Best prior run: 4.923/301.70 Was # 4)
Right Lane: Ronny Young Runs 6.063/164.77 Now #17, (No prior time)

Skuza sets yet another career-best mark, and moves ahead of Tony Pedregon in the order here. Ronny Young rolls out in the Wizard's Arkansas-based flopper, and stays on the power for the first 500' or so.

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Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.851/290.51 Now # 1, (Best prior run: 4.839/317.90 Was # 1)
Right Lane: Chuck Etchells Runs 5.419/195.48 Now # 5, (Best prior run: 4.931/308.00 Was # 5)

The Interstate Batteries Pontiac moves around quite a bit in the first eighth-mile, then the flames turned green and he pulled the chute early.

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Left Lane: Gary Densham Runs 5.105/307.27 Now #14, (Best prior run: 9.607/ 84.92 Was #20)
Right Lane: Glenn Mikres Runs 5.192/292.49 Now #15, (Best prior run: 5.305/269.46 Was #15)

Densham took a conservative approach, a full tenth slower than Mikres in the first 60', but he came on like gangbusters between 60' and the eighth-mile, and motors into the show, bumping Don Sosenka.

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Left Lane: Jerry Toliver Runs 8.981/ 92.86 Now #21, (Best prior run: 9.886/ 79.78 Was #21)
Right Lane: Tom Hoover Runs 4.936/299.20 Now # 6, (Best prior run: 4.938/296.73 Was # 6)

Hoover has found the handle, and he just won't let go. That's back-to-back fours, within two thousandths in fact. What a great weekend for one of the hardest-working teams out here.

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Left Lane: Al Segrini No Time Now #23, (Best prior run: 22.486/ 44.56 Was #23)

Different day, same result... the car jumping straight up when he left the line. This time he shut off immediately, and rolled to a stop about 200' off the line. The Safety Safari runs out with the extinguishers, but there was no fire from what we could see. So the crew comes out and the Firebird is unceremoniously towed back to the pits.

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Left Lane: Frank Pedregon Runs 9.591/ 88.36 Now #19, (Best prior run: 6.966/128.13 Was #19)

The final car here, and Pedregon gives us a thrill, the car loose immediately and almost collecting the wall. But he did a great driving job and the beautiful Team Geronimo paint is intact.




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