Fri, Mar 19, 05:25 PM GAINESVILLE - Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By Rick Green

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Funny Car at the 30th Annual Mac Tools Gatornationals 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: Gary Densham Runs 9.750/87.62, Now #11; Best prior run: 6.100/147.15, Was #11
Right Lane: Jerry Toliver Runs 5.327/231.32, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.015/306.19, Was #2

The sun is starting set, so it is not been beating down on the track like it has all day. The track temperature is now 116 degrees and the with a 80 degree air temperature. Densham goes out about 200 feet and then starts blistering the Goodyears. Toliver starts mixing up cylinder around 1000 feet and it sounded like he pedaled it once,and then lifted.

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Left Lane: Dean Skuza Runs 4.895/303.91, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.015/294.56, Was #3
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 9.640/90.49, Now #17; Best prior run: 9.927/83.81, Was #17

Skuza after his 1000 feet burnout rips off a good clean pass straight into the number one spot. Capps made it about 200 feet before losing traction and aborted the run.

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Left Lane: Frank Pedregon Runs 5.036/294.31, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.132/246.12, Was #7
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 5.095/257.28, Now #8; Best prior run: 9.179/87.52, Was #14

Both cars make moves in the right direction. Worsham still down on the top end speed, but no apparent problems.

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Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.895/312.71, Now #1; Best prior run: 6.992/123.38, Was #14
Right Lane: Jim Epler Runs 4.994/287.11, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.059/296.89, Was #7

We have our first side-by-side fours of the weekend here. Tony with a great looking pass to take the number one spot. Epler was dropping cylinders from a 1000 feet on.

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Left Lane: Scotty Cannon Runs 13.365/68.79, Now #15; Best prior run: 9.190/90.39, Was #15
Right Lane: Al Hofmann Runs 9.377/86.55, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.053/301.27, Was #8

Cannon is up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle, and Hofmann starts to lose traction pedals it one time only to go up in smoke, so he lifts.

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Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 5.012/296.76, Now #6; Best prior run: 6.186/147.58, Was #14
Right Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 4.949/299.26, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.215/231.64, Was #11

This is another good side-by-side race here. Bazemore dips into the fours and Cruz gets so close.

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Left Lane: Bob Gilbertson Runs 7.096/123.37, Now #15; Best prior run: 9.255/88.76, Was #16
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.872/316.52, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.979/284.03, Was #4

Gilbertson starts dropping cylinders around the 330-foot mark and then loses an engine by half track. Force scoots around a little on the launch and then just rockets into the number one spot. Force reset Cruz's ET track record and his mph track record with this pass.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.929/294.75, Now #4; Best prior run: 11.649/86.02, Was #18
Right Lane: Scott Weis No Time, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.351/278.98, Was #13

We are back from a 20-minute clean up. Weis with problems starting his car, they finally gets it started but continue to have problems. So as Wilkerson has completed his burnout they decide to abort the pass. Wilkerson starts to mix up the cylinders on the top end, but still goes from the outside of the show to the top four.

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Left Lane: Phil Burkhart Runs 5.206/234.09, Now #14; Best prior run: 14.639/47.82, Was #19

No apparent problem, but Burkhart lifts early. Still makes the show, and bumps out Gilbertson.

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Right Lane: Bob Weickgenannt Runs 8.307/102.69, Now #18; No Prior Run

Weickgenannt goes out about 200 feet and then heads toward the centerline, and clicks it off. That wraps up Funny Car qualifying for today with Force on the top with track records and Densham on the bubble with a 6.100 seconds elapsed time.




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