Sat, 30 Oct 1999, 07:42 PM HOUSTON - Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Bob Orme The field is set

BAYTOWN, Texas - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the 3rd annual Matco Tools SuperNationals presented by Racing Champions 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: Jack Wyatt Runs 7.986/133.68, Now #19; Best prior run: 5.498/289.14, Was #19
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 15.913/72.16, Now #21; Best prior run: 7.325/146.89, Was #21

6:04 PM and we begin the final round of Funny Car qualifying. Both of these drivers need to take it up a notch to make the field, but the track will not allow it. They are both up in smoke by the 60' marker, Wilkerson lifting, and Wyatt pedaling several times.

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Left Lane: Cory Lee Runs 5.076/297.35, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.425/226.39, Was #18
Right Lane: Don Sosenka Runs 19.012/34.79, Now #20; Best prior run: 5.602/261.52, Was #20

Sosenka shook very hard on the launch and was unable to drive through it. Lee makes a huge leap into tomorrow's race, running down the track straight and strong.

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Left Lane: Dale Creasy Jr. Runs 5.153/293.60, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.378/257.09, Was #18
Right Lane: Bob Gilbertson Runs 11.833/74.26, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.246/291.57, Was #17

Bernstein and Amato are in the pressroom. These are two happy guys right now! Gilbertson is up in smoke by 200', and will not be racing on Sunday. Creasy moves up, bumping Capps for now.

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Left Lane: Jerry Toliver Runs 4.982/295.92, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.223/262.95, Was #16
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 5.230/200.74, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.224/207.56, Was #17

Capps is now "0 for Houston" this year, was a DNQ here in April also. I don't know what the trouble was, but the engine went dead at 1000'. Toliver moves way up the ladder here, another strong pass in the left lane.

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Left Lane: Scott Weis Runs 18.745/45.00, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.178/280.60, Was #16
Right Lane: Kenny Sayers Runs 12.519/72.20, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.175/291.95, Was #15

Weis was up in smoke on the hit, with Sayers following suit at 100'. They will both be back to race on Sunday.

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Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 5.201/264.70, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.153/275.73, Was #14
Right Lane: Dean Skuza Runs 9.724/85.29, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.148/279.27, Was #12

Skuza's car was hiding behind clouds of tire smoke before he got to the 330' mark. Worsham might have dropped a cylinder on the top end, but otherwise his run was a clean one.

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Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 5.089/234.25, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.142/227.08, Was #11
Right Lane: Scotty Cannon Runs 4.969/296.44, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.130/284.27, Was #9

Both cars move up the ladder here, Cannon becoming the fifth driver in the "fours" this weeekend while the header flames go out on Pedregon's car at about 1000'.

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Left Lane: Jim Epler No Time, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.120/293.79, Was #10
Right Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 12.491/67.02, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.934/304.32, Was #2

Bazemore lost traction at 100', and decided to click it off. Epler was on a better pass, but got out of the groove past half track, and took out the 1000' timing cone.

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Left Lane: Gary Densham Runs 15.597/78.20, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.106/286.62, Was #9
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.811/318.24, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.811/321.12, Was #1

Here is the final pair of Funny Cars to go down the track tonight. Densham over-powers the track immediately, and can only watch Force duplicate his top qualifying effort. Force will face off against number sixteen qualifier Scott Weis in Sunday's first round of eliminations.




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