LAS VEGAS 2 - Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

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Sat, 25 Oct 2003, 09:23 PM

Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Dave Rowe

LAS VEGAS - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Third annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA 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:

Left Lane: Jack Wyatt Runs 5.045/286.74, Now #18; Best prior run: 6.721/132.99, Was #21
Right Lane: Stephen Neese Runs 6.411/157.91, Now #22; Best prior run: 9.624/85.10, Was #22

5:31 PM Current weather conditions: 81 degrees, 7 percent relative humidity, the barometer 30.17 inches.

Wyatt makes his quickest pass of the weekend but still can't get in the show. Neese had problems about 900 feet out and shut down.

Left Lane: Keith Jackson Runs 4.950/304.53, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.084/284.09, Was #20
Right Lane: Bob Gilbertson Runs 4.999/303.37, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.304/240.51, Was #21

Jackson makes a great run, his quickest and fastest ever, and he gets in the field in the 12th spot. Gilbertson makes his best pass of the weekend and gets in on the bump for now.

Left Lane: Dale Creasy Jr. No Time, Now #21; Best prior run: 5.062/296.31, Was #21
Right Lane: Terry Haddock Runs 4.970/310.70, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.044/302.89, Was #19

Creasy hits the throttle and bangs the blower, sending the burst panel into the air. Haddock makes a good pass, setting a new career best speed for him, and he gets in the show. He bumps out Gilbertson and puts Cruz Pedregon on the bump.

Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.872/312.35, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.029/307.30, Was #18
Right Lane: Arnie Karp No Time, Now #19; Best prior run: 5.032/300.13, Was #19

Worsham has qualified for every race since Gainesville in 2002 but isn't qualified here. If he gets in here, he will bump out Cruz Pedregon who, we have been told, will not be medically cleared to race tomorrow.

Worsham makes a great pass, just mixing up the cylinders a little about 1000 feet out, and he gets deep in the field in the 7th spot. Karp made a great pass that would have put him in the field, but he crosses the center-line and takes out the MPH and ET cones at the end of the track.

Right Lane: Frank Pedregon Runs 4.836/303.37, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.974/299.60, Was #16

Frank is on the bump...make that was on the bump. He runs a season best ET and goes all the way to the second spot.

Left Lane: Bob Bode Runs 12.806/74.79, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.946/301.94, Was #13
Right Lane: Dean Skuza Runs 4.915/299.13, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.958/299.66, Was #15

Bode gets about 300 feet out and goes up in smoke. Skuza keeps the candles lit all the way through and moves up to the 12th spot.

Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 9.711/88.25, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.916/313.51, Was #13
Right Lane: Phil Burkart Runs 4.796/320.58, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.900/314.53, Was #11

This is getting interesting, Burkart gets into the second spot, moving Bazemore to fourth and Scelzi to 13th. It also puts Bazemore on the same side of the ladder as Tony Pedregon...stay tuned.

Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.807/322.50, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.868/317.34, Was #8
Right Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.925/305.77, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.894/307.23, Was #11

That is a moot point now, Wilkerson gets in the third spot and shuffles things around more.

Left Lane: Scotty Cannon Runs 5.333/201.52, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.863/322.34, Was #8
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.986/257.78, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.886/314.09, Was #10

Cannon was on a decent pass, then started drifting toward the wall around half-track, then decided to abort the run. Capps has the same problem, drifting toward the center-line, but he stays with it a little longer, finally lifting around the 1000 foot mark.

Left Lane: John Force Runs 4.797/319.60, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.857/314.39, Was #6
Right Lane: Gary Densham Runs 4.758/324.12, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.862/311.77, Was #7

...and the hits keep coming. Force and Densham both right down the groove, not missing a beat. Densham gets in the second spot, Force moves up to fourth, and Bazemore has gone from second to seventh in this round, and he is in the next pair.

Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.757/320.13, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.753/322.88, Was #1
Right Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 4.825/309.98, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.847/310.05, Was #7

The temp has been dropping during this session, it is now just 73 degrees, so this could be a good one....and it is. Pedregon gets out first and slowly increases his lead at every incremental. Pedregon runs the quickest run of the round and will take the pole.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink