LAS VEGAS 2 - Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #3

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Sat, 25 Oct 2003, 06:31 PM

Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Dave Rowe

LAS VEGAS - Notes from round 3 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: Stephen Neese No Time, Now #21; Best prior run: 9.624/85.10, Was #21
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 5.118/241.58, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.029/307.30, Was #14

2:03 PM Current weather conditions: 79 degrees, 6 percent relative humidity, the barometer 30.23 inches.

Neese breaks after the burnout and is pushed off the track. Worsham makes a decent pass, but no improvement.

Left Lane: Frank Pedregon Runs 4.974/299.60, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.062/288.09, Was #16
Right Lane: Jack Wyatt Runs 6.721/132.99, Now #20; Best prior run: 7.339/117.55, Was #20

Wyatt gets out of shape right off the line, then puts out a few cylinders and aborts the run. Pedregon makes his quickest run of the weekend and gets off the bump, moving up to the 12th spot.

Left Lane: Terry Haddock Runs 5.044/302.89, Now #16; Best prior run: 10.817/90.87, Was #22
Right Lane: Keith Jackson Runs 5.084/284.09, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.260/240.81, Was #18

Jackson gets out of the groove, veers toward the center-line, but keeps it in the lane and makes his quickest pass of the weekend. Haddock goes right down the groove and gets in on the bump spot.

Left Lane: Bob Gilbertson Runs 5.304/240.51, Now #20; Best prior run: 5.416/203.61, Was #20
Right Lane: Dale Creasy Jr. Runs 5.116/292.52, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.062/296.31, Was #17

Gilbertson was running strong off the line, then strikes the tires about 500 feet out.

Left Lane: Arnie Karp Runs 5.032/300.13, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.094/298.34, Was #19
Right Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.916/313.51, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.956/311.92, Was #10

Karp gets out of the groove and starts drifting to the left. He pulls it back to the right, then crosses over the center-line just after passing the finish-line. He gets in on the bump, knocking out Haddock. Scelzi improves a little and moves up a notch to ninth.

Left Lane: Gary Densham Runs 4.862/311.77, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.974/241.41, Was #13
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.976/292.33, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.001/249.49, Was #14

Pedregon makes a good pass, his quickest of the weekend, but it cost him. He loses a couple of cylinders on the left side and blows the engine as he goes through the lights. The explosion demolishes the body, then whats left of the car bangs into the wall. Pedregon climbs out and says he is okay but will be checked out in the ambulance. Densham makes a great pass, right down the groove and moves into the top half of the field.

Left Lane: Dean Skuza Runs 6.330/146.46, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.958/299.66, Was #12
Right Lane: Bob Bode Runs 5.106/271.13, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.946/301.94, Was #11

2:36 PM and were back after a short cleanup. Skuza's car never really made a move, only a .924 sixty-foot time, and he finally gives up on the run just past half-track.

Left Lane: Phil Burkart Runs 4.959/310.63, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.900/314.53, Was #9
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.913/313.58, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.868/317.34, Was #6

Wilkerson makes another good pass, not his best, but great for the conditions. Burkart goes right down the groove but doesn't improve.

Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.894/307.23, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.894/306.81, Was #8
Right Lane: Scotty Cannon Runs 5.468/193.05, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.863/322.34, Was #5

Cannon gets a little past half-track, strikes the tires and gives up on the run. Johnson equals his second run from yesterday.

Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.927/310.55, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.886/314.09, Was #7
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.877/310.77, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.857/314.39, Was #3

A great side-by-side, both cars right down the groove.

Left Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 4.982/251.06, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.847/310.05, Was #2
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.862/313.88, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.753/322.88, Was #1

Bazemore was out in front at the sixty-foot mark, stayed ahead through half-track, then started hazing the tires. Pedregon makes another good run, not quite up to the standard he set yesterday, but decent for the conditions.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink