LAS VEGAS 2 - Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

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Fri, 24 Oct 2003, 08:03 PM

Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Dave Rowe

LAS VEGAS - Notes from round 1 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, and position in order following run:

Left Lane: Stephen Neese Runs 9.624/85.10, Now #1
Right Lane: Keith Jackson Runs 10.500/77.72, Now #2

3:36 PM Current weather conditions: 88 degrees, 8 percent relative humidity, the barometer 29.97 inches, with a track temperature of degrees.

Jackson hits the throttle, starts shaking the tires and shuts down. Neese gets about 200 feet out, loses traction, pedals a couple of times then shuts down.

Left Lane: Arnie Karp Runs 5.094/298.34, Now #1
Right Lane: Bob Bode Runs 5.095/293.79, Now #2

A couple of pretty good runs, both right down the groove, Karp just a tick quicker to take the early pole.

Left Lane: Phil Burkart Runs 5.150/292.14, Now #3
Right Lane: Dale Creasy Jr. Runs 9.231/82.12, Now #4

Creasy gets about 300 feet out, starts smoking the tires and bangs the blower, sending the burst panel high into the air. Burkart goes right down the groove.

Left Lane: Bob Gilbertson Runs 5.416/203.61, Now #4
Right Lane: Scotty Cannon Runs 12.043/89.11, Now #8

Cannon hits the throttle and goes up in smoke. Gilbertson was on a decent pass until the 1100-foot mark, then the car noses over , not sure why.

Left Lane: Frank Pedregon Runs 5.062/288.09, Now #1
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 5.088/258.76, Now #2

Cruz was on a good pass, gets about 1000 feet down and loses the blower belt.

Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.968/284.69, Now #2
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.935/311.85, Now #1

Wilkerson makes a good run for these conditions, just drifting a little toward the center-line near the end of the run, and he takes the early pole. Johnson made a decent pass but dropped a hole near the end of the run.

Left Lane: Dean Skuza Runs 5.053/285.65, Now #4
Right Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.956/311.92, Now #2

Skuza had a better sixty-foot time than Scelzi, but started dropping back just past the 330-foot mark. Scelzi drove around at that point and moved into the second spot behind Wilkerson.

Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 5.036/305.49, Now #5
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 5.029/307.30, Now #4

A couple of pretty good runs for both cars, both keeping the slicks stuck and all the candles lit all the way through the run. We now have a bump spot, albeit a weak one at 12.043.

Left Lane: Gary Densham Runs 6.576/138.30, Now #14
Right Lane: John Force Runs 5.866/237.17, Now #13

Force gets about 300 feet out and strikes the tires. He backs off the throttle, then gets back on it, smoking the tires again. He pedals one more time and finally gets the slicks to bite. Densham gets a little further, pedals once, then gives up on the run.

Left Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 5.007/292.01, Now #5
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.949/304.74, Now #2

Pedregon was a little quicker to the 60 and 330 foot marks, then Bazemore catches him at half-track. Bazemore's engine started mixing up cylinders soon after that and he slowed. That ends this session with Wilkerson an the pole and Densham on the bump with a 6.576.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink