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Sat, 11 Oct 2003, 05:57 PM

Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Dave Rowe

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 18th annual O'Reilly Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec 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: Dean Skuza Runs 4.936/305.81, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.414/198.80, Was #17

4:20 PM Current weather conditions: 79 degrees, 52 percent relative humidity, the barometer 29.92 inches, with a track temperature of 107 degrees.

Skuza has had his problems this weekend, traction problems on two runs and not making another. He cures that on this run, right down the groove, never missing a beat, he gets in the ninth spot for now.

Left Lane: Keith Jackson Runs 5.099/241.67, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.323/243.57, Was #17
Right Lane: Jack Wyatt Runs 4.962/309.59, Now #11; Best prior run: 6.694/134.34, Was #19

A great run for Wyatt, he gets in the show in the 11th spot. Jackson was on a decent pass, just .006 behind Wyatt at the 1000 foot mark, then the engine goes silent, not sure why.

Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.947/307.16, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.015/296.83, Was #16
Right Lane: Frank Pedregon Runs 5.096/270.43, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.757/173.81, Was #19

Pedregon had a good run going, then smoke starts coming out of the engine about 1000 feet out and he will not make the show. Johnson goes right down the groove and gets off the bump.

Left Lane: Dale Creasy Jr. Runs 4.982/304.87, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.011/301.20, Was #16
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.947/314.02, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.019/267.14, Was #17

Capps makes a great run and bumps out Cruz Pedregon. Creasy runs his quickest of the weekend and gets off the bump.

Left Lane: Phil Burkart Runs 6.974/119.26, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.922/311.63, Was #8
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 5.006/309.27, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.007/309.70, Was #17

Burkart gets about 300 feet out, starts hazing the tires and makes a violent move toward the wall. Pedregon makes a decent pass but can't bump back into the field.

Left Lane: Scotty Cannon Runs 5.259/275.14, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.902/318.58, Was #7
Right Lane: Cory Lee Runs 5.417/252.24, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.000/314.57, Was #16

Lee starts hazing the tires just past half-track, never lifts and doesn't regain traction, slicks smoking all the way through the lights. Cannon gets a little further down and has traction problems.

Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.998/302.31, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.899/315.67, Was #6
Right Lane: Bob Gilbertson Runs 5.535/221.18, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.963/294.79, Was #14

Gilbertson was on a decent pass, then the candles go out about 1000 feet down-track. Wilkerson makes another "full pull", his fourth good run of the weekend.

Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 7.277/113.22, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.894/300.00, Was #5
Right Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 4.867/319.94, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.955/314.24, Was #12

Pedregon gets to the 330 cones and bangs the blower. Bazemore makes his quickest run of the weekend and moves up to the fifth spot.

Left Lane: John Force Runs 4.814/322.11, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.866/311.20, Was #4
Right Lane: Gary Densham Runs 4.867/315.78, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.832/323.39, Was #2

Force makes a great pass, keeps the candles lit all the way through the run and jumps into the number one spot.

Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.886/305.70, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.865/321.19, Was #4
Right Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.925/279.24, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.828/323.97, Was #2

A good side-by-side, they stay glued together most of the way through the run, then Scelzi has problems and the car noses over.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink