Fri, 10 Oct 2003, 01:17 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Dave Rowe

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol 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, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Tom Bristow Runs 9.679/88.49, Now #2
Right Lane: Joseph Percoco Runs 6.334/215.98, Now #1

11:37 AM Bristow gets out of shape right off the line, pedals a couple of times and gives up on the run.

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Left Lane: Eddie McDow Runs 6.449/216.97, Now #2
Right Lane: Steve Burck Runs 6.661/216.19, Now #3

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Left Lane: Ron Rice No Time, Now #6
Right Lane: Jackie Stidham Runs 5.812/248.41, Now #1

Rice completes his burnout but has problems before he stages and shuts down. Stidham makes a good run and takes the pole for now.

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Left Lane: Mert Littlefield Runs 6.003/237.34, Now #3
Right Lane: Tate Branch Runs 5.753/241.35, Now #1

Branch makes a good but costly pass. He goes through the lights, the engine pops and blows the burst. Littlefield gets out of shape, almost crosses the center-line around half-track, but hangs on for a decent pass.

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Left Lane: John Patton Runs 5.845/246.37, Now #3
Right Lane: Ron Morrison No Time, Now #10

Morrison does his burnout, then has engine problems and shuts down before staging.

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Left Lane: Jimmy Jones Runs 5.926/245.70, Now #4
Right Lane: Shawn Jones No Time, Now #10

Shawn Jones stages the car, brings the engine up then shuts down. Jimmy Jones makes a decent pass to get in at the fourth spot.

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Left Lane: Jay Payne Runs 5.809/249.03, Now #2
Right Lane: Bob Newberry Runs 5.955/248.07, Now #6

Newberry shakes the tires hard right off the line, pedals once and still makes a decent pass. Payne goes right down the groove to get in the two spot for now.

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Left Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 5.710/252.73, Now #1
Right Lane: Cy Chesterman Runs 6.868/139.44, Now #12

Gasparrelli shakes the tires off the line, drives through it, and takes the number one spot for now. Chesterman was on a decent pass, ahead of Gasparrelli at the sixty-foot mark, but then starts slowing, finally blowing the engine about 1000- feet down.

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Left Lane: Robert Lee Runs 5.726/250.13, Now #2
Right Lane: Thomas Frickenschmidt Runs 5.844/248.41, Now #6

A good side-by-side, both cars right down the groove and they get in the show in the 2nd and 3rd spot.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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