Sat, 24 May 2003, 08:47 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Rick Green

TOPEKA, Kan. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 15th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX 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:

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Left Lane: Jack Wyatt Runs 5.137/294.75, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.130/290.26, Was #17
Right Lane: Keith Jackson Runs 10.404/80.34, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.186/259.51, Was #18

After a two hour delay for rain and track drying. Under overcast skies the current weather conditions: 64 degrees, 94 percent relative humidity, the barometer 29.92 inches.

We start off the session with the two cars that are not qualified.

Wyatt with a good looking pass with header flames shooting over the roof and he will just miss making the cut here. Jackson had problems as soon as he hit the throttle and lifted around 200 feet.

The field is set so now we will just be shuffling around the top 16.

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Left Lane: Scotty Cannon Runs 4.814/312.21, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.105/295.92, Was #16
Right Lane: Frank Pedregon Runs 4.890/310.84, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.012/302.08, Was #15

Cannon launched hard and keep the candles lit all the way through the 1320 to jump into the number two spot. This is one of his better passes for Cannon in awhile. Pedregon with a good pass, but was trailing Cannon all the way down the quarter mile.

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Left Lane: Dean Skuza Runs 4.960/255.68, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.966/301.81, Was #15
Right Lane: Dale Creasy Jr. Runs 5.067/278.69, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.001/310.84, Was #16

Skuza was a on a good looking pass until about 1100 feet and that is when the header flames went away and apparently the engine did too. After the finish line he started drifting toward Creasy and had a little engine fire. He got the car stop and the fire put out. Creasy started mixing up cylinders on the top end and will slow.

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Left Lane: Bob Gilbertson Runs 7.963/118.36, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.953/292.65, Was #14
Right Lane: Johnny Gray Runs 4.837/321.42, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.914/312.64, Was #13

Gilbertson got to about 300 feet and then smoked the Goodyears. Gray with a real nice looking pass and he runs his career fastest pass here.

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Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.828/322.50, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.889/318.99, Was #12
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.874/318.09, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.876/315.42, Was #11

This was another great looking drag race, side by side with header flames clearly visible hitting on all eight. This is the fastest passes for both of these guys this season.

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Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.920/285.95, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.833/323.35, Was #7
Right Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 4.802/326.48, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.867/321.27, Was #11

Scelzi was out in the lead early in the run with quicker numbers to half track and then it started mixing up cylinders and the he then clicked it off. Bazemore with a great top end charge and a career best mph run, track record and the third fastest pass in history here to take over the number one spot

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Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.821/315.78, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.820/315.86, Was #5
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.964/244.74, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.861/315.56, Was #11

Capps with another good pass, but he will not improve. Wilkerson was quicker to half track than Bazemore, but then made a quick move toward the wall and he lifted.

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Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.837/316.38, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.817/318.17, Was #4
Right Lane: Gary Densham Runs 5.359/197.31, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.852/314.68, Was #10

Johnson with a carbon copy of his teammates pass. Densham was on good looking pass until half track, but then he made a quick move toward the centerline before he clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.743/316.97, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.806/320.51, Was #2
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.800/320.43, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.823/320.51, Was #6

The Force cars wrap up this great looking qualifying session. And what a show they put on for those fans that stuck around for the rain delay. Tony launched hard and was putting distance between him and the boss at every increment down the 1320. Tony with the track E.T. record here and he and John are number one and two going into eliminations on Sunday.

Tony Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.869 sec., 330ft-2.258, 660ft-3.232/260.86mph, 1,000ft-4.043
John Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.879 sec., 330ft-2.302, 660ft-3.291/258.17mph, 1,000ft-4.106

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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