Sat, 15 Mar 2003, 11:13 AM Pro Modified Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Larry Sullivan

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Pro Modified at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 34th annual MAC Tools NHRA Gatornationals 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: Thomas Patterson Runs 6.395/218.49, Now #11; Best prior run: 6.329/220.04, Was #11
Right Lane: Chip King Runs 7.100/143.86, Now #21; Best prior run: 7.594/128.09, Was #21

10:41 AM Current weather conditions: 62 degrees, 94 percent relative humidity, the barometer 30.00 inches and steady, with a track temperature 76 of degrees. The bump is Rickie Smith's 6.294 (and he's in a '63 Chevy, not a Viper).

Patterson lost ground from his best run yesterday. King's car was slow off the line, but appeared to be on a good pass until smoke came out of the headers and then the blower belt came off.

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Left Lane: Al Billes Runs 6.186/226.35, Now #2; Best prior run: 6.240/223.15, Was #3
Right Lane: Scott Ray Runs 6.391/218.34, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.466/216.45, Was #15

Both drivers stepped up here, but Ray came up short while Billes made an awesome run, moving in right behind Fred Hahn on the ladder.

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Left Lane: Bill Hill Runs 6.637/214.23, Now #18; Best prior run: 6.581/216.24, Was #18
Right Lane: Troy Critchley Runs 6.388/220.48, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.449/220.15, Was #15

Hill's new car headed toward the wall and it took him a few hundred feet to get it back. Critchley, in Hill's old car, went right down the groove, but still came up short.

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Left Lane: Mike Ashley Runs 6.246/225.45, Now #4; Best prior run: 6.247/224.66, Was #5
Right Lane: Dan Rowe No Time, Now #19; Best prior run: 6.815/198.54, Was #19

Nice, consistent pass by Ashley. Rowe's car headed for the 330-foot marker. He crossed the centerline, but missed the marker.

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Left Lane: Bill Kuhlmann Runs 6.655/192.71, Now #19; Best prior run: 6.909/163.22, Was #20
Right Lane: Fred Hahn Runs 6.139/225.84, Now #1; Best prior run: 6.148/227.27, Was #1

Hahn's car, like Rowe's, headed for the 330-foot marker, but Hahn smoothly drove it back to the groove and lowered the AMS Staff Leasing lowest-ever elapsed time even further. Kuhlmann went down the middle of the lane, off the race pace.

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Left Lane: Johnny Rocca Runs 6.552/194.38, Now #17; Best prior run: 6.489/209.20, Was #17
Right Lane: Tim McAmis Runs 6.223/224.88, Now #4; Best prior run: 6.355/221.83, Was #13

Nice run by McAmis, the car hunkered down and pulling hard all the way down the track. That bumped Smith, putting Shannon Jenkins on the bubble at 6.259. Rocca's car went down the lane, but he was two tenths behind by 330 feet.

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Left Lane: Quain Stott Runs 6.214/229.65, Now #4; Best prior run: 6.247/227.61, Was #6
Right Lane: Marty McGinnis Runs 6.350/218.23, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.481/212.96, Was #16

Stott jumped into the top half with a string-straight run. Nice run by McGinnis, but this is very fast company.

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Left Lane: Rickie Smith Runs 6.261/224.10, Now #9; Best prior run: 6.294/223.04, Was #9
Right Lane: Mike Stawicki Runs 6.251/224.83, Now #7; Best prior run: 6.252/224.32, Was #7

Smith sat on the line for a second to make sure he got the car launched cleanly, but he came up two lousy thousandths short of the bump time. Stawicki showed nice consistency, just a thousandth off his best run yesterday.

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Right Lane: Roy Hill Runs 6.382/220.21, Now #15; Best prior run: 12.687/107.79, Was #23

Hill chopped his elapsed time in half and made a pretty good run once the car settled down from a couple of launch wiggles. He came up short, but he should get one more chance this afternoon.

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Right Lane: Cody McManama Runs 6.342/221.23, Now #13; Best prior run: 6.343/220.48, Was #13

McManama nibbled a thousandth off his elapsed time, but he needed to chop off a tenth.

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Right Lane: Mike Castellana Runs 6.287/221.29, Now #10; Best prior run: 6.307/221.62, Was #10

Castellana improved slightly, but he's still second-alternate. That's it, a few cars skipping this round, including bubble-sitter Shannon Jenkins.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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