Sat, 29 Jul 2006, 07:57 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Darryl Jackman

SONOMA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 19th annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals 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: Cruz Pedregon Runs 5.174/243.68, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.952/290.19, Was #15

4:07 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 78 degrees, relative humidity 54 percent, barometer 30.14 inches, adjusted altitude 1,293 feet, track temperature 124 degrees.

Oh man, now that was a fire! Cruz lights another one up at about half track and it just got worse and worse. This is the first time in a long time I've seen black smoke and flames come belching out of the roof hatch as Pedregon opened it up. This looked like an old time funny car fire from the 70s. The only difference here is the carbon fiber vs the fiberglass. Even after the Safari got on the scene they had problems getting the body off the car as it appeared all of the support rods and tin had been burned away. All in all a huge mess for Cruz and his team.

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Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 6.088/153.06, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.857/314.31, Was #10
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.995/304.32, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.987/314.39, Was #17

4:23 p.m. and we go back to racing. About 20 minutes to clean up after the Cruz inferno. This is just not the year to be Tim Wilkerson. He lays down a pretty run and just falls .02 short of the show. Gilbertson breathes a sigh of relief as he knows now he will race on Sunday.

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Left Lane: Mike Ashley Runs 4.913/311.70, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.851/314.09, Was #9
Right Lane: Bob Gilbertson Runs 4.968/306.60, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.975/301.33, Was #16

Ashley was very loose all the way down but hangs onto the throttle all the way to the stripe. Gilbertson goes just a taste quicker but remains racing the #1 qualifier on Sunday.

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Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.821/320.81, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.848/319.07, Was #8
Right Lane: Tony Bartone Runs 4.879/301.60, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.922/304.39, Was #14

Capps picks up two spots and it just a bit deeper into the top half. Bartone picks up his pace in Big Jim Dunn's racer.

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Left Lane: Phil Burkart Runs 4.896/319.98, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.833/313.51, Was #8
Right Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 4.857/322.73, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.900/319.75, Was #14

Bazemore moves things around a bit as he picks up four spots in the field. Capps and Scelzi say thanks to Whit because that breaks up the possible first round match between the two. Burkart with another nice pass.

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Left Lane: Gary Densham Runs 5.117/232.51, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.825/319.14, Was #7
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.855/312.50, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.899/310.84, Was #14

The two old friends get together in the final session. Uh oh. Now this is the pairing for round one on Sunday if nothing changes. Not what either of them would want I'm certain.

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Left Lane: Scott Kalitta Runs 9.405/87.50, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.806/319.14, Was #4
Right Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 6.733/128.86, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.865/317.64, Was #13

If nothing changes this is another first round match on Sunday as well. Nothing has changed yet. Both cars lose traction and both wind up coasting on the big end.

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Left Lane: Eric Medlen Runs 4.801/323.81, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.804/319.37, Was #3
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 5.013/254.71, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.816/319.75, Was #5

Medlen bumps up another spot in the show and shakes things u[p again. Now it's Bazemore and Capps in round one. Pedregon stays #5.

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Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 5.106/227.96, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.738/325.30, Was #1
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.897/319.14, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.803/323.89, Was #3

Hight and Worsham were side by side until the rubber band fell off the Mustang. The Ford fell on it's nose and there was lots of fuel out of the pipes.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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