 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 42nd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run: Left Lane: Nancy Matter Runs 7.702/105.11, Now #1 Right Lane: Paul Crifasi Runs 10.718/80.27, Now #2 11:39 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 71 degrees, relative humidity 56 percent, barometer 29.06 inches, adjusted altitude 2,031 feet, track temperature 86 degrees.
Alcohol Funny cars are on the pad as the weather conditions begin to change. It's been overcast and foggy all morning now that's
beginning to burn off. Crifasi was away first but there were parts sliding down the track next to him at about 150 feet down range.
Matter shook hard but tried to drive through it. She wound up lifting early as well. Left Lane: Roger Bateman Runs 5.936/249.35, Now #2 Right Lane: John Patton Runs 5.774/250.18, Now #1 Bateman is here fresh off his Division 7 win over the huge field of entries at Las Vegas. Bateman had to step off and back on about 60 feet out at the car tried to turn left on him. Patton had no such problems and gets a good baseline for the weekend. Left Lane: Hank Coolidge Runs 5.756/247.93, Now #1 Right Lane: Mert Littlefield Runs 5.893/232.43, Now #3 Coolidge moves Patton down a spot and Littlefield opens with a fair run. Left Lane: Larry Miner Runs 5.787/247.66, Now #3 Right Lane: Mike Drake Runs 5.980/243.37, Now #6 Miner was away first and the proceeded to keep the funny car right in the middle of the left lane. Drake has a nice looking run but he and Miner both need to pick up the bottom end of the race track. Both carded 60 foot numbers over one second. Left Lane: Mark Woznichak Runs 5.705/249.26, Now #1 Right Lane: John Weaver Runs 5.801/241.93, Now #5 Woznichak waited until Weaver was about 200 feet out before he left so it was hard to compare his run to Weaver's by eyeball. The timers did a pretty good job though and 'The Woz' is the new leader in the clubhouse. Weaver's run was nice until about the finish line when he trailed a bit of smoke out of the pipes. A little bit of damage but no cleanup. Left Lane: David Ray Runs 5.710/251.81, Now #2 Right Lane: Bernie Harrington Runs 5.804/245.49, Now #7 Ray just misses the top spot but does set the top speed for the class at the moment. Harrington's run looked good and he was actually .03 better than Ray to 60 feet. It was after that his times fell off in comparison. Left Lane: Sean Bellemeur No Time, Now #14 Right Lane: Shawn Jones Runs 5.816/250.09, Now #8 Bellemeur landed a 1.029 sixty and it sounded like something went bang in the engine. He coasted and stopped short of the finish. Jones barely sneaks into the top half of the field. I've heard the line of funny cars is still to the back of the staging area here at Pomona. Left Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 6.750/149.45, Now #12 Right Lane: Dennis Taylor No Time, Now #16 Taylor appeared to scrub some of the shiny off the side before the finish so I'm pretty certain that his 5.952/195.39 is going to be DQd. Gasparrelli continues to struggle with his racer. Left Lane: Paul Anderson Runs 6.000/241.63, Now #13 Right Lane: Clint Thompson Runs 5.988/248.02, Now #12 Anderson did the bunny hop and slapped the pedal at about 330. Thompson's run appeared unexciting until after the finish line. There was a huge cloud of dust after the finish. I don't think he touched. Left Lane: Vern Moats Runs 5.716/250.00, Now #4 Right Lane: Jay Payne Runs 5.673/257.92, Now #1 Payne and Moats both surveyed the traction from all over their lanes but in the end Payne walks away for low ET and top speed. Moats is top half on his side of the stripe. Left Lane: Brian Hough Runs 5.623/253.80, Now #1 Right Lane: Bret Williamson Runs 6.321/162.94, Now #17 Williamson just cost himself a bunch of bucks as the burst panel went flying and parts came out of the engine. It must have appeared worse than it was as the Safari never rolled and the cal was fire the next pair. Hough emerged from the smoke and thunder with the new low ET of the session and the #1 spot in the show. Left Lane: Jeff Burnett Runs 5.809/233.64, Now #12 Right Lane: Doug Gordon Runs 5.751/249.35, Now #6 Burnett explored the territory close to the center line for the first 100 feet but then hauled the car back to the center for the remainder of his run. Gordon sneaks quietly into the top half. Now we have the safari out looking at both lanes around the finish line and after. Left Lane: Ron August Jr Runs 5.660/246.84, Now #2 Right Lane: Ross Stickler Runs 5.839/245.49, Now #15 This makes car numbers twenty five and and twenty six to attempt to qualify this session. August legs one out and has the burst panel parted from the car right in the lights. The Safari is out cleaning the lane and his car sits smoking at the last turnout. With the numbers he ran I doubt he cares much at this point. Stickler, in the National Guard sponsored Vette, makes the show at #15. As soon as the lanes are cleared we'll return with Alcohol Dragster.
|
|
Ready to take your order at 1-800-230-3030 | Customer Service 1-800-517-1035