Fri, 9 Feb 2007, 10:12 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Darryl Jackman

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 47th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals 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:

---

Left Lane: Dale Van Gundy Runs 6.068/214.93, Now #21; Best prior run: 9.295/116.55, Was #25
Right Lane: Mike Drake Runs 8.390/115.96, Now #26; No Prior Run

6:17 p.m. Van gundy was close to the center line all the way to the finish. Drake took the other line and was close to the wall in the other lane. Neither will qualify so the become spectators for Saturday.

---

Left Lane: Rian Konno Runs 11.864/69.93, Now #25; Best prior run: 7.707/175.41, Was #25
Right Lane: Larry Miner Runs 10.049/82.82, Now #24; Best prior run: 6.415/237.71, Was #24

Not a good weekend for the Bellemeur's and Konno and in fact not a great event for Miner either. Here in the final session I could hear the rpms skyrocket in both lanes before 330ft and both coasted on out the big end.

---

Left Lane: Doug Gordon Runs 5.775/257.97, Now #13; Best prior run: 6.311/183.92, Was #23
Right Lane: Jeff Carroll Runs 6.311/181.37, Now #23; Best prior run: 6.257/233.28, Was #22

The only word I can use for this pair is 'scary'! Both drivers, but in particular Gordon, used up a bunch of their lane before this was over. Carroll will be putting the car in the box, b ut for the moment Gordon is in the show. That bumped Kuhns and the Littlefield racer.

---

Left Lane: Sean Bellemeur Runs 5.742/254.33, Now #10; Best prior run: 6.029/243.85, Was #21
Right Lane: Alexis De Joria Runs 8.262/112.92, Now #21; Best prior run: 5.990/230.33, Was #20

Big move for Bellemeur as he punches into the field and moves Coolidge out of the show. DeJoria rattled the tires and wisely clicked it off.

---

Left Lane: Paul Crifasi Runs 5.983/216.27, Now #20; Best prior run: 5.950/242.41, Was #20
Right Lane: Pete Swayne Runs 5.836/251.11, Now #19; Best prior run: 5.929/251.53, Was #19

Another pair that wanders around in the lane. Both come close to the center and both pull them back to the center of the correct lanes. To bad but neither will be in the program.

---

Left Lane: Kirk Kuhns No Time, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.831/230.06, Was #18
Right Lane: John Patton Runs 7.873/116.38, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.787/239.27, Was #15

Kuhns is in the Littlefield's racer at Mert has decided to hang up the driving goggles. This is the last ditch effort for both racers. At least PAtton is currently in the program. Kuhns is shutoff after backing to the starting line. Patton was very close to the center and had to lift.

---

Left Lane: Hank Coolidge Runs 7.254/134.83, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.794/248.98, Was #17
Right Lane: Brian Hough Runs 5.641/258.12, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.764/250.18, Was #12

Coolidge has just been bumped and his last shot falls short as he's forced on and off the pedal. Hough has no such problems and bulls his way into the top half of the field.

---

Left Lane: Bret Williamson Runs 5.852/244.65, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.788/242.10, Was #16
Right Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 5.726/255.73, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.732/255.24, Was #9

Williamson is on the bump and I'm not certain if there is anyone left to bump him. Williamson fails to improve and Gasparrelli improves so slightly that he remains #9.

---

Left Lane: Clint Thompson Runs 5.576/257.04, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.749/254.42, Was #12
Right Lane: Bernie Harrington Runs 7.454/116.56, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.721/249.67, Was #8

Harrington goes bowling for cones so his 7.454/116.56 will be DQd. That won't matter for him since he can stand on his earlier 5.721 in the earlier session today. Thompson stuns both people left in the stands as he sets both ends of his career best numbers and moves all the way to #3 behind only Payne and Manzo.

---

Left Lane: Ken Kraus Runs 5.728/244.25, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.700/253.42, Was #8
Right Lane: Dennis Taylor Runs 8.383/95.73, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.629/256.41, Was #5

Taylor used all the lane early in the run after carding a .934 60ft number. Kraus has had a bracket racer on his hands this weekend. Both are currently top half racers.

---

Left Lane: Mark Woznichak Runs 5.693/250.78, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.661/250.92, Was #7

The Woz falls just a little short of his best but remains #7.

---

Left Lane: Jay Payne No Time, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.557/260.36, Was #2
Right Lane: Frank Manzo Runs 5.501/264.23, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.507/263.46, Was #1

The final pair of the day as someone is holding back the hands of the clocks for the curfew at 7:00p.m. (It's actually 7:05 p.m. at this moment). And Manzo resets the speed record again! He also takes his qualifying ET even lower...by .006 of course. Oh yeh, Payne. He sort of crossed over the center line and took out a few cones before he stopped the clocks with an 8.033/111.82. Oops. That's all for Friday Folks.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



NHRA: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ]

Feb 12- 75th Anniversary Celebration Kickoff at Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
Feb 10- Wally Parks 75th Anniversary Appreciation Fund Part of $27 Million Overall Purse
Feb 08- NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League Releases 2026 Schedule
Feb 07- Huge List of Legends Set to Appear at Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
Feb 05- NHRA and Legends Global Extend Merchandise Partnership Ahead of 75th Anniversary Season
Feb 04- Doug Foley Announces Addition of Ron Douglas as Consultant to Foley Lewis Racing Top Fuel Team
Feb 04- Tickets Now on Sale for NHRA's Debut at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park and Rockingham Dragway
Feb 04- Reed, Zetterström to Share Driving Duties of Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel Dragster
Jan 29- NHRA to Honor Iconic John Force in 2027 with "50 Years Of Force"
Jan 28- Top Fuel All-Star Callout Returns to Open NHRA's 75th Anniversary Season at Gatornationals