CHRR XX - Nostalgia Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

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Sat, 22 Oct 2011, 05:34 PM

Nostalgia Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By David Gerard

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Notes from final, round 2 qualifying in Nostalgia Funny Car at the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series, 20th annual California Hot Rod Reunion, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California 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: Dan Horan Jr Runs 5.994/229.70, Now #14; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Mike Peasley Runs 6.331/225.48, Now #24; No Prior Run

12:34 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 82 degrees, relative humidity 41 percent, barometer 28.97 inches, adjusted altitude 2,853 feet, track temperature 108 degrees.

Dale Van Gundy is on the bump spot at 6.145.

Peasley's prior run was DQ'ed in tech. He has issues right off the line and won't make the field. With over 30 NFC's he joins a big group who won't either.

Horan gets his pass this time and takes all of it to bump into the field in the #14 spot.

Dan Horan Jr's incremental times: 60ft-1.093 sec., 330ft-2.709, 660ft-3.980/194.77 mph, 1,000ft-5.060.
Mike Peasley's incremental times: 60ft-0.976 sec., 330ft-2.846, 660ft-4.191/183.62 mph, 1,000ft-5.344.

Left Lane: Ed Dougan Runs 6.487/201.28, Now #25; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Rian Konno Runs 7.400/131.42, Now #28; Best prior run: 7.863/120.19, Was #27

Lee Paul Jennings Jr is on the bump spot at 6.041.

Dougan's car left hard and he pumped the throttle a couple of times down track. Each time there was smoke from the pipes and a huge wall of smoke at the finish line. He won't qualify today.

Konno's Mustang was slow off the line and down the track. He picks up a bunch of ET, but will move down to the #28 spot.

Left Lane: Steve Densham Runs 5.858/237.88, Now #7; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Nate Bugg Runs 6.426/225.37, Now #26; Best prior run: 6.666/160.84, Was #27

No big clean up, so it's back to racing.

It's Bugg's turn to have problems after the burnout, but he finally is able to pull forward and stage. The Monza gets down the track and leaves a cloud of smoke at the finish line.

Densham's prior run was DQ'ed in tech, but he makes up for that with the second quickest sixty foot time and a straight and true pass to the finish line. It's good enough to move into the top half of the field.

Steve Densham's incremental times: 60ft-0.984 sec., 330ft-2.566, 660ft-3.830/195.39 mph, 1,000ft-4.920.
Nate Bugg's incremental times: 60ft-1.064 sec., 330ft-2.853, 660ft-4.260/180.96 mph, 1,000ft-5.438.

12:45 p.m. The sweeper is rolling, so we will have a brief, I hope, delay.

Left Lane: Steve Rajcic Runs 6.535/223.17, Now #29; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Kerbin Kinsley Runs 6.806/191.32, Now #28; Best prior run: 6.521/212.90, Was #28

12:51 p.m. ...and we are back. Brad Thompson is on the bump spot at 6.010.

Kinsley's car is slow off the line and can't match his prior pace.

Rajcic gets a full pass this time, but is well off the pace to qualify.

Left Lane: Jason Rupert Runs 5.758/251.34, Now #2; Best prior run: 17.031/45.14, Was #33
Right Lane: Dennis Taylor Runs 6.225/222.58, Now #20; Best prior run: 6.293/226.66, Was #23

Taylor is still having new car blues and can only pick up a little and not qualify.

Rupert ran well at Phoenix last weekend and does so again here, thundering on down the track and into the new #2 spot on the ladder. His sixty foot tome is only 0.003 slower than Bateman, but he keeps the pipes dry to the lights. We now have a five second field.

Jason Rupert's incremental times: 60ft-0.979 sec., 330ft-2.562, 660ft-3.820/198.17 mph, 1,000ft-4.875.
Dennis Taylor's incremental times: 60ft-1.067 sec., 330ft-2.756, 660ft-4.091/182.35 mph, 1,000ft-5.243.

Left Lane: Mike Halstead Runs 5.808/253.28, Now #4; Best prior run: 11.279/72.72, Was #33
Right Lane: Shawn Nault Runs 6.262/222.47, Now #24; Best prior run: 6.276/218.76, Was #23

Dan Horan Jr is on the bump spot at 5.994.

Lots of clutch dust out from under Halstead's Duster and he pushes it into the top speed of the NFC's and the new #4 spot on the ladder.

Nault is just a tad quicker and faster, but moves down one spot to #24.

Mike Halstead's incremental times: 60ft-1.021 sec., 330ft-2.601, 660ft-3.836/198.76 mph, 1,000ft-4.903.
Shawn Nault's incremental times: 60ft-1.073 sec., 330ft-2.781, 660ft-4.120/185.64 mph, 1,000ft-5.266.

Left Lane: Mike Lewis Runs 5.908/242.63, Now #15; Best prior run: 8.239/99.99, Was #33
Right Lane: Chad Head Runs 5.848/250.83, Now #9; Best prior run: 6.247/244.43, Was #22

Dwayne Patton is on the bump spot at 5.966.

Head shows his heritage with a stellar pass to just miss the top half of the field by 0.002. How he needs to work on his RT!

Lewis runs well into the five nineties on a strong pass and slides into the #15 spot.

Mike Lewis' incremental times: 60ft-1.009 sec., 330ft-2.590, 660ft-3.876/191.02 mph, 1,000ft-4.980.
Chad Head's incremental times: 60ft-1.028 sec., 330ft-2.641, 660ft-3.890/198.50 mph, 1,000ft-4.951.

Left Lane: Donny Watkins Runs 6.350/213.27, Now #27; Best prior run: 6.306/206.39, Was #27
Right Lane: Lee Paul Jennings Jr Runs 5.922/249.58, Now #16; Best prior run: 6.041/245.23, Was #21

Steve Nichols is on the bump spot at 5.925.

Jennings was on the bump earlier and is so again with a much better pass.

Watkins can't improve.

Donny Watkins' incremental times: 60ft-1.053 sec., 330ft-2.737, 660ft-4.117/178.78 mph, 1,000ft-5.310.
Lee Paul Jennings Jr's incremental times: 60ft-1.007 sec., 330ft-2.651, 660ft-3.949/193.29 mph, 1,000ft-5.025.

Left Lane: Will Martin Runs 5.981/242.54, Now #20; Best prior run: 6.287/243.41, Was #26
Right Lane: Brad Thompson Runs 6.097/227.04, Now #22; Best prior run: 6.010/228.61, Was #21

Martins runs a career best pass, but will not get into today's tough field.

Thompson was strong down low with a 1.015 sixty foot time, but has to pedal early and can't improve enough to advance.

Will Martin's incremental times: 60ft-1.045 sec., 330ft-2.681, 660ft-3.957/192.85 mph, 1,000ft-5.053.
Brad Thompson's incremental times: 60ft-1.015 sec., 330ft-2.638, 660ft-3.952/186.25 mph, 1,000ft-5.111.

Left Lane: Chris Bennett Runs 6.074/196.30, Now #23; Best prior run: 6.261/227.57, Was #25
Right Lane: Roger Garten Runs 5.886/241.67, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.892/241.32, Was #14

Garten finds a little horsepower and moves up one spot on the ladder on a clean and straight pass.

Bennett was strong off the line and powering down the track. at near half-track there is smoke from the engine and the car starts to wag the tail. It finally gets to be too much and he leaves a big trail of stuff on the track.

Chris Bennett's incremental times: 60ft-0.989 sec., 330ft-2.607, 660ft-3.901/189.79 mph, 1,000ft-5.031.
Roger Garten's incremental times: 60ft-0.993 sec., 330ft-2.582, 660ft-3.858/192.25 mph, 1,000ft-4.957.

1:12 p.m. Time for dusting and cleaning on the top end.

Left Lane: Dale Van Gundy Runs 5.901/239.14, Now #15; Best prior run: 6.145/225.15, Was #24
Right Lane: Mark Hentges Runs 13.042/57.15, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.886/241.20, Was #14

Bucky Austin's NFC is in the right lane with Hentges at the wheel. He has the famous Larry Dixon Sr. Fireside Inn AA/FMR [double A fuel modified roadster]in the pits today. Still a terrific looking car and it gave Larry the start to his Top Fuel driving career [at my roadster's expense ]. The family tradition continues, with his son, Larry Jr., winning at Phoenix last weekend.

2:04 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 83 degrees, relative humidity 39 percent, barometer 28.94 inches, adjusted altitude 2,944 feet, track temperature 112 degrees.

Lots of bags of clean up stuff on that one!

WOW! Van Gundy makes what I am told is a career best to bump into the tough field on terrific pass.

Hentges had a strong leave and then you could hear the engine spin up to high C, as the tires ran quicker than the car.

Dale Van Gundy's incremental times: 60ft-1.000 sec., 330ft-2.599, 660ft-3.873/193.74 mph, 1,000ft-4.967.

Left Lane: Dwayne Patton Runs 5.863/241.84, Now #11; Best prior run: 5.966/237.46, Was #20
Right Lane: John Hale Runs 7.669/126.73, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.866/243.06, Was #11

Mike Lewis is on the bump spot at 5.908.

Hale repeats Hentges pass and doesn't improve.

Patton finds a bunch of power and keep it stuck on the track for a big move up the ladder nine spots to the new number eleven spot.

Dwayne Patton's incremental times: 60ft-0.999 sec., 330ft-2.580, 660ft-3.850/194.41 mph, 1,000ft-4.937.

Left Lane: Claude D. LaVoie Runs 5.997/237.00, Now #20; Best prior run: 5.930/240.38, Was #20
Right Lane: James Day Runs 20.475/50.05, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.846/234.13, Was #8

It was incorrectly reported yesterday that Jeff Arend was driving the War Eagle. NHRA has made the correction that Day is actually driving. The car strikes the tires right at the green and he will stay in the number eight spot for now.

LaVoie runs close to his prior best, but can't improve.

Claude D. LaVoie's incremental times: 60ft-1.018 sec., 330ft-2.631, 660ft-3.927/187.73 mph, 1,000ft-5.050.

Left Lane: Steve Nichols Runs 5.882/235.39, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.925/240.81, Was #19
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 5.847/249.26, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.840/240.64, Was #7

Looks like there is nothing wrong with the right lane, as Capps basically repeats on his prior best. Nice pass.

Nichols pulls a rabbit out of his hat and drives his Camaro into the five eighties and the new number fourteen spot. We now have a five eighty field!

Steve Nichols' incremental times: 60ft-1.024 sec., 330ft-2.617, 660ft-3.879/196.07 mph, 1,000ft-4.954.
Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-1.022 sec., 330ft-2.615, 660ft-3.874/196.73 mph, 1,000ft-4.945.

Left Lane: Kris Krabill Runs 5.721/250.83, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.875/248.16, Was #13
Right Lane: Paul Romine Runs 5.704/246.89, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.698/241.58, Was #1

Mark Hentges is on the bump spot at 5.886.

WOW! What a great pair of passes. Romine's times were "soft" down low with a 1.027 sixty foot time, but the Mustang was thundering at mid-track with a huge 204.42 MPH to stay number one.

Krabill makes a valiant try with a stellar 0.983 sixty foot time and almost matches Romine on a great pass.

Kris Krabill's incremental times: 60ft-0.983 sec., 330ft-2.542, 660ft-3.770/200.53 mph, 1,000ft-4.825.
Paul Romine's incremental times: 60ft-1.027 sec., 330ft-2.576, 660ft-3.787/204.42 mph, 1,000ft-4.819.

Left Lane: Dennis La Charite No Time, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.837/231.48, Was #7

La Charite's crew chief can't remedy the problems and He has to shut it off.

Left Lane: Ronny Young Runs 9.289/86.37, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.822/247.61, Was #6

Another single.

A good squirt, but lazy off the line and he clicks it early.

2:26 p.m. That wraps up a stellar NFC session. Paul Romine is number one at 5.698 and Mark Hentges is on the bump spot at 5.886.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink