LAS VEGAS 2 - Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

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Sat, 29 Oct 2011, 08:38 PM

Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Dave Rowe

LAS VEGAS - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 11th annual Big O Tires 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:

Left Lane: Paul Lee Runs 4.218/304.19, Now #14; Best prior run: 7.404/90.64, Was #21
Right Lane: Terry Haddock No Time, Now #22; No Prior Run

4:45 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 79 degrees, relative humidity 16 percent, barometer 27.91 inches, adjusted altitude 3,982 feet, track temperature 101 degrees.

Haddock gets about 200 feet out, the engine explodes in a ball of flames and the chutes come out. The flames burn to about 600 feet before going out adding to the burn marks already on the side of the car. He rolls to a stop before he crosses the finish line and received no time. Meanwhile, Lee was going right down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend to get in the show in the 14th spot.

Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.118/312.57, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.585/136.83, Was #20

Force has only made one full pass this weekend and it wasn't quick enough to get in the show. He changes that with this run, right down the groove, header flames high and steady all the way through the run, and he goes all the way to the fourth spot.

Left Lane: Bob Bode Runs 5.585/134.38, Now #20; Best prior run: 4.807/261.42, Was #19
Right Lane: Gary Densham Runs 4.261/273.05, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.953/165.52, Was #20

Bode smokes the tires, gets out of the groove, heads for the center line and has to back off the throttle. Densham was on a decent pass but looked like he may have last the engine just before he went through the lights.

Left Lane: Jeff Diehl Runs 4.357/286.25, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.269/279.90, Was #18
Right Lane: Jim Head Runs 5.840/122.21, Now #19; Best prior run: 4.797/268.17, Was #19

Head goes up in smoke about 200 feet out and has to back off the throttle. Diehl made a clean pass but not quick enough to get in the show.

Left Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.096/310.91, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.167/305.29, Was #14
Right Lane: Todd Lesenko Runs 4.546/200.53, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.236/298.60, Was #16

Lesenko had a hole out on the right side and it started pushing him toward the center line. he gets about 600 feet out, gets close to the centerline and has to back off the throttle. The good news is he is in the show. The bad news...he is on the bump. Tasca made a good pass and moved all the way to the third spot.

Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.528/196.87, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.166/297.48, Was #14
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.105/311.34, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.149/303.64, Was #12

Pedregon was mixing up cylinders early, gets about 400 feet out and clicked it off. Beckman makes his quickest pass of the weekend and moves into the top half of the field.

Left Lane: Jeff Arend No Time, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.162/305.29, Was #13
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.080/315.49, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.141/308.78, Was #11

Arend had problems after the burnout and they shut the engine down. Apparently the blower belt came apart on the burnout. Capps makes an almost flawless run here, going right down the groove hitting on all eight cylinders all the way threw the run, and he moves all the way to the top of the pack.

Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 5.743/121.54, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.148/299.46, Was #12
Right Lane: Mike Neff Runs 4.083/312.71, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.129/309.27, Was #11

Wilkerson gets about 400 feet out, strikes the tires and has to back off the throttle. Neff goes right down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend and moves all the way to the second spot.

Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.087/309.49, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.126/308.00, Was #11
Right Lane: Johnny Gray Runs 4.201/253.90, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.118/311.05, Was #9

Pedregon makes his quickest pass of the weekend and moves up to the fourth spot. Gray was on a good run, just a little behind Pedregon at the 660 foot mark, then things went awry. He bangs the blower, the engine erupts in a ball of flames, then the body blows apart and flies high into the sky. The body went higher than the scoreboards here at the track and flew over the left wall, landing in the grass on the left side of the track. He doesn't leave any fluid on the track and the run will count.

Left Lane: Alexis DeJoria Runs 4.663/180.36, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.121/305.15, Was #11
Right Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 4.969/157.06, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.103/310.20, Was #7

Troxel gets about 400 feet out and strikes the tires. DeJoria gets a little further, loses traction and backs off the throttle.

Left Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 5.369/137.39, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.093/310.05, Was #5
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 6.442/82.43, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.085/311.27, Was #3

Hight gets about 300 feet out and goes up in smoke. Hagan gets a little further, about 400 feet and strikes the tires.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink