Fri, 26 Sep 2014, 20:08 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By Dave Rowe

MADISON, Ill. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Third annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest 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: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.201/302.48, Now #8; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Brian Stewart Runs 4.317/294.63, Now #11; No Prior Run

6:39 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 81 degrees, relative humidity 48 percent, barometer 29.67 inches, adjusted altitude 2,451 feet, track temperature 96 degrees.

Stewart got out of the groove and scraped the wall in the first session of qualifying. Pedregon did not make a pass in the first round.

Stewart drifts to the right early, pedals once, then goes on through with a decent pass to get in the 11th spot for now. Pedregon makes a clean, straight pass and gets in the eighth spot for now.

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Left Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 14.012/60.16, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.178/147.01, Was #16
Right Lane: Alexis DeJoria Runs 8.322/81.91, Now #18; Best prior run: 8.310/83.67, Was #18

Arend goes up in smoke at the hit and has to give up on the run. DeJoria has traction problems again at about the same spot on the track and is off the throttle early.

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Left Lane: John Force Runs 4.022/319.52, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.594/191.43, Was #14
Right Lane: Chad Head Runs 6.265/104.89, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.203/144.19, Was #17

Head and Force both had traction problems in the first round, Head about 300 feet out, Force a little further down track.

Problems for Head again, striking the tires about 300 feet out and quickly backing off the throttle. No problems for Force, going right down the groove with the quickest pass of the day so far to move into the top spot for now.

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Right Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.157/307.23, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.815/170.19, Was #15

Tasca had traction problems in the first round. No issues here, right down the groove with a clean pass to move into the seventh spot for now.

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Left Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.078/311.49, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.353/225.90, Was #14
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.022/314.02, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.165/302.69, Was #8

A good side-by-side, both right down the groove, header flames high and steady all the way through the run.Pedregon moves up to the second spot for now, Beckman to the third.

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Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.053/315.78, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.297/251.25, Was #13
Right Lane: Jeff Diehl Runs 4.136/299.73, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.156/300.80, Was #8

Diehl made his quickest and fastest pass of his career in the first round. ohnson was out of the throttle early.

Diehl drifts a little to the left early in the run but stayed on the throttle and ran another career best ET. Johnson stayed on the throttle all the way through the run and moves all the way to the third spot for now.

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Left Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 4.075/313.95, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.248/250.23, Was #13
Right Lane: Courtney Force Runs 4.047/317.87, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.131/305.91, Was #7

A good side-by-side, these two were glued together all the way through the run. Force goes from the seventh spot to thied, Hagan from 13th to fifth, for now.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 9.539/80.33, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.193/302.21, Was #12
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.049/314.75, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.113/306.12, Was #8

Wilkerson goes up in smoke soon after hitting the throttle and has to give up on the run. Worsham goes right down the groove and moves up to the fourth spot.

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Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.322/220.15, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.138/293.73, Was #10
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.099/313.00, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.109/311.27, Was #8

Hight started this session in the number one spot and has dropped all the way to eighth. Hight doesn't improve much and is unable to move up from the eighth spot. Capps gets out of the groove, makes a move toward the centerline and has to back off the throttle about 700 feet out.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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