POMONA 1 - Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

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Sat, 13 Feb 2016, 13:36 PM

Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Larry Sullivan

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 56th annual Circle K NHRA 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: Chip Beverett Runs 6.004/178.28, Now #14; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Tony Bartone No Time, Now #18; Best prior run: 10.559/108.02, Was #17

10:04 a.m. Beverett has not gone down the track in two tries so far, shut off after the burnout on the first, timed out on the second

Bartone hit the wall yesterday, took out the 330-foot timing reflector today, ending his weekend. Beverett got the car staged this time around and made a quick enough run to bump into the field.

Bret Williamson is on the bump spot at 6.093.

Left Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 5.885/255.63, Now #15; Best prior run: 6.079/249.35, Was #15
Right Lane: Clint Thompson Runs 5.576/261.83, Now #5; Best prior run: 6.108/165.46, Was #17

Thompson should be the last driver in line who can bump Williamson from the field.

Thompson made a very nice run and Williamson is on the outside. Gasparrelli made a much-improved run, stayed 15th.

Clint Thompson's incremental times: 60ft-0.966 sec., 330ft-2.509, 660ft-3.705/208.07 mph, 1,000ft-4.718.

Now Chip Beverett is on the bump spot at 6.004.

Left Lane: Hannes Wernhart Runs 5.777/233.68, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.739/250.92, Was #13
Right Lane: Bret Williamson Runs 5.689/253.61, Now #12; Best prior run: 6.093/178.92, Was #17

Williamson bumped his way back in, sacrificing a few pistons in the lights. That bumped Beverett from the field and Gasparrelli will now face the #1 qualifier later today.

Wernhart made a decent run, failed to improve.

Left Lane: Sean Bellemeur Runs 11.778/88.73, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.641/258.22, Was #11
Right Lane: Mike Doushgounian Runs 5.498/262.90, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.776/204.42, Was #15

Bellemeur shook and slowed. Very nice run by Doushgounian to put the top three wualifiers in the forties.

Mike Doushgounian's incremental times: 60ft-0.966 sec., 330ft-2.468, 660ft-3.643/211.20 mph, 1,000ft-4.648.

Left Lane: Terry Ruckman Runs 5.577/262.79, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.617/261.12, Was #10
Right Lane: Nick Januik Runs 5.580/259.56, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.717/253.47, Was #14

Nice side-by-side runs, both drivers improving and both in the top half of the field for now.

Terry Ruckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.956 sec., 330ft-2.506, 660ft-3.704/207.50 mph, 1,000ft-4.719.
Nick Januik's incremental times: 60ft-0.958 sec., 330ft-2.487, 660ft-3.690/206.26 mph, 1,000ft-4.713.

Left Lane: Shane Westerfield Runs 5.525/268.71, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.606/261.32, Was #10
Right Lane: Ulf Leanders Runs 5.605/261.72, Now #11; Best prior run: 5.629/261.72, Was #12

Leanders' car was hopping a bit, flapping the roof hatch, but he improved enough to move up one spot. Westerfield just went straight down the groove and is now solidly in the top half.

Shane Westerfield's incremental times: 60ft-0.956 sec., 330ft-2.500, 660ft-3.686/209.46 mph, 1,000ft-4.685.
Ulf Leanders' incremental times: 60ft-0.989 sec., 330ft-2.530, 660ft-3.728/207.46 mph, 1,000ft-4.748.

Left Lane: Steven Ham Runs 5.562/260.76, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.600/256.26, Was #10
Right Lane: Jay Payne Runs 5.528/257.28, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.615/262.90, Was #12

One of the two had a loud BANG in the lights, couldn't tell which one. The track crew checked the finish line area, picked up a couple small pieces.

Two more good runs, two more drivers moved up the ladder.

Steven Ham's incremental times: 60ft-0.978 sec., 330ft-2.498, 660ft-3.686/208.46 mph, 1,000ft-4.700.
Jay Payne's incremental times: 60ft-0.942 sec., 330ft-2.463, 660ft-3.649/208.52 mph, 1,000ft-4.663.

Left Lane: Brian Hough Runs 6.019/182.72, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.570/262.18, Was #8
Right Lane: Doug Gordon Runs 5.466/268.81, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.519/265.38, Was #4

Now the top four are in the forties, Gordon with the second-best run of the event. Hough had problems before half track, most likely tire shake.

Brian Hough's incremental times: 60ft-0.943 sec., 330ft-2.464, 660ft-3.711/196.62 mph, 1,000ft-4.862.
Doug Gordon's incremental times: 60ft-0.943 sec., 330ft-2.458, 660ft-3.631/211.76 mph, 1,000ft-4.627.

Left Lane: John Lombardo Jr. Runs 5.473/271.73, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.462/271.35, Was #1
Right Lane: Jonnie Lindberg Runs 5.421/262.28, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.474/267.64, Was #3

Two more good runs, but Lombardo had a lot of tire spin on the launch and that may have made the difference. Lindberg made the quickest run of the event so far and valuted to the top spot on the ladder, moving Lonbardo and Gordon down a notch.

John Lombardo Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-0.952 sec., 330ft-2.493, 660ft-3.660/213.57 mph, 1,000ft-4.644.
Jonnie Lindberg's incremental times: 60ft-0.939 sec., 330ft-2.439, 660ft-3.601/213.67 mph, 1,000ft-4.583.

They will be back for their first round of eliminations this afternoon.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink