Fri, 14 Oct 2016, 16:49 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Rick Green

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 31st annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Right Lane: Mark Billington Runs 5.656/257.83, Now #1

Billington with a good pass, he was a little loose on the top end. He makes his quickest and fastest pass of the season.

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Left Lane: Ro Yale Runs 5.784/252.24, Now #3
Right Lane: Bill Bernard Runs 5.584/230.06, Now #1

Yale was loose all the way down the track, but stayed with it. Bernard with a real nice pass until right in the lights when there was a huge cloud of engine smoke. the Safety Safari is rolling and the word is there is oil on the top end.

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Left Lane: Bryan Brown Runs 5.653/261.37, Now #2
Right Lane: Steve Burck Runs 6.268/216.34, Now #5

Brown was skating around all the way down the track...Burck with tire spin early.

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Left Lane: Sean Bellemeur Runs 5.487/267.59, Now #1
Right Lane: Jeff Jones Runs 5.488/269.40, Now #2

This was a great side-by-side drag race...Bellemeur was straight down the groove to go to the number one spot. Sean Bellemeur's incremental times: 60ft-0.960 sec., 330ft-2.476, 660ft-3.646/212.33 mph, 1,000ft-4.645. Jones was right there with him with his career quickest and fastest pass to the number two spot. Jeff Jones' incremental times: 60ft-0.966 sec., 330ft-2.480, 660ft-3.652/211.10 mph, 1,000ft-4.650.

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Left Lane: Shane Westerfield Runs 5.505/268.33, Now #3
Right Lane: Clint Thompson Runs 5.540/262.13, Now #4

Westerfield will be in the Seattle final to be run tomorrow during round three of qualifying. He has good looking pass to start the weekend. Shane Westerfield's incremental times: 60ft-0.937 sec., 330ft-2.480, 660ft-3.663/210.60 mph, 1,000ft-4.664. Thompson with a good looking pass. Clint Thompson's incremental times: 60ft-0.968 sec., 330ft-2.486, 660ft-3.671/208.62 mph, 1,000ft-4.683.

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Left Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 5.574/261.22, Now #5
Right Lane: Nick Januik Runs 6.036/257.53, Now #10

Gasparrelli is straight down the groove to go to the number five spot. Steve Gasparrelli's incremental times: 60ft-0.961 sec., 330ft-2.498, 660ft-3.692/207.02 mph, 1,000ft-4.713. Januik is Westerfield's opponent in the Seattle final. He has tire shake right at the hit and pedals it.

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Left Lane: Brian Hough Runs 5.647/259.76, Now #8
Right Lane: Terry Ruckman Runs 5.608/263.20, Now #7

These two are side-by-side ro get into the top half of the show. Hough to the number eight spot and Ruckman to the number seven spot. Brian Hough's incremental times: 60ft-0.971 sec., 330ft-2.550, 660ft-3.754/205.91 mph, 1,000ft-4.782.
Terry Ruckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.995 sec., 330ft-2.548, 660ft-3.740/207.82 mph, 1,000ft-4.753.

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Left Lane: Jay Payne Runs 5.616/237.59, Now #9
Right Lane: Annie Whiteley Runs 5.535/267.69, Now #4

Payne with a new car...he straight down the groove with a nice pass. Jay Payne's incremental times: 60ft-0.941 sec., 330ft-2.488, 660ft-3.692/205.13 mph, 1,000ft-4.718. Whiteley launched hard an kept it hooked up to go to the number four spot. Annie Whiteley's incremental times: 60ft-0.954 sec., 330ft-2.511, 660ft-3.695/209.75 mph, 1,000ft-4.694.

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Left Lane: Kris Hool Runs 5.690/259.76, Now #14
Right Lane: John Lombardo Jr. Runs 5.573/270.81, Now #6

Hool made a quick move toward the centerline on the launch, but reeled it in and gets in the show. Lombardo with a good looking pass and top speed of the day. He goes to the number six spot. John Lombardo Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-1.043 sec., 330ft-2.584, 660ft-3.751/213.03 mph, 1,000ft-4.741.

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Left Lane: Doug Gordon Runs 5.533/263.67, Now #5
Right Lane: Jonnie Lindberg Runs 5.474/268.44, Now #1

Number one and two in the Championship points chase. Lindberg clinch this weekend if he wins the event. He launched hard and then then used up all of his lane, but still goes to the number one spot. Doug Gordon's incremental times: 60ft-0.943 sec., 330ft-2.480, 660ft-3.669/208.84 mph, 1,000ft-4.680. Gordon with a real nice pass to go to the number five spot. Doug Gordon's incremental times: 60ft-0.943 sec., 330ft-2.480, 660ft-3.669/208.84 mph, 1,000ft-4.680.

Kris Hool is on the bump spot at 5.690.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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