Sat, 25 Feb 2017, 19:28 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By David Gerard

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 33rd annual NHRA Arizona 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:

---

Right Lane: Jeff Diehl Runs 7.257/93.50, Now #17; Best prior run: 8.093/93.47, Was #17

4:50 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 68 degrees, relative humidity 20 percent, barometer 28.74 inches, adjusted altitude 2,281 feet, track temperature 94 degrees.

Phil Burkart is on the bump spot at 5.352. Courtney Force is number one at 3.838.

Strong initial leave for Diehl, but the tires rattle loose about 300 feet out. He will not qualify.

---

Left Lane: Phil Burkart Runs 5.429/144.89, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.352/165.94, Was #16
Right Lane: Jim Campbell Runs 5.021/155.08, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.950/167.57, Was #15

The prior run sets the field and jockeying for position commences.

Both cars get off the line OK, but Burkhart's tires are shaking hard right away . He pumps the pedal and tries again to no avail.

Campbell gets a little further before smoking the tires and the Charger makes a move towards the center line.

They will stay on the bottom of the ladder.

---

Right Lane: John Force Runs 6.354/104.79, Now #12; Best prior run: 3.941/313.15, Was #12

Force is making a single. The Camaro powers right into hard smoke about 200 feet out.

---

Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon No Time, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.007/294.95, Was #13
Right Lane: Gary Densham Runs 4.249/219.65, Now #11; Best prior run: 3.938/320.36, Was #11

Densham has only made one good pass and Pedregon is still looking for a full pass.

Pedregon's Camry is immediately up and smoke and he clicks it right off.

Densham was on another sub-four second pass, but the Mustang starts a steady pull towards the center line and he has to lift around the 660 lights.

Neither car will improve.

---

Left Lane: Alexis DeJoria Runs 3.922/328.14, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.920/325.14, Was #10
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 3.902/327.74, Now #9; Best prior run: 3.897/325.45, Was #9

Hight has had a consistent car, but is still not in the top half of the field. DeJoria has only had one good pass.

We finally get a pair of side by side passes and they are good ones, but neither car can improve.

Hight gets a small advantage off the line and pulls slowly ahead going down the track for his second best pass of the weekend to stay number nine.

DeJoria makes a clean and straight pass too, just 0.002 off of her prior best. She does pick up 3 MPH and stays number ten.

Alexis DeJoria's incremental times: 60ft-0.876 sec., 330ft-2.249, 660ft-3.179/279.56 mph.
Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.874 sec., 330ft-2.241, 660ft-3.159/280.84 mph.

---

Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 8.860/76.38, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.896/328.22, Was #8
Right Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 3.837/329.10, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.877/327.43, Was #6

Johnson sits on the starting line for over one and a quarter second and then flies on down the track to take the new top spot with the sixth quickest pass of NHRA history. Some kind of tree issue, but he makes the most of it.

Worsham has a strong leave and shakes the tires loose early.

Del Worsham's incremental times: 60ft-0.875 sec., 330ft-3.027, 660ft-5.814/078.33 mph.

---

Left Lane: J.R. Todd Runs 5.084/146.91, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.889/326.63, Was #7
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 3.881/322.11, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.869/328.46, Was #6

Todd has run in the threes every pass, so far, but strikes the tires hard about the 330 foot lights.

Beckman was on a strong pass until right before the finish line, where there is lot of smoke from the engine. He will stay number six.

Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.862 sec., 330ft-2.231, 660ft-3.137/284.27 mph.

---

Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 3.839/333.58, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.847/325.06, Was #4
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 3.860/325.22, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.852/329.42, Was #5

Wilkerson ran a career best in session two last night and powers on down the track this time on a clean pass to stay number five.

Capps final put up a good number in session three and comes back this session to run the eighth quickest pass in history and set the track speed record.

Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.856 sec., 330ft-2.214, 660ft-3.113/288.46 mph.,
Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.867 sec., 330ft-2.224, 660ft-3.122/287.11 mph.

---

Left Lane: Courtney Force Runs 3.851/332.84, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.838/332.67, Was #2
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 6.035/113.44, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.839/329.67, Was #4

Force finally makes another strong pass, her second best of the weekend to stay number two. That's her career best speed!

Hagan is away first and has a strong 60 foot time, but the tires are smoking about 200 feet out. He will stay number four.

Courtney Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.863 sec., 330ft-2.216, 660ft-3.119/285.77 mph.

5:20 p.m. Tommy Johnson is number one at 3.837 and Phil Burkart is on the bump spot at 5.352.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



NHRA: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ]

Nov 11- POMONA 2 - Thursday Schedule
Nov 11- POMONA 2 - Top Fuel Preview
Nov 09- Loaded 2027 Schedule Announced for NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series
Nov 06- LAS VEGAS - Top Alcohol Funny Car Final, Round 4 Eliminations
Nov 06- LAS VEGAS - Competition Eliminator Final, Round 5 Eliminations
Nov 06- LAS VEGAS - Top Dragster Final, Round 5 Eliminations
Nov 05- POMONA 2 - Event Preview
Nov 02- LAS VEGAS - Summary of Eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car
Nov 02- LAS VEGAS - Summary of Eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster
Nov 02- LAS VEGAS - Summary of Eliminations in Competition Eliminator