Fri, 13 Oct 2017, 14:47 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Dave Rowe

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 32nd annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Mark Billington Runs 5.755/252.71, Now #2
Right Lane: Jeff Jones Runs 5.647/259.06, Now #1

1:18 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 86 degrees, relative humidity 56 percent, barometer 29.48 inches, adjusted altitude 3,208 feet, track temperature 106 degrees.

Jones was moving around all the way through the run but he stays on the throttle and makes a decent pass.

Billington goes right down the groove and makes a decent pass.

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Left Lane: Bryan Brown Runs 5.705/246.48, Now #2
Right Lane: Nick Januik Runs 11.388/43.90, Now #4

Januik hits the throttle, gets about 300 feet out and the pipes go wet.

Brown makes a clean pass and gets in the second spot for now.

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Left Lane: Terry Ruckman Runs 5.558/265.59, Now #1
Right Lane: Ulf Leanders Runs 5.770/252.33, Now #5

Ruckman goes right down the groove with a good run to take the pole for now. leanders makes a clean pass and gets in the fifth spot for now.

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Left Lane: Ray Martin Runs 11.398/72.23, Now #8
Right Lane: Andy Bohl Runs 5.598/266.48, Now #2

Bohl makes a clean, straight pass and gets in the field in the second spot for now. Martin shook the tires at the hit, gets about 200 feet out and backs off the throttle.

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Left Lane: Sean Bellemeur Runs 5.576/263.62, Now #3
Right Lane: Jay Payne Runs 5.574/262.33, Now #2

Payne gets about 500 feet out, makes a move to the left, but is able to stay on the throttle and go on through with a decent pass to get in the second spot for now. Bellemeur makes a clean pass and gets in the third spot for now.

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Left Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 5.624/261.93, Now #6
Right Lane: Kris Hool Runs 5.596/261.32, Now #4

A good-side-by-side, both right down the groove. Hool gets in the show in the fourth spot, Gasparrelli into the sixth.

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Left Lane: Annie Whiteley Runs 5.610/266.48, Now #7
Right Lane: Doug Gordon Runs 5.486/268.76, Now #1

Gordon goes right down the groove with the quickest pass of the round so far and takes the top spot for now. Whiteley makes a decent pass but was falling behind all the way through the run.

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Left Lane: Shane Westerfield Runs 5.524/267.37, Now #2
Right Lane: John Lombardo Jr. Runs 5.529/269.08, Now #3

Westerfield makes a good pass and gets in the show on the second spot. Lombardo makes a clean pass and gets in just behind in third.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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