Fri, 27 Oct 2017, 14:57 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Dave Rowe

LAS VEGAS - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 17th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Charles McLaws Runs 6.914/142.07, Now #2
Right Lane: Steve Macklyn Runs 6.009/247.79, Now #1

11:24 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 81 degrees, relative humidity 21 percent, barometer 27.95 inches, adjusted altitude 4,120 feet, track temperature 98 degrees.

McLaws rattles the tires at the hit and starts moving around. he drifts toward the centerline, steers it back to the left, then the engine pops and the car noses over.

This is Macklyn's first national event. He makes a clean pass to take the early pole.

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Left Lane: Robert Turner Runs 5.925/223.06, Now #2
Right Lane: Cody Perkins Runs 5.867/220.08, Now #1

Turner drifts to the right early in the run, steers it back to the groove and makes a decent pass.

Perkins goes right down the groove with a decent pass.

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Left Lane: Jirka Kaplan Runs 5.988/221.74, Now #3
Right Lane: Chip Beverett Runs 6.381/250.00, Now #5

Kaplan has problems and is off the throttle a little early. Beverett's car was sluggish early in the run.

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Left Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 5.508/263.41, Now #1
Right Lane: Brian Hough Runs 5.638/262.39, Now #2

Dixon drifts a little to the right early but stays on the throttle and makes a good pass to take the pole for now. Hough makes a clean pass to get in the second spot for now.

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Left Lane: Nick Januik Runs 5.878/253.33, Now #5
Right Lane: Chris Marshall Runs 5.581/260.56, Now #2

Januik makes a clean, straight pass and gets in the fifth spot for now. marshall goes right down the groove with a good run to get in the second spot for now.

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Left Lane: Ulf Leanders Runs 5.562/262.54, Now #2
Right Lane: Ray Martin Runs 5.626/258.71, Now #4

A good side-by-side, both right down the groove. Leanders makes a clean pass and gets in the field in the second spot for now, Martin to the fourth spot.

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Left Lane: Jay Payne Runs 14.273/54.38, Now #14
Right Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 9.913/144.10, Now #13

Payne hits the throttle, rattles the tires, then goes up in smoke and backs off the throttle. Gasparrelli goes up in smoke at the hit and is off the throttle quickly.

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Left Lane: Kris Hool Runs 9.068/143.35, Now #14
Right Lane: Sean Bellemeur Runs 5.668/258.52, Now #6

Hool gets about 60 feet out, goes up in smoke and gives up on the run. Bellemeur goes right down the groove with a decent pass to get in the sixth spot for now.

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Left Lane: Annie Whiteley Runs 5.491/268.71, Now #2
Right Lane: Doug Gordon Runs 5.488/267.75, Now #1

A good side-by-side, both right down the groove with the quickest passes of the round so far. Gordon gets in the show in the top spot, Whiteley just behind in second.

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Left Lane: John Lombardo Jr. Runs 5.601/263.77, Now #6
Right Lane: Shane Westerfield Runs 5.605/263.67, Now #7

Lombardo goes right down the groove with a decent pass and gets in the field in the sixth spot. Westerfield makes a clean, straight pass to get in just behind in seventh.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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