Fri, 27 Oct 2017, 16:59 PM Pro Modified Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Rick Green

LAS VEGAS - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Pro Modified 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: Rick Distefano Runs 9.094/102.98, Now #2
Right Lane: Derek Menholt Runs 6.310/234.21, Now #1

12:51 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 86 degrees, relative humidity 20 percent, barometer 27.92 inches, adjusted altitude 4,526 feet, track temperature 103 degrees.

Distefano leaves the line and makes a move to the right. He steers it back to the left, then backs off the throttle.

Menholt makes a clean pass to take the top spot for now.

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Left Lane: Mike Knowles Runs 9.340/87.16, Now #4
Right Lane: Billy Harper Runs 6.024/236.84, Now #1

Knowles loses traction at the hit, heads for the centerline, then backs off the throttle about 300 feet out.

Harper was moving around a little early in the run.

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Left Lane: Michael Bowman Runs 6.015/259.91, Now #1
Right Lane: Carl Stevens Runs 11.388/78.03, Now #6

Bowman goes right down the groove with a good pass and big top end speed. The fastest in the history of Pro Mod and sets the national MPH record.

Stevens gets out of shape early in the run and has to back off the throttle.

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Left Lane: Clint Satterfield Runs 6.235/240.17, Now #4
Right Lane: Dan Stevenson Runs 5.835/252.95, Now #1

Stevenson goes right down the groove with a good pass to take the pole for now.

Satterfield gets about 300 feet out and the engine backfires. He stays on the throttle and makes a decent pass to get in the fourth spot for now.

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Left Lane: Harry Hruska Runs 5.907/249.58, Now #2
Right Lane: Chip King Runs 6.052/237.80, Now #5

Hruska makes a clean, straight pass and gets in the second spot for now. King makes a decent pass and gets in the fifth spot for now.

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Left Lane: Eric Latino No Time, Now #12
Right Lane: Jim Whiteley Runs 5.996/243.02, Now #3

Latino leaves the line and loses traction. He makes a hard move to the right, crosses the centerline on two wheels and hits the wall head on. The car then heads to the left, hits the wall on the left side, then proceeds down track. He comes to a stop in the shutdown area and gets out of the car on his own.

Whiteley goes right down the groove with a good pass to get in the field in the third spot for now.

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Left Lane: Bob Rahaim Runs 6.226/232.11, Now #7
Right Lane: Mike Janis Runs 9.452/94.26, Now #12

Rahaim clicked off early.

Janis started to drift out of the groove toward the wall and lifted.

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Left Lane: Michael Biehle Runs 6.033/250.00, Now #6
Right Lane: Danny Rowe Runs 10.272/99.27, Now #14

Biehle was straight down the groove to the number six spot. Michael Biehle's incremental times: 60ft-1.050 sec., 330ft-2.792, 660ft-4.059/195.70 mph, 1,000ft-5.132.

Rowe with severe tire shake and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Rickie Smith Runs 5.876/247.38, Now #2
Right Lane: Khalid alBalooshi Runs 12.546/67.82, Now #17

Smith launched hard and then had a little wiggle around half track, but stayed with it to go to the number two spot. Rickie Smith's incremental times: 60ft-0.976 sec., 330ft-2.620, 660ft-3.893/195.00 mph, 1,000ft-4.968.

alBalooshi with tire shake right at the hit and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Steve Matusek Runs 5.969/243.90, Now #4
Right Lane: Jonathan Gray Runs 6.239/232.55, Now #12

Matusek was straight down the groove to go to the number four spot. Steve Matusek's incremental times: 60ft-1.009 sec., 330ft-2.651, 660ft-3.944/191.46 mph, 1,000ft-5.045.

Gray clicked it off early.

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Left Lane: Steven Whiteley Runs 6.107/193.21, Now #10
Right Lane: Sidnei Frigo Runs 10.252/90.18, Now #18

Whiteley with a clean pass to start the weekend. Steven Whiteley's incremental times: 60ft-0.972 sec., 330ft-2.616, 660ft-3.891/192.33 mph, 1,000ft-5.020.

Frigo with tire shake right at the hit and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Steve Jackson Runs 5.825/245.36, Now #1
Right Lane: Shane Molinari Runs 10.031/120.90, Now #19

Jackson launched hard and kept it hooked up to go to the number one spot. Steve Jackson's incremental times: 60ft-0.960 sec., 330ft-2.554, 660ft-3.824/194.66 mph, 1,000ft-4.909.

Molinari made a quick move toward the wall and he clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Mike Castellana Runs 5.869/247.20, Now #3
Right Lane: Troy Coughlin Runs 9.466/106.78, Now #20

These two are battling it out for the Championship.

Castellana kept it hooked up and was straight down the groove to the number three spot. Mike Castellana's incremental times: 60ft-0.993 sec., 330ft-2.615, 660ft-3.880/196.27 mph, 1,000ft-4.958.

Coughlin with tire shake and was sideways before he clicked it off and the chutes came out around the 330-foot mark.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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