Sat, 28 Oct 2017, 15:54 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Dave Rowe

LAS VEGAS - Notes from final, round 3 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 this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time/speed, and position in order prior to run:

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Left Lane: Steve Macklyn Runs 5.995/247.07, Now #19; Best prior run: 5.927/247.97, Was #18
Right Lane: Jay Payne Runs 5.603/262.54, Now #10; Best prior run: 9.288/94.08, Was #20

12:12 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 87 degrees, relative humidity 19 percent, barometer 27.88 inches, adjusted altitude 4,582 feet, track temperature 101 degrees.

Payne goes right down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend and he gets in the field in the tenth spot for now.

Macklyn makes a clean pass but he doesn't make the show.

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Left Lane: Cody Perkins Runs 5.751/249.12, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.867/220.08, Was #16
Right Lane: Charles McLaws Runs 5.868/248.84, Now #17; Best prior run: 6.162/245.72, Was #20

Perkins leaves the line and heads for the centerline. he steers it back in the groove, never backs off the throttle, and he improves enough to get off of the bump.

McLaws makes his quickest pass of the weekend but he doesn't make the show.

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Left Lane: Chip Beverett Runs 5.737/256.41, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.831/255.92, Was #16
Right Lane: Robert Turner Runs 6.324/229.04, Now #19; Best prior run: 5.925/223.06, Was #19

Beverett rattles the tires off the line and makes a move to the right. He pedals, gets it back in the groove, and he improves and gets off of the bump. Turner had traction problems and can't improve.

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Left Lane: Sean Bellemeur Runs 13.652/78.09, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.668/258.52, Was #14
Right Lane: Nick Januik Runs 5.684/259.06, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.878/253.33, Was #18

Bellemeur rattles the tires at the hit, gets about 60 feet out and backs off the throttle. Januik makes his quickest pass of the weekend and gets in the show in the 15th spot, bumping out Perkins in the process.

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Left Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 5.671/256.75, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.651/259.66, Was #13
Right Lane: Jirka Kaplan Runs 11.325/95.30, Now #11; Best prior run: 5.605/260.46, Was #11

Kaplan rattles the tires early and gives up on the run. Gasparrelli makes a clean pass but doesn't improve.

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Left Lane: Ray Martin Runs 5.645/256.89, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.626/258.71, Was #12
Right Lane: Kris Hool Runs 5.619/258.02, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.597/259.81, Was #9

A good side-by-side, both right down the groove with good runs. Martin doesn't improve and stays in the 12th spot, Hool stays in ninth.

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Left Lane: Shane Westerfield Runs 5.555/263.98, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.556/265.27, Was #8
Right Lane: John Lombardo Jr. Runs 14.054/77.38, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.525/266.16, Was #6

Lombardo loses traction at the hit and was off the throttle before he gets 60 feet out. Westerfield goes right down the groove with another good pass but will stay in the eighth spot.

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Left Lane: Brian Hough Runs 14.561/70.94, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.549/264.29, Was #7
Right Lane: Larry Dixon Runs 10.109/76.28, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.508/263.41, Was #4

Hough goes up in smoke at the hit and has to give up on the run quickly. Dixon starts hazing the tires, heads for the centerline, then backs off the throttle about 200 feet out.

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Left Lane: Chris Marshall Runs 5.606/260.46, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.523/263.10, Was #5
Right Lane: Ulf Leanders Runs 11.763/98.56, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.497/262.95, Was #3

Leanders goes up in smoke at the hit and aborts the run. Marshall goes right down the groove with another good, consistent pass but he doesn't improve.

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Left Lane: Doug Gordon Runs 5.515/263.51, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.488/267.75, Was #1
Right Lane: Annie Whiteley Runs 5.511/268.92, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.491/268.71, Was #2

Another good side-by-side for these two. Whiteley is a little quicker on this one but she doesn't improve.

Gordon makes a clean pass and hangs on to the top spot. This is Gordon's second consecutive start from the top spot, the fourth this season and the ninth of his career.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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