Fri, 05 Oct 2018, 16:27 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Dave Rowe

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 33rd 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: Todd Simpson Runs 6.011/121.84, Now #1

2:55 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 89 degrees, relative humidity 56 percent, barometer 29.34 inches, adjusted altitude 3,622 feet, track temperature 126 degrees.

Simpson gets about 200 feet out, strikes the tires and has to give up on the run.

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Left Lane: Jeff Diehl Runs 6.171/115.37, Now #3
Right Lane: Jim Campbell Runs 4.125/307.30, Now #1

Diehl put out a cylinder or two early in the run. Campbell makes a decent pass.

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Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.886/159.17, Now #2
Right Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.892/159.53, Now #3

Pedregon and tasca leave together, both get about 350 feet out, then both go up in smoke.

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Left Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 4.047/317.05, Now #2
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.030/309.49, Now #1

Beckman gets about 800 feet out, looks like he may have started losing a cylinder, but still makes a good run to take the top spot for now. Langdon makes a clean pass and gets in the second spot for now.

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Left Lane: John Force Runs 4.116/270.97, Now #3
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 5.649/124.45, Now #7

Hagan gets about 300 feet out, starts hazing the tires and backs off the throttle. Force starts drifting to the left, then steers it back to the right, before losing a cylinder and backing off the throttle.

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Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.062/312.64, Now #3
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 5.005/152.78, Now #8

Capps gets about 300 feet out, strikes the tires and he has to abort the run. Johnson goes down the groove with a clean pass to get in the third spot for now.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.072/310.34, Now #4
Right Lane: Courtney Force Runs 4.222/231.68, Now #7

Wilkerson makes a good pass and gets in the fourth spot for now. Force was on a good pass, in front of Wilkerson at half track, then the rear of the car makes a move and she has to back off the throttle.

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Left Lane: J.R. Todd Runs 4.108/305.56, Now #5
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.611/183.02, Now #9

Hight starts rattling the tires and is off the throttle about 400 feet out. Todd makes a clean pass and gets in the fifth spot to end this session.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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