Fri, 26 Oct 2018, 16:02 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Dave Rowe

LAS VEGAS - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 18th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Bob Bode Runs 4.253/265.74, Now #1
Right Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 5.828/117.89, Now #2

12:30 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 83 degrees, relative humidity 24 percent, barometer 28.00 inches, adjusted altitude 4,253 feet, track temperature 108 degrees.

Bode had a cylinder out early in the run and started drifting toward the wall. He stays with it for most of the run but backed off the throttle a little early. Arend made a move to the right early, started making a move toward the wall, then backed off the throttle about 500 feet out.

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Left Lane: Richard Townsend Runs 9.876/78.90, Now #4
Right Lane: Gary Densham Runs 4.415/202.55, Now #2

Townsend goes up in smoke at the hit and backs off the throttle quickly. Densham gets about 800 feet out and the car noses over.

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Left Lane: Jim Campbell Runs 4.103/308.43, Now #2
Right Lane: Jonnie Lindberg Runs 4.050/314.24, Now #1

Lindberg makes a clean, straight pass to take the pole for now. Campbell makes a decent run to get in the second spot for now.

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Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 15.381/61.50, Now #8
Right Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 3.970/319.52, Now #1

Pedregon goes up in smoke as soon as he hits the throttle. Tasca goes right down the groove with a good pass and he goes to the top spot.

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Left Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 3.969/321.27, Now #2
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 3.922/327.19, Now #1

Beckman goes down the groove with a good pass to take the pole for now. Langdon makes a clean pass to get in the second spot for now.

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Left Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 4.022/320.13, Now #5
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.007/300.06, Now #4

Hagan's car has a special chrome paint scheme this weekend.

Hagan makes a clean pass but is a little off the pace. Force was on a good pass but the car nosed over a little before the finish line.

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Left Lane: Courtney Force Runs 3.926/328.46, Now #2
Right Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 3.947/321.65, Now #3

Force was moving around a little early in the run but she stays on the throttle and makes a good pass. Johnson makes a clean, straight pass and he gets in the third spot for now.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 3.961/320.28, Now #4
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.009/323.58, Now #8

Wilkerson goes down the groove with a good pass and he gets in the show in the fourth spot for now. Capps car was a little sluggish early in the run but came on strong at the top end.

Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.887 sec., 330ft-2.282, 660ft-3.205/279.56 mph.


Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.906 sec., 330ft-2.310, 660ft-3.252/274.50 mph.

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Left Lane: J.R. Todd Runs 4.389/200.65, Now #14
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 3.927/328.38, Now #3

Todd was on a decent pass but gets about 500 feet out, he hazes the tires and has to back off the throttle. Hight goes down the groove with a good pass to get in the third spot to end this session.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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