Fri, 11 Oct 2019, 12:41 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Dave Rowe

CONCORD, N.C. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 12th annual NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Brian Gawlick Runs 5.605/259.91, Now #1
Right Lane: Bob Thomas Runs 6.426/193.99, Now #2

11:55 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 49 percent, barometer 29.45 inches, adjusted altitude 2,338 feet, track temperature 94 degrees.

Gawlick goes down the groove with a career best pass to start the weekend. Thomas gets out of the groove early, gets close to the wall and may have backed off the throttle a little early.

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Right Lane: Bill Naves Runs 7.926/105.89, Now #3

Naves drifts a little to the left early in the run, loses traction about 400 feet out and the rear of the car starts moving around. He makes a move toward the centerline and clicks it off.

Naves must have left some oil on the track as the Safety Safari is rolling.

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Left Lane: John Headley Runs 8.322/100.31, Now #5
Right Lane: Phil Esz Runs 5.739/259.96, Now #2

Headley started skating around early in the run, gets to half track and backs off the throttle. Esz goes down the groove with a clean pass and gets in the second spot for now.

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Left Lane: Aryan Rochon Runs 7.809/117.40, Now #5
Right Lane: Tony Bogolo Runs 5.725/258.02, Now #2

Rochon had traction problems early, the car moving around and getting out of the groove, and he gets about 500 feet out and clicks it off. Bogolo makes a clean, straight pass and gets in the second spot for now.

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Left Lane: DJ Cox Jr. Runs 7.847/119.17, Now #6
Right Lane: Ulf Leanders Runs 8.881/100.97, Now #9

Just like the two that ran before him in the left lane, Cox gets really squirrely and has to abort the run around half track. Leanders has traction problems early and is off the throttle about 500 feet out.

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Left Lane: Matt Gill Runs 5.496/269.56, Now #1
Right Lane: Dan Pomponio Runs 5.551/261.67, Now #2

No traction problems for Gill, right down the groove with the quickest pass of the round so far to take the top spot for now. Pomponio goes down the groove with a clean pass to get in the second spot for now.

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Left Lane: Kris Hool Runs 5.564/265.06, Now #3
Right Lane: Shane Westerfield Runs 11.170/75.49, Now #13

Hool makes a clean pass to start his weekend and he gets in the third spot for now. Westerfield has problems right off the line and the car noses over about 300 feet out.

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Left Lane: Annie Whiteley Runs 5.468/271.46, Now #1
Right Lane: Chris Marshall Runs 5.477/266.64, Now #2

A good side-by-side here, both right down the groove with impressive runs. Whiteley takes the tops pot for now, Marshall gets in right behind in the second spot for now.

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Left Lane: Brian Hough Runs 5.508/268.12, Now #4
Right Lane: Sean Bellemeur Runs 5.641/259.96, Now #8

Two good runs with Hough slowly inching away all the way through. Hough gets in the fourth spot, Bellemeur in the eighth to end this session.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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