Sat, 3 Sep 2005, 11:09 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Dave Rowe

CLERMONT, Ind. - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 51st annual Mac Tools U.S. 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: Grant Downing Runs 5.166/219.86, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.030/298.54, Was #18

9:03 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 38 percent, barometer 29.71 inches, adjusted altitude 1,642 feet, track temperature 88 degrees.

Downing had a good run going, then the candles go out about 1000 feet out, not sure why.

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Left Lane: Tony Bartone Runs 4.811/322.19, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.811/319.75, Was #8
Right Lane: John Lawson No Time, Now #25; Best prior run: 11.671/82.10, Was #25

Lawson goes up in smoke right off the line. He backs off the throttle, then the engine pops about 300 feet out. Bartone makes another good run, equalling his earlier pass yesterday.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 5.213/208.68, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.779/322.65, Was #5
Right Lane: Frank Pedregon Runs 4.732/326.08, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.818/312.21, Was #10

Pedregon makes a great pass, right down the groove on his quickest ever run, and he takes the pole for now. Wilkerson was on a decent pass, then lost power about 1000 feet out, not sure why.

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Left Lane: Gary Densham Runs 4.835/310.77, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.896/309.63, Was #15
Right Lane: Jack Wyatt Runs 5.907/169.47, Now #23; Best prior run: 5.502/198.67, Was #23

Densham makes a decent pass, his quickest of the year, and he moves up a few notches to 12th. Wyatt was having problems right of the line, then loses power about 900 feet out.

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Left Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 4.768/323.81, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.795/324.12, Was #7
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 6.113/152.30, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.837/321.88, Was #13

Pedregon gets to about half-track, makes a hard move toward the wall, then clicks it off. Bazemore goes right down the groove and moves up a couple of notches to the 5th spot.

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Left Lane: Terry Haddock Runs 4.989/282.19, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.088/274.16, Was #20
Right Lane: Dale Creasy Jr. Runs 8.010/119.08, Now #24; Best prior run: 7.213/120.94, Was #24

Creasy strikes the tires about 60 feet out, makes a move toward the wall, then clicks it off. Haddock makes a decent pass, just not quick enough to get in the field.

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Left Lane: Bob Bode Runs 14.508/72.76, Now #21; Best prior run: 5.133/267.69, Was #21
Right Lane: Bob Gilbertson Runs 4.827/313.29, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.979/239.74, Was #16

Bode strikes the tires right off the line, stays on the throttle for about 100 feet, then gives up on the run. Gilbertson makes his quickest pass of the weekend and moves up to 11th.

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Left Lane: Paul Lee Runs 5.261/207.24, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.996/284.45, Was #18
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 5.010/233.64, Now #19; Best prior run: 5.056/233.16, Was #20

This was a good looking side-by-side for the first half of the run, then Lee struck the tires and shut down. Pedregon gets about 800 feet out and loses power, not sure why.

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Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.848/320.81, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.833/320.51, Was #12
Right Lane: Mike Ashley Runs 4.997/281.54, Now #19; Best prior run: 5.373/264.34, Was #22

Ashley was on a pretty good run, then lost power about 1200 feet down. Head made a full pass but slow from his earlier attempt.

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Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.746/324.51, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.798/328.14, Was #8
Right Lane: Phil Burkart Runs 5.936/160.46, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.852/317.79, Was #16

Burkart gets a little past half-track, then the engine starts eating itself. Worsham goes right down the groove, header flames high and steady all the way through the run, and he moves up to the number two spot for now.

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Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.763/327.74, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.842/322.58, Was #15
Right Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 5.408/190.00, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.748/325.77, Was #4

These two were glued together for the first half of the run, then Johnson has problems just past half-track and the header flames disappear. Scelzi keeps it under power all the way through the lights and improves to the 5th spot.

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Left Lane: Eric Medlen Runs 4.755/320.66, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.775/322.73, Was #8
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.726/326.24, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.767/313.22, Was #6

Force makes a great pass here, the quickest of the weekend so far, and he moves into the top spot for now. The run was almost flawless, the engine just starting to eat itself up as he goes through the lights. Medlen started drifting toward the wall about 800 feet out, but hangs on to move up a couple of spots to 6th.

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Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.731/326.00, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.747/321.65, Was #4
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.769/322.34, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.811/310.84, Was #11

A great side-by-side to end the night, both cars right down the groove, header flames high and steady. Hight moves up a couple of notches to second, Capps moves up to 9th.

We end tonights qualifying with Force on the pole and Burkart on the bump with a 4.852.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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