Fri, 9 Feb 2007, 10:12 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Darryl Jackman

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 47th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals 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:

---

Left Lane: Dale Van Gundy Runs 6.068/214.93, Now #21; Best prior run: 9.295/116.55, Was #25
Right Lane: Mike Drake Runs 8.390/115.96, Now #26; No Prior Run

6:17 p.m. Van gundy was close to the center line all the way to the finish. Drake took the other line and was close to the wall in the other lane. Neither will qualify so the become spectators for Saturday.

---

Left Lane: Rian Konno Runs 11.864/69.93, Now #25; Best prior run: 7.707/175.41, Was #25
Right Lane: Larry Miner Runs 10.049/82.82, Now #24; Best prior run: 6.415/237.71, Was #24

Not a good weekend for the Bellemeur's and Konno and in fact not a great event for Miner either. Here in the final session I could hear the rpms skyrocket in both lanes before 330ft and both coasted on out the big end.

---

Left Lane: Doug Gordon Runs 5.775/257.97, Now #13; Best prior run: 6.311/183.92, Was #23
Right Lane: Jeff Carroll Runs 6.311/181.37, Now #23; Best prior run: 6.257/233.28, Was #22

The only word I can use for this pair is 'scary'! Both drivers, but in particular Gordon, used up a bunch of their lane before this was over. Carroll will be putting the car in the box, b ut for the moment Gordon is in the show. That bumped Kuhns and the Littlefield racer.

---

Left Lane: Sean Bellemeur Runs 5.742/254.33, Now #10; Best prior run: 6.029/243.85, Was #21
Right Lane: Alexis De Joria Runs 8.262/112.92, Now #21; Best prior run: 5.990/230.33, Was #20

Big move for Bellemeur as he punches into the field and moves Coolidge out of the show. DeJoria rattled the tires and wisely clicked it off.

---

Left Lane: Paul Crifasi Runs 5.983/216.27, Now #20; Best prior run: 5.950/242.41, Was #20
Right Lane: Pete Swayne Runs 5.836/251.11, Now #19; Best prior run: 5.929/251.53, Was #19

Another pair that wanders around in the lane. Both come close to the center and both pull them back to the center of the correct lanes. To bad but neither will be in the program.

---

Left Lane: Kirk Kuhns No Time, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.831/230.06, Was #18
Right Lane: John Patton Runs 7.873/116.38, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.787/239.27, Was #15

Kuhns is in the Littlefield's racer at Mert has decided to hang up the driving goggles. This is the last ditch effort for both racers. At least PAtton is currently in the program. Kuhns is shutoff after backing to the starting line. Patton was very close to the center and had to lift.

---

Left Lane: Hank Coolidge Runs 7.254/134.83, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.794/248.98, Was #17
Right Lane: Brian Hough Runs 5.641/258.12, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.764/250.18, Was #12

Coolidge has just been bumped and his last shot falls short as he's forced on and off the pedal. Hough has no such problems and bulls his way into the top half of the field.

---

Left Lane: Bret Williamson Runs 5.852/244.65, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.788/242.10, Was #16
Right Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 5.726/255.73, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.732/255.24, Was #9

Williamson is on the bump and I'm not certain if there is anyone left to bump him. Williamson fails to improve and Gasparrelli improves so slightly that he remains #9.

---

Left Lane: Clint Thompson Runs 5.576/257.04, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.749/254.42, Was #12
Right Lane: Bernie Harrington Runs 7.454/116.56, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.721/249.67, Was #8

Harrington goes bowling for cones so his 7.454/116.56 will be DQd. That won't matter for him since he can stand on his earlier 5.721 in the earlier session today. Thompson stuns both people left in the stands as he sets both ends of his career best numbers and moves all the way to #3 behind only Payne and Manzo.

---

Left Lane: Ken Kraus Runs 5.728/244.25, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.700/253.42, Was #8
Right Lane: Dennis Taylor Runs 8.383/95.73, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.629/256.41, Was #5

Taylor used all the lane early in the run after carding a .934 60ft number. Kraus has had a bracket racer on his hands this weekend. Both are currently top half racers.

---

Left Lane: Mark Woznichak Runs 5.693/250.78, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.661/250.92, Was #7

The Woz falls just a little short of his best but remains #7.

---

Left Lane: Jay Payne No Time, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.557/260.36, Was #2
Right Lane: Frank Manzo Runs 5.501/264.23, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.507/263.46, Was #1

The final pair of the day as someone is holding back the hands of the clocks for the curfew at 7:00p.m. (It's actually 7:05 p.m. at this moment). And Manzo resets the speed record again! He also takes his qualifying ET even lower...by .006 of course. Oh yeh, Payne. He sort of crossed over the center line and took out a few cones before he stopped the clocks with an 8.033/111.82. Oops. That's all for Friday Folks.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



NHRA: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ]

Jul 10- INDY 1 - Saturday Schedule
Jun 30- Lucas Oil to Sponsor Summernationals at Indianapolis
Jun 25- Tickets on Sale for 2020 Southern Nationals
Jun 25- Houston Raceway Park to Transform into Drive-In Theater for First NHRA Race Since Lockdown
Jun 25- NHRA Northwest Nationals Canceled Due to State and County Restrictions
Jun 25- Toyota to Serve as Associate Sponsor of Tony Schumacher in Indianapolis
Jun 25- Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum to Reopen July 1
Jun 24- E3 Spark Plugs Named Title Sponsor of July 11-12 NHRA Indianapolis Event
Jun 24- Cory McClenathan to Return for NHRA Indy Double-Header with DSR
Jun 22- AAA Texas Fall Nationals Expects Championship Field In October