Under oppressive 90-degree temperatures reflective of the event's name, the final day of qualifying
for the 21st annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka was completed today.
Jerry Toliver drove the CANIDAE/Lucas Oil Chevy to a 15th qualifying position on the Funny Car grid
with an elapsed time of 4.889 seconds at 214.83 mph, and for the second time this season he will
face John Force in Round 1 of eliminations. He lost a close side-by-side run with the 14-time
champ at Atlanta last month. Ashley Force Hood is qualified No. 1 for the second consecutive race
with an elapsed time of 4.107 seconds at 295.59 mph.
"We've got a whole new, brand new clutch system on the CANIDAE car, so we're just out here learning
on every run we make," Toliver said. "That means having to go through the pains of testing to see
what works and what doesn't.
"We're having a problem dropping holes and we're trying to chase that. When you drop a hole, you
put stress on the other cylinders and you burn them up, so we're having issues with that. But
we're getting closer and closer. This new clutch combination is working and it should help Jim
(team owner/crew chief Dunn) out in the tuning department because he's getting the same piece back
every time."
Team owner Jim Dunn elected to pass on today's fourth and final qualifying session today as the
track temperature soared to 127 degrees, and it looked like a prudent decision as only two cars
were able to make full passes on the slippery track.
"Jim made a good call on that last session," Toliver said. "It's just so hot out there you're not
going to gain anything on the racetrack. We saved some parts and we'll go after them tomorrow and
see what happens."
CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods, http://www.canidae.com, is committed to sharing the message of "Responsible
Pet Ownership" through proper care and nutrition. CANIDAE provides its valued customers and their
pets with the highest standard of excellence for product quality, palatability and customer
satisfaction.
