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Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1
Fri, 1 Aug 2003, 04:19 PM
Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
Series, 16th annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time,
top speed, and position in order following run:
Left Lane: Bill Gallio Runs 6.268/225.41, Now #2
Right Lane: Dale VanGundy Runs 6.084/238.43, Now #1
12:40 PM Current weather conditions: 81 degrees, 44 percent relative
humidity, the barometer 30.02 inches and steady. Conditions are similar to the LODRS
Division 7 race we had here less than a month ago. We start off with a good pass for the
VanGundy family. Gallio was a little lazy off the line and coundn't keep the
pace.
Left Lane: Ron August Jr Runs 5.789/248.66, Now #1
Right Lane: Clint Thompson Runs 6.794/148.71, Now #4
August jumps up to a great start with good numbers on both ends of the track.
Thompson was right behind him until about mid-track and then slowed for no apparent
reason.
Left Lane: John Weaver Runs 5.786/248.02, Now #2
Right Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 5.692/255.00, Now #1
Gasparrelli does a burn out to past mid-track. They are running the old Pat
Austin FC, after the problem at the last Div. 7 points race. A great side by side by side
until near the top end. Weaver had better numbers down low and Gasparrelli definately had
the top end power to take over the current #1 spot.
Left Lane: Dennis Taylor Runs 5.793/246.84, Now #4
Right Lane: Bret Williamson Runs 16.693/63.05, Now #8
These two were in the final at the last points race here at Sonoma at the
beginning of July. Dennis would have preferred this result. Williamson has a lot of shake
and tire spin off the line and had to shut it down. Taylor makes a clean and smooth pass
into the current #4 spot.
Left Lane: Jay Payne Runs 6.574/144.40, Now #7
Right Lane: Mark Woznichak Runs 8.177/111.01, Now #9
Both cars make a good leave and run well until past mid-track. Woz starts to
move toward the wall and lifts. Payne runs a little further, until he too has to shut
down.
Left Lane: Jason Rupert Runs 11.298/72.56, Now #11
Right Lane: Bucky Austin Runs 5.717/256.02, Now #2
Rupert leaves hard and then gets way sideways after the 60 foot lights and has
to shut down. Austin has a great 1320 and moves into the current #2 spot. Things go bad
quickly after that, as he doesn't have any parachutes and runs up the hill and into the
sand trap. He's OK, but there will be a lot of work to do before the next
session.
Left Lane: Ed Marx Runs 9.946/84.28, Now #11
Marx will make a single as the last car in this session. He has a good leave
and runs well until about the 330 mark, where it sounds like the transmission doesn't
shift. He has to click it and coasts up the hill to the turn out. 1:06 PM
Timing data courtesy of
CompuLink
By Dave Gerard
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