Sat, 13 Apr 2013, 19:10 PM Pro Nitrous Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Larry Sullivan

CECIL, Ga. - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Pro Nitrous at the 2013 ADRL Tour presented by Speedtech, Hardee's Georgia Drags VII 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: Pat Stoken Runs 3.893/195.82, Now #3; Best prior run: 7.744/59.65, Was #9
Right Lane: John Hall Runs 3.936/193.74, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.907/195.25, Was #4

5:51 p.m. Mike Castellana is on the bump spot at 4.992.

Stoken made a nice run to bump Mike Castellana from the field and push Hall down to the bottom half.

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Left Lane: Jason Harris Runs 3.876/194.10, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.899/192.85, Was #4
Right Lane: Robert Mathis Runs 4.977/101.14, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.875/195.62, Was #2

That put Johnny Pilcher Mathis shook and slowed. Harris made a nice run to move up to the third spot.on the bump spot at 4.026.

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Left Lane: Tommy Franklin Runs 4.802/158.11, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.922/189.20, Was #6
Right Lane: Matt Suite Runs 4.176/182.70, Now #9; No Prior Run

Suite didn't get past the burnout in the first round and crossed the centerline in the second. Suite's car carried the front wheels way down the track and he had his hands full keeping it in his own lane and off the wall. He came up well short of the 4.026 bump time. Franklin shook and slowed, stayed sisxth.

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Left Lane: Mike Castellana Runs 3.938/190.65, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.992/100.14, Was #10
Right Lane: Mike Hill Runs 3.975/185.00, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.951/187.44, Was #7

Castellana put his Pro Mod back in the trailer to concentrate on this nitrous car - and he was down to his last chance to qualify it in the short field. He made the best of it...getting far enough into the field to be pretty safe from being bumped. That bumped Pilcher and put Hill on the bump spot at 3.951.

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Left Lane: Johnny Pilcher Runs 4.031/185.46, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.026/185.41, Was #9
Right Lane: Steve Jackson Runs 3.841/196.39, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.851/195.56, Was #1

Now it was Pilcher's turn - his last chance to make the cut.

Pilcher made a valiant attempt, but came up short. Jackson, however, improved his grip on first place by improving a hundredth.

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Right Lane: Tim Savell Runs 3.931/191.32, Now #7; Best prior run: 8.566/60.15, Was #11

Last car of the session and the last one with a shot at bumping Hill from the field. To do so, however, he needed not only to make a full pass, he needed a career-best run.

Sometimes dreams come true...by a tenth, good enough to not only get in, but to put Mike Castekllana on the bump spot, where he will face the #1 qualifier in round one.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink