Fri, 21 Jul 2006, 05:05 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Michael L. Jex

KENT, Wash. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 19th annual Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

---

Left Lane: Ken Kraus Runs 5.887/241.15, Now #1
Right Lane: Roger Bateman Runs 6.448/232.39, Now #2

1:31 p.m. Temps are in the mid 90's here at Pacific Raceway, it's warm outside!

Bateman drove thru a lot of tire shake, then danced his way near the centerline. He didn't cross the line, and never lifted. Kraus's run was much smoother, right down the middle of the left lane.

---

Left Lane: John Evanchuk Runs 5.948/238.68, Now #2
Right Lane: Randy Parker Runs 6.072/240.08, Now #3

Parker won this race with Dairy Farmers of Oregon sponsorship back in the 1990's, he's been knocking on the door to set a new career best for quite awhile now. His best number - 5.797, he's gone as fast as 5.805 in 2006.

Both drivers had their hands full on this run - John Evanchuk's incremental times: 60ft-0.998 sec., 330ft-2.628, 660ft-3.919/192.17mph, 1,000ft-5.014
Randy Parker's incremental times: 60ft-0.995 sec., 330ft-2.671, 660ft-4.016/187.81mph, 1,000ft-5.134

---

Left Lane: John Patton Runs 7.212/134.46, Now #6
Right Lane: Bucky Austin Runs 5.857/251.63, Now #1

Big RPM burnout for Austin, Foolish Money Racing's John Patton is making his first lap of the weekend. Patton popped a burst panel in the middle of the run, Bucky runs out the back door to the top spot.

---

Left Lane: Larry Miner Runs 11.746/66.82, Now #8
Right Lane: Don Hudson Runs 5.739/235.60, Now #1

Something went wrong for Miner, the motor bumped the rev limiter and he lifted. Hudson's vaults ahead of local racer Bucky Austin by almost a tenth of a second.

---

Left Lane: Hank Coolidge Runs 5.910/248.43, Now #4
Right Lane: John Weaver Runs 11.410/85.17, Now #9

Weaver shook and lifted, Coolidge had the third quickest speed at the halfway point (195.08 mph) and ended the run in the 4th spot.

---

Left Lane: Jim Peters Runs 6.157/230.96, Now #8
Right Lane: Clint Thompson Runs 5.821/246.21, Now #2

Thompson is currently in the 2nd spot in the Northwest Division Six points with one win at the divisional level with this new Monte Carlo.

Peters had to pedal just past the 100-foot mark, Thompson's foot was firmly on the loud pedal the whole 1320 feet. Clint Thompson's incremental times: 60ft-0.998 sec., 330ft-2.591, 660ft-3.839/198.61mph, 1,000ft-4.911

---

Left Lane: Brian Hough Runs 6.290/178.35, Now #10
Right Lane: Jay Payne Runs 5.750/253.66, Now #2

Brian Hough won the Lucas Oil Divisional Race at Woodburn two weeks ago, he's been on a tear lately. Brian started to lag behind Payne before the halfway point, the reason not clear from this vantage point.

---

Left Lane: Doug Gordon Runs 5.756/248.80, Now #3
Right Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 12.557/74.75, Now #16

With this pair comes our first bump spot of the weekend in TAFC - Gasparrelli had something go wrong right at the hit, Gordon's Morro Bay Cabinets Camaro had a good run in the left lane.

Gasparrelli got the number 16 bump spot, for the moment anyway.

---

Left Lane: Dennis Taylor Runs 5.719/251.39, Now #1

Taylor has struggled a little since finishing number six in the country last year, but he's got one of the best crew chief's in the business - Ora Vasquez.

.960 60-foot. The best of the session. 199.76 mph at the halfway point, the best of the session. With early numbers like these, Dennis vaults all the way to the top of the Funny Car heap, bumps out Gasparrelli, now Larry Miner is on the bump spot.

---

Left Lane: Derek Smelson Runs 7.645/186.07, Now #15

Derek is one of the few people to have a TAFC, Top Alcohol Dragster, AND a jet car license in NHRA Drag Racing. The motor bogged a little off the line, then labored the rest of the way. He bumps his way into the top 16, and leaves John Weaver on the bump.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink