Fri, 28 Jul 2006, 09:29 PM Top Sportsman Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Larry Sullivan

HEBRON, Ohio - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Top Sportsman at the NHRA, Second annual Jeg's Northern SPORTSnationals 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: Mike Coughlin Runs 7.375/188.46, Now #4; Best prior run: 7.368/188.25, Was #4
Right Lane: Tommy Turner Runs 7.029/198.64, Now #1; Best prior run: 7.076/198.12, Was #1

8:59 p.m. Turner tightened his grasp on the top spot in the order, Coughlin failed to improve.

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Left Lane: Ed Stuart Runs 7.766/180.14, Now #8; Best prior run: 7.785/176.93, Was #8
Right Lane: Jim Carlton Runs 7.872/131.79, Now #6; Best prior run: 7.405/165.97, Was #6

Stuart made his best run of the weekend, stayed eighth.

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Left Lane: Bill Yates Sr. Runs 7.215/191.24, Now #3; Best prior run: 7.844/179.78, Was #10
Right Lane: Mitch Smith Runs 7.421/185.13, Now #8; Best prior run: 7.450/183.89, Was #7

Yates moved way up the ladder on his first good run of the event. Smith improved, but Yates leapfrogged over him and Smith lost a spot in the order.

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Left Lane: Charlie Edelen Runs 7.424/186.25, Now #6; Best prior run: 7.401/184.37, Was #6
Right Lane: Frank Tamez Runs 7.098/195.76, Now #2; Best prior run: 7.103/195.68, Was #2

Tamez improved slightly, stayed second.

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Left Lane: Robert Sellers Runs 7.138/178.33, Now #3; Best prior run: 7.218/190.97, Was #4
Right Lane: Mark Parente Runs 7.780/175.50, Now #10; Best prior run: 7.795/175.37, Was #10

Parente skirted the centerline all the way down the track and still managed to improve his time.

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Right Lane: Mark Conkle No Time, Now #11; Best prior run: 8.072/171.38, Was #11

Last car. Conkle got the green and the engine went silent.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink