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Fri, 7 Nov 2003, 04:23 PM

Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By Darryl Jackman

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 39th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals 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:

Left Lane: Dale VanGundy Runs 6.846/152.40, Now #19; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Bernie Harrington Runs 7.853/98.95, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.946/241.41, Was #13

12:36 PM First pair out gets pretty exiting for both drivers. Harrington has a loud bang from the engine and he slows very quickly. VanGundy gets close to the wall a couple of times on his way down and makes a 1500 foot pass.

Left Lane: Shawn Jones Runs 5.751/249.67, Now #8; Best prior run: 7.828/115.72, Was #21
Right Lane: John Knox Runs 8.192/120.19, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.973/238.30, Was #14

Knox was very late in getting the car fired and barely managed to clean the tires off on the burnout. He never crossed the starting line. When the tree came down he was all over the lane and about crossed three times. Jones quietly put himself in the show in the other lane.

Left Lane: Bill Gallio Runs 6.539/221.60, Now #19; Best prior run: 6.412/210.08, Was #19
Right Lane: Bob Gallio Runs 6.038/238.76, Now #18; Best prior run: 6.181/233.36, Was #18

Father and son line up in this pair and both are not qualified. Bob goes straight from A to B but still needs some more power. Bill made a bit more adventure out of his pass and had the chute out early. We're down for a few as we clean the left lane.

Left Lane: John Weaver Runs 5.690/249.81, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.735/249.86, Was #7
Right Lane: Robert Lee Runs 5.679/254.42, Now #4; No Prior Run

This pair is down the middle of the lane and both move up. Lee was well outside the field and now he's #4. Weaver slots in right behind him on the qualifying list.

Left Lane: Mert Littlefield Runs 5.749/248.43, Now #9; Best prior run: 5.926/216.48, Was #14
Right Lane: Mark Woznichak Runs 5.736/245.90, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.726/247.34, Was #7

Another pair of almost identical runs. The Woz is top half of the show and Littlefield is #9.

Left Lane: Clint Thompson Runs 5.813/241.02, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.775/246.30, Was #12
Right Lane: Cy Chesterman Runs 8.142/93.78, Now #24; Best prior run: 11.445/74.31, Was #25

Thompson slows from his Thursday pass and remains in the show. Chesterman will go to the final session not qualified. He had a hole out at the hit and it appeared the belt came off before 330.

Left Lane: Ron August Jr Runs 5.720/242.10, Now #7; Best prior run: 7.451/128.55, Was #22
Right Lane: Tate Branch Runs 5.630/252.28, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.651/252.00, Was #2

Branch moves Payne down a notch and becomes the new top qualifier. August makes the show in a fine way on his pass. August was very close to going over the center line but held on to make the run count.

Left Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 5.857/250.32, Now #15; Best prior run: 16.251/49.50, Was #26
Right Lane: Doug Gordon Runs 13.750/72.16, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.798/247.34, Was #14

Gordon shook the tires really hard and had no choice but to call off the run. Gasparrelli shook hard but managed to drive through the problem.

Left Lane: Ed Marx Runs 5.630/256.60, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.925/251.25, Was #16
Right Lane: Henry Coolidge Runs 5.847/250.37, Now #16; Best prior run: 8.061/148.85, Was #24

We have a new leader. Marx unloads on the field and goes from the bump to the top. Coolidge gets in but he's now the bump. We're one car away from the quickest field in the history of the alky funnycars. Twenty cars are under six seconds.

Left Lane: Jay Payne Runs 5.655/250.60, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.641/253.66, Was #3
Right Lane: Fran Monaghan Runs 5.822/243.99, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.982/224.06, Was #20

Monaghan makes a home for himself on the bump spot. Payne remains #3.

Left Lane: Bucky Austin Runs 5.619/256.70, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.652/255.63, Was #4
Right Lane: Dennis Taylor Runs 5.701/250.27, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.727/247.25, Was #10

Austin is now the clubhouse leader. Taylor moves himself up to the top half of the show.

Left Lane: Marc White Runs 5.681/250.97, Now #7; Best prior run: 6.015/196.85, Was #21
Right Lane: Vern Moats Runs 5.677/249.63, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.769/247.57, Was #13

Marc White is driving for Randy Goodwin this weekend and next season from what I hear. White has a lot of work to do to make this show. Boy, does he make it! Both cars in the 5.6's and we have the quickest field in history.

Right Lane: Bret Williamson Runs 5.972/235.89, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.704/247.07, Was #10

Williamson is the last car and he fails to improve.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink