Thu, 6 Nov 2003, 08:15 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Rick Green

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in 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, and position in order following run:

---

Left Lane: Tony Bartone Runs 8.802/94.14, Now #1
Right Lane: David Benjamin Runs 14.588/77.22, Now #2

Frank Pedregon is out of the Jim Dunn Funny Car and Bartone is racing it for this race. Bartone starts to lose traction and clicks it off. Benjamin is up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle and shut it off.

---

Left Lane: Grant Downing Runs 5.355/237.96, Now #1
Right Lane: Stephen Neese Runs 10.207/90.27, Now #3

Downing started to lose traction and pedaled it once and then started to drop cylinders on the top end. Neese lost traction by the 330-foot mark.

---

Left Lane: Keith Jackson Runs 6.772/125.48, Now #3
Right Lane: Cory Lee Runs 4.920/294.75, Now #1

Jackson started to haze the tires just before half track and clicked it off. Lee is back in the Artisan car for Karp who retired after DNQ'ing in Las Vegas. Lee with a nice pass.

---

Left Lane: Bob Bode Runs 7.481/109.38, Now #5
Right Lane: Terry Haddock Runs 7.061/122.47, Now #4

Bode made a quick move toward the wall and then when he corrected it he came real close to crossing the centerline, but he saved it. Haddock was up in smoke and clicked it by half track.

---

Left Lane: Jack Wyatt Runs 6.235/149.40, Now #4
Right Lane: Phil Burkart Runs 4.922/313.00, Now #2

Wyatt was mixing up cylinders early and finally lifted. Burkart with a good pass until around 1200 feet and then looked like he might have dropped a cylinder or two. But then no chutes and he grabbing the brake trying to get the car to stop, but does not and ends up in the sand. The car was on the two left wheels and then landed back down. It tore up the right front of the body. They will have a lot of work on that car.

---

Left Lane: Dale Creasy Jr. Runs 5.010/303.78, Now #3
Right Lane: Bob Gilbertson Runs 8.187/137.25, Now #9

Gilbertson was up in smoke and clicked it off. Creasy was able to keep the candles lit and the Goodyears stuck through the 1320.

---

Left Lane: Scotty Cannon Runs 4.872/314.31, Now #1
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 12.359/77.70, Now #13

Pedregon is up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle. Cannon launched hard and was straight as a string with a great looking pass. This is probably Scotty's last race in a Funny Car.

---

Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.965/301.00, Now #5
Right Lane: Dean Skuza Runs 4.931/280.37, Now #4

Here's a couple of good looking passes. Skuza's speed slows on the top end.

---

Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.879/317.05, Now #2
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 9.744/91.76, Now #15

Capps is up in smoke right off the starting line and clicks it off. Wilkerson with a very nice looking pass, he keep the candles lit all the way through the 1320.

---

Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 15.347/67.74, Now #20
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.854/318.09, Now #1

Scelzi was up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle and he clicked it off. Worsham with a great looking pass and straight down the groove to the number one spot.

---

Left Lane: Gary Densham Runs 7.384/120.26, Now #14
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.771/321.65, Now #1

Densham started to lose traction and clicked it off. Force with his hands bandaged and bigger gloves had been cleared to drive earlier today. Force launched hard and keep Goodyears stuck and it hitting on all eight through the 1320 to go to number one.

---

Left Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 4.802/320.58, Now #2
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.832/318.77, Now #3

This was a good drag race for the number two and three spots to wrap up the first day of qualifying. Force holds on to the number one spot and teammate Densham rounds out the top 16.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink