Sat, 25 Oct 2003, 10:13 PM Pro Modified Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Jonathan Adams

LAS VEGAS - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Pro Modified at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Third annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals 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 Ashley Runs 6.341/216.31, Now #11; Best prior run: 6.360/222.25, Was #12
Right Lane: Scott Ray Runs 6.378/215.00, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.371/219.86, Was #14

6:31 p.m. The bump is a 6.333, but these are the best weather conditions of the event, so we should see some shuffling.

Ashley may have been too aggressive, as the car moved around early in the run. Ray had a 1.018 short time, but faltered a bit at the top end. Scialpi stays on the bump.

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Left Lane: Chip King Runs 6.262/226.77, Now #2; Best prior run: 6.367/223.14, Was #13
Right Lane: Wayne Torkelson Runs 6.334/221.13, Now #7; Best prior run: 6.327/220.80, Was #6

King shocks everyone with that one. Torkelson runs well, but it's not enough.

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Left Lane: Marty McGinnis No Time, Now #19; Best prior run: 6.592/213.47, Was #19
Right Lane: Harold Martin No Time, Now #11; Best prior run: 6.337/223.65, Was #11

This one was wild. Martin's car got very close to the wall early in the run. He corrected it, but then it went left. He steered it back to the right, but might have over-corrected, and it swung around and he nosed it into the left lane wall about 400 feet out.

McGinnis, meanwhile, was nearing the finish line when his car went hard right and impacted the right lane wall with the chutes out just past the finish line. Both drivers are okay.

6:40 p.m.

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Left Lane: Zach Barklage Runs 6.354/225.45, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.401/223.69, Was #15
Right Lane: John Scialpi Runs 7.857/121.38, Now #9; Best prior run: 6.333/223.58, Was #9

6:51 p.m. Scialpi's car got very close to the centerline, but he wisely lifted. Barklage made his best run of the weekend, but it's not enough to qualify.

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Left Lane: Rick Distefano Runs 8.707/104.30, Now #4; Best prior run: 6.307/225.26, Was #4
Right Lane: Troy Critchley Runs 6.365/223.10, Now #15; Best prior run: 6.417/222.66, Was #17

After a 1.010 short time, Distefano moved around and had to click it just past the 330-foot mark. Critchley picked up five hundredths but misses by four hundredths.

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Left Lane: Dennis Radford Runs 6.279/222.91, Now #3; Best prior run: 6.328/221.56, Was #8
Right Lane: Mitch Stott Runs 6.313/225.41, Now #7; Best prior run: 6.402/217.25, Was #17

Great runs here. Radford gets off the bump and Stott makes the show...for now.

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Left Lane: Shannon Jenkins Runs 6.412/184.45, Now #4; Best prior run: 6.297/222.14, Was #4
Right Lane: Fred Hahn Runs 6.332/221.49, Now #10; Best prior run: 6.347/224.40, Was #14

Tim McAmis is now on the bump at 6.326. Hahn misses by six thousandths. Jenkins was on a great run, as he had the best 1000-foot time of the round, but it blew up in the lights. No oil though.

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Left Lane: Thomas Patterson Runs 6.271/222.80, Now #3; Best prior run: 6.310/221.82, Was #6
Right Lane: Dan Rowe Runs 6.511/211.26, Now #19; Best prior run: 6.663/168.11, Was #20

Patterson moves up three spots with a great run. Rowe improves by a bunch, but will not race on Sunday.

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Left Lane: Mike Castellana Runs 6.308/221.96, Now #7; Best prior run: 6.335/220.40, Was #12
Right Lane: Bill Hill Runs 6.393/219.54, Now #18; Best prior run: 8.942/94.78, Was #21

Castellana bumps McAmis and puts Stott on the bump. Hill finally gets down the track but will not get in.

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Right Lane: Von Smith Runs 6.247/228.11, Now #1; Best prior run: 6.260/227.69, Was #1

Smith lowers the boom again. He further distances himself from the rest of the field.

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Right Lane: Tim McAmis Runs 6.298/223.39, Now #6; Best prior run: 6.326/223.39, Was #9

Bottom of the ninth for McAmis, as he is the last car down the track and is not in. He needs to run quicker than 6.313 to bump Mitch Stott.

And he does it. Tremendous effort for that team. Castellana anchors the field at 6.308.

7:09 p.m.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink