Fri, 16 May 2008, 08:12 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By Dave Rowe

BRISTOL, Tenn. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Eighth annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Q 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: Bob Gilbertson Runs 4.847/318.77, Now #6; No Prior Run

7:07 p.m. Gilbertson keeps it between the lines this time and gets in the field in the sixth spot.

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Left Lane: John Force Runs 4.821/308.78, Now #4; Best prior run: 10.628/87.09, Was #21
Right Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.823/318.02, Now #5; Best prior run: 9.508/92.72, Was #20

Force and Tasca both shook the tires in the first round and had to abort their runs.

Tasca hits the throttle and starts to move to the left. he continues to drift toward the centerline all the way through the run and just misses the last timing cone. Force went right down the groove and gets in the field in the fourth spot.

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Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 5.001/247.16, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.604/192.96, Was #18
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.842/322.65, Now #7; Best prior run: 6.533/212.03, Was #21

Scelzi was on a decent run but lost power about 1100 feet out. Worsham kept the candles lit all the way through the run and gets in the show for now.

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Left Lane: Gary Densham Runs 5.297/211.93, Now #20; Best prior run: 5.263/209.04, Was #19
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.803/311.63, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.918/165.13, Was #21

Densham leaves the line and starts to drift to the left. He gets about 800 feet out, backs off the throttle and the engine explodes in a ball of flame. The chutes don't come out but he drifts to the right and scrapes the wall, bringing the car to a halt before he reaches the end of the track.

Meanwhile, Hight makes a pretty decent pass in the right lane, the quickest of the day so far, and he takes the pole for now.

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Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.831/317.79, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.082/285.53, Was #19
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.933/318.84, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.685/219.26, Was #21

7:41 p.m. and we're back from the cleanup from Densham's adventure

Beckman makes a clean pass but can't run quick enough to get in the field. Capps goes right down the groove and gets in the field in the seventh spot.

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Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 5.423/196.79, Now #20; Best prior run: 5.068/256.70, Was #20
Right Lane: Scott Kalitta Runs 12.239/71.91, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.956/308.00, Was #18

Kalitta gets about 100 feet out, starts shaking the tires, then clicks it off. Johnson was on a good run until the 1000 foot mark. The engine lets go at that point and the car noses over.

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Left Lane: Tony Bartone Runs 12.376/69.33, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.896/285.47, Was #15
Right Lane: Ashley Force Runs 4.792/324.98, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.912/295.46, Was #16

Bartone gets about 300 feet out, loses traction, then aborts the run. Force hits the throttle, moves around a little early in the run, but keeps it under control to make the quickest pass of the weekend so far.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.802/318.24, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.886/305.29, Was #15
Right Lane: Jerry Toliver No Time, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.848/308.57, Was #13

Toliver gets about 300 feet out, pulls the wheels high into the air, then takes out half track cones. Wilkerson makes a good pass but lost time on the top end as the engine starting eating itself up about 1200 feet out.

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Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.831/313.29, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.879/300.06, Was #15
Right Lane: Mike Ashley Runs 9.097/90.22, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.845/304.12, Was #12

Ashley makes a move to the left right off the line. he tries to get it back in the groove, then finally gives up on the run about 300 feet out. Pedregon makes a clean run and moves into the tenth spot.

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Left Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 5.030/243.24, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.839/318.62, Was #11
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.822/319.67, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.821/316.90, Was #6

Troxel gets about 600 feet out, a green flasf comes from the left side of the engine, but the car keeps accelerating until the 1000 foot mark, then she slows. Pedregon goes right down the groove and almost equals his first round numbers.

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Left Lane: Mike Neff Runs 4.783/321.04, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.809/311.41, Was #4
Right Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.785/323.89, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.815/316.08, Was #5

Neff makes a great pass but it could have been better. he gets about 1000 feet out and starts mixing up cylinders and slows a little but still takes the top spot. Head went right down the groove, the engine not missing a beat all the way through the run.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink