Fri, 6 Jun 2008, 08:32 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By Dave Rowe

JOLIET, Ill. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 11th annual Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 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:

---

Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.843/314.02, Now #1; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Bob Bode Runs 6.045/157.65, Now #14; Best prior run: 12.021/80.65, Was #18

7:02 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 83 degrees, relative humidity 65 percent, barometer 29.11 inches, adjusted altitude 3,465 feet, track temperature 91 degrees.

Bode gets a little past half-track, flames come from under the car and he shuts down.

Wilkerson scraped the wall in the first round and received no time. He goes right down the groove on this run and moves all the way to the top spot.

---

Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.844/316.82, Now #3; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.780/324.51, Now #1; Best prior run: 9.630/84.61, Was #19

Capps broke a wheelie bar on his first attempt and never staged. Pedregon struck the tires early in the first round.

No problems for Pedregon on this run, a good looking pass, right down the groove, and he moves into the top spot.

Capps makes a clean run and gets in the third spot for now.

---

Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.799/320.89, Now #2; Best prior run: 9.019/83.67, Was #20
Right Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.889/313.88, Now #9; Best prior run: 6.642/132.18, Was #19

Scelzi and Head both had traction problems in the first round and neither is in the field.

This is turning into a pretty good round. A couple of good looking runs here, both right down the groove, no traction problems. Scelzi moves into the second spot, Head to the ninth.

---

Left Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.851/315.19, Now #6; Best prior run: 6.402/144.81, Was #20
Right Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.903/314.61, Now #11; Best prior run: 6.275/148.53, Was #19

Beckman makes a good run here, it looked better than the time shows. A clean run for johnson and he gets in the eleventh spot for now.

---

Left Lane: Scott Kalitta Runs 4.876/290.76, Now #11; Best prior run: 5.316/239.61, Was #16
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.797/323.43, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.813/166.76, Was #19

Kalitta was on a good run, then drifted to the left, getting close to the wall near the finish line. Pedregon makes a great pass and gets in the field right behind his brother in the second spot.

---

Left Lane: Mike Neff Runs 13.196/76.90, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.267/205.44, Was #17
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.900/311.41, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.710/212.26, Was #19

Neff's problems continue. He hits the throttle and goes up in smoke. Worsham keeps the slicks stuck this time and moves into the 13th spot.

---

Left Lane: Mark Oswald Runs 4.783/324.67, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.946/293.09, Was #17
Right Lane: Ashley Force Runs 4.759/329.10, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.319/200.20, Was #19

A great run here for Force, right down the groove, header flames high and steady all the way through the run. Oswald makes a good run, the quickest and fastest of his career, and he gets in the third spot.

---

Left Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 4.879/315.71, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.859/326.16, Was #12
Right Lane: Gary Densham Runs 4.852/315.86, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.929/302.28, Was #18

Densham makes a good run and he gets in the show in the tenth spot. Troxel slows from his earlier pass and is just out of the field.

---

Left Lane: John Force Runs 4.783/319.22, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.857/315.71, Was #12
Right Lane: Jerry Toliver Runs 4.783/325.77, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.908/314.53, Was #18

Identical ET's here, matching Oswald's run earlier. Toliver had the fastest speed for the third spot, Oswald will move to the fourth spot, and Force will take the fifth spot.

---

Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 9.936/72.42, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.850/293.54, Was #10
Right Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.820/320.05, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.856/315.93, Was #13

Hight strikes the tires about 200 feet out and clicks it off. Tasca starts mixing up cylinders late in the run but still moves up to the eighth spot.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink