Sat, 28 Jun 2008, 01:42 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Rick Green

NORWALK, Ohio - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Second annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 5.064/288.95, Now #1
Right Lane: Tony Bartone Runs 5.091/258.22, Now #2

Weather conditions: air temperature 84 degrees, relative humidity 61 percent, barometer 28.81 inches, adjusted altitude 3,850 feet, track temperature 117 degrees.

A couple clean pass to start the session...Bartone said in his end of the run interview, they were in test mode with the new chassis.

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Left Lane: Jerry Toliver Runs 5.085/278.12, Now #3
Right Lane: Jim Head Runs 5.084/260.81, Now #2

Another pair of 5.08's...Jerry Toliver's incremental times: 60ft-0.938 sec., 330ft-2.414, 660ft-3.427/252.71mph, 1,000ft-4.302
Jim Head's incremental times: 60ft-0.926 sec., 330ft-2.384, 660ft-3.401/250.32mph, 1,000ft-4.276

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Left Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 5.049/280.08, Now #2
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 5.029/291.07, Now #1

Today is Beckman's birthday, he is 42...and he goes to the number one spot. Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.924 sec., 330ft-2.399, 660ft-3.420/251.53mph, 1,000ft-4.269 Beckman said the car was doing a burnout from half track on. Troxel goes to the number two spot...Melanie Troxel's incremental times: 60ft-0.916 sec., 330ft-2.402, 660ft-3.435/246.12mph, 1,000ft-4.290

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Left Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 5.001/284.87, Now #2
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.977/302.14, Now #1

Scelzi was on nice pass until around 1100 feet and then it started dropping cylinders. He still goes to the number two spot...Gary Scelzi's incremental times: 60ft-0.931 sec., 330ft-2.388, 660ft-3.383/255.68mph, 1,000ft-4.232 Worsham with a nice clean pass to go to the number one spot...Del Worsham's incremental times: 60ft-0.924 sec., 330ft-2.383, 660ft-3.398/250.51mph, 1,000ft-4.241

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Left Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.994/281.83, Now #2
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 5.009/293.28, Now #4

Tasca goes to the number two spot, but was real loose on the top end. Bob Tasca III's incremental times: 60ft-0.925 sec., 330ft-2.385, 660ft-3.378/255.77mph, 1,000ft-4.229
Capps with a nice pass to get down the track. Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.925 sec., 330ft-2.397, 660ft-3.403/254.57mph, 1,000ft-4.252

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Left Lane: Mike Neff Runs 5.200/224.43, Now #12
Right Lane: Gary Densham Runs 5.039/277.72, Now #6

Neff was on a good pass until about 800 feet when it started to drift out of the groove. That was when it start spinning the tires and mixing up cylinders. Densham with a clean pass to get into the top half of the show. From what Densham said on the top end he is now running the new tires and the new chassis. Gary Densham's incremental times: 60ft-0.924 sec., 330ft-2.403, 660ft-3.421/249.90mph, 1,000ft-4.272

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Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 5.065/280.49, Now #10
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 5.060/279.50, Now #8

Nice side by side race...a big puff of smoke out of Hight's car as it crosses the finish line. Cruz Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.921 sec., 330ft-2.377, 660ft-3.413/245.94mph, 1,000ft-4.286
Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.914 sec., 330ft-2.361, 660ft-3.404/242.54mph, 1,000ft-4.283

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Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.975/276.35, Now #1
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.988/274.11, Now #3

This was another good side by side drag race...Pedregon got out of the groove and close to the wall with a little wiggle. He still goes to the number one spot...Tony Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.904 sec., 330ft-2.354, 660ft-3.363/254.90mph, 1,000ft-4.206 Force goes to the number three spot with a good clean pass...John Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.917 sec., 330ft-2.373, 660ft-3.369/257.78mph, 1,000ft-4.215

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Left Lane: Ashley Force Runs 5.271/270.10, Now #18
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.910/304.32, Now #1

Force was chattering the tires right off the starting line and then started mixing up the cylinders. Wilkerson launched hard and keep the Goodyears stuck all the way down the 1320 to go to the number one spot. Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.934 sec., 330ft-2.367, 660ft-3.354/259.16mph, 1,000ft-4.180

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink