Fri, 19 Sep 2008, 02:18 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Dave Rowe

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Right Lane: Bob Alberty Runs 5.883/220.12, Now #1

12:19 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 54 percent, barometer 29.54 inches, adjusted altitude 2,287 feet, track temperature 107 degrees.

Alberty goes right down the groove and makes a decent first pass.

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Left Lane: Lance Van Hauen Runs 5.922/241.71, Now #2
Right Lane: Ron Morrison No Time, Now #4

Van Hauen spun the tires a little off the line but still makes a clean run. Morrison completed his burnout but developed a leak and had to shut down.

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Left Lane: Nancy Matter No Time, Now #6
Right Lane: Burl Brown Runs 5.777/248.43, Now #1

Matter was a no-show for this run. Brown makes a clean, straight pass to take the early pole.

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Left Lane: John Foster Runs 5.747/247.29, Now #1
Right Lane: Steve Burck Runs 5.874/212.86, Now #3

Foster makes a good pass, just a little off his career best, and he takes the top spot for now. Burck has problems near the end of the run and the car noses over.

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Left Lane: Alexis De Joria Runs 5.792/249.86, Now #4
Right Lane: Jimmy Jones Runs 5.711/256.45, Now #1

two good looking runs, both right down the groove.

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Left Lane: Dennis Taylor Runs 5.696/253.47, Now #1
Right Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 6.205/252.99, Now #9

Gasparrelli went through the beams at the last second and turn on the redlight. The timers started before he hit the throttle and affected his ET. Taylor goes right down the groove and takes over the top spot for now.

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Left Lane: Nick Bastiao Runs 5.606/257.48, Now #1
Right Lane: Vern Moats Runs 24.073/46.65, Now #11

Moats hit the throttle, rattled the tires and made a violent move to the left. he backs off the throttle and eases down the track. Bastiao makes a great pass, a career best ET and speed, and he takes the top spot for now.

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Left Lane: Clint Thompson Runs 17.222/44.31, Now #12
Right Lane: Doug Gordon Runs 5.738/253.85, Now #4

Thompson goes up in smoke at the hit and has to abort the run. Gordon makes a decent pass to get in the show in the fourth spot for now.

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Left Lane: Andy Bohl Runs 5.688/252.19, Now #2
Right Lane: Paul Anderson Runs 5.742/232.03, Now #6

Anderson started moving around, then bangs the blower about 1100 feet out. Bohl goes right down the groove and gets in the second spot for now.

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Left Lane: Bobby Martin Runs 5.697/255.05, Now #4
Right Lane: Sean O'Bannon Runs 6.895/136.72, Now #15

Martin gets out of the groove, drifts to the left, then back to the right, but he never backs off the throttle.O'Bannon has problems late in the run and the car noses over.

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Left Lane: Brian Hough Runs 5.629/250.51, Now #2
Right Lane: Von Smith Runs 5.680/255.97, Now #3

Hough made a quick move to the centerline but never backed off the throttle and gets in the second spot. Smith made a clean pass and gets in right behind in the third spot.

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Left Lane: Jay Payne Runs 5.817/251.34, Now #14
Right Lane: Steve Harker Runs 5.689/257.09, Now #5

Payne was moving around for the first half of the run but never backed off the throttle. Harker was moving around a little but still gets in the fifth spot.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink