Sat, 11 Oct 2008, 02:04 PM Pro Modified Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Larry Sullivan

DINWIDDIE, Va. - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Pro Modified at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Third annual Virginia 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: Joe Baker Runs 6.096/235.76, Now #19; Best prior run: 6.869/151.60, Was #19
Right Lane: Rick Distefano Runs 22.628/26.15, Now #20; Best prior run: 11.066/75.84, Was #20

1:33 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 73 degrees, relative humidity 44 percent, barometer 30.15 inches, adjusted altitude 1,203 feet, track temperature 94 degrees.

Troy Coughlin is on the bump spot at 6.038 and the top nine drivers are under six seconds - a very quick field.

Ricky D chattered the tires hard about 100 feet out and his weekend is over. Baker made a full pass, came up short of the bump time.

---

Left Lane: Mike Knowles Runs 5.979/242.02, Now #8; Best prior run: 6.076/205.76, Was #18
Right Lane: Troy Coughlin Runs 6.277/217.56, Now #17; Best prior run: 6.038/239.74, Was #16

Knowles and Scott Ray both had a shot at bumpHowsever ing Coughlin, so he really wanted to move up the list on this run.

Coughlin's car made two hard wiggles at half track and that cost him a lot of time. Meanwhile, Knowles got it all together and made it ten cars in the fives, bumping Coughlin from the field. Now Tommy D'aprile is on the bump spot at 6.033.

---

Left Lane: Scott Ray Runs 5.967/236.96, Now #5; Best prior run: 6.042/234.86, Was #18
Right Lane: Tommy D'aprile Runs 7.454/132.52, Now #17; Best prior run: 6.033/234.41, Was #16

D'Aprile had a big fire in the shutdown area yesterday, the fuel tank splitting open. The crew worked hard to get the car back together for this session, but there was the distinctive sound of a burst panel letting go around half track and he slowed, helplessly watching as Ray made it eleven in the fives and bumped D'Aprile from the field. Now Mike Janis is on the bump spot at 6.033, but he is safe since all the remaining cars are already in the field.

---

Left Lane: Taylor Lastor Runs 10.253/85.49, Now #13; Best prior run: 6.005/240.25, Was #13
Right Lane: Mike Janis Runs 7.396/141.16, Now #16; Best prior run: 6.033/238.81, Was #16

Janis made the field on his first outing with the Jeg's Pro Mod Challenge series, but he certainly didn't want to go into eliminations against the #1 qualifier. However, that's where he'll be this afternoon, Both cars shaking in the middle of the run, both drivers lifting.

---

Left Lane: Chip King Runs 9.547/92.52, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.989/238.76, Was #10
Right Lane: Kirk Kuhns Runs 5.990/236.17, Now #11; Best prior run: 6.020/235.02, Was #15

King's car headed for the centerline, wagged iuts tail a couple times, and he lifted. Very nice run by Kuhns, making it twelve drivers in the fives atop the order.

---

Left Lane: Danny Rowe Runs 5.964/242.23, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.976/240.51, Was #8
Right Lane: Joshua Hernandez Runs 5.900/242.71, Now #1; Best prior run: 6.019/241.32, Was #15

Hernandez is usually at the other end of the qualifying list asnd took care of that little detail in fine fashion, blistering the track on his way to the #1 spot. Now the top thirteen are in the fives. Rowe also made a nice run and moved up a couple spots. hernandez trailed a lot of "death smoke" in the lights, may have "hurt a bullet."

---

Left Lane: Tommy Gray Runs 5.952/242.36, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.968/240.77, Was #8
Right Lane: Jay Payne Runs 6.495/216.58, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.004/238.43, Was #14

After seeing the quickest-ever run (the previous quickest was Hernandez' 5.912), Gray's excellent run was almost routine. Payne lost time early in his run with tire shake, pedaled to get out of it.

---

Left Lane: Scott Cannon Jr Runs 5.916/243.33, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.962/241.37, Was #5
Right Lane: Raymond Commisso Runs 8.530/95.72, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.992/243.68, Was #13

Cannon came through with the third-quickest run ever for the Jeg's series. Commisso got out of shape, tried to save it, then wisely pulled the chutes.

---

Left Lane: Kenny Lang Runs 5.919/242.23, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.961/239.44, Was #5
Right Lane: Tim Tindle Runs 5.941/238.55, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.969/238.34, Was #9

Lang took the bait, ran the fourth-quickest ever and Tindle made his opwn very-good run to notch fourth for the event. For now, we may not be done quite yet.

---

Left Lane: Tony Pontieri Runs 5.905/243.99, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.947/242.84, Was #5
Right Lane: Mike Castellana Runs 5.983/238.30, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.963/237.84, Was #7

Okay, everybody after Hernandez step back a spot, Pontieri is also laying all his cards on the table and runs the best speed of the bunch. Pontieri has a backup for his ET, so the 5.905 is the Jeg's Challenge ET record unless Hernandez can run a 5.959 to back up his 5.900.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink