Sat, 11 Oct 2008, 04:22 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Larry Sullivan

DINWIDDIE, Va. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car 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:

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Left Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 6.860/176.35, Now #16; Best prior run: 12.755/63.77, Was #18
Right Lane: Gary Densham Runs 9.834/57.13, Now #17; Best prior run: 8.946/90.02, Was #16

3:42 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 76 degrees, relative humidity 38 percent, barometer 30.13 inches, adjusted altitude 1,369 feet, track temperature 94 degrees.

Densham is in the Countdown and is on the bump spot at 8.946, not the situation he was looking for.

Tasca was up in smoke almost immediately, pedaled it several times (six by unofficial count) and squirted into the field. Meanwhile, Densham popped the burst panel just off the starting line and was unable to defend himself. Tasca now will have to survive whatever Jerry Toliver can throw at him in the next pair. But first, the Safety Safari will have to clean up the right lane - looks like just the sweeper, so it's mostly debris.

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Left Lane: Jerry Toliver Runs 4.125/299.00, Now #15; Best prior run: 12.582/64.84, Was #18
Right Lane: Tony Bartone Runs 4.157/287.90, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.159/284.99, Was #15

Either Toliver or Tasca will start tomorrow, not both.

It will be Toliver. He made a nice run to earn a spot in the field, bumping Tasca. Bartone improved slightly, not enough to hold onto the fifteenth spot and he will race the #1 qualifier tomorrow. That's not all bad, the #1 qualifier hasn't done too well so far this season.

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Left Lane: John Force Runs 4.078/296.31, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.080/298.21, Was #11
Right Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 4.078/301.60, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.109/300.13, Was #14

Wow. Identical ETs, tying Del Worsham. Arend gets the highest of the three positions on speed, Force gets the bottom of the three-driver stack with the slowest speed of the three.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.118/301.54, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.079/302.48, Was #12
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.120/292.46, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.088/291.76, Was #14

Runs looked good, but didn't help either driver.

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Left Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 4.047/308.21, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.071/309.98, Was #8
Right Lane: Gary Scelzi Runs 4.701/168.47, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.081/299.13, Was #13

Scelzi started hazing the tires near half track and lifted., Troxel made the third-quickest run (and second fastest) ever at 1,000 feet shook the ladder up again, breaking up a Wilkerson-Beckman first-round pairing.

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Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.056/304.32, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.070/300.13, Was #8
Right Lane: Del Worsham No Time, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.078/296.63, Was #10

Worsham's car once again made a big move toward the centerline at the finish, this time clipping the timing reflectors and DQ'ing his 4.118 second elapsed time. Fortunately, Hight had already crossed the stripe, so his time stands, the seventh-quickest at 1,000 feet. It also sets up a possible Hight - John Force matchup in round one, but we aren't done yet.

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Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.091/302.89, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.070/303.64, Was #8
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.069/301.54, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.059/300.06, Was #7

Two good runs, no improvement for either driver and they will start eighth and seventh. That also locks in the John & Robert matchup for round one.

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Left Lane: Ashley Force Runs 7.500/88.02, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.048/304.12, Was #4
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.041/305.22, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.049/306.74, Was #5

Force smoked the tires and lifted. Pedregon joined the elite 4.041 club atop the field, bumping Mike Neff to third on speed. Tony Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.883 sec., 330ft-2.287, 660ft-3.247/267.00mph. That locks in a Tim & Ashley matchup for round one.

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Left Lane: Mike Neff Runs 7.168/90.17, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.041/304.80, Was #3
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 6.847/96.59, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.041/306.88, Was #1

Oh-for-two, tire smoke at 200 feet for both drivers. That wraps up qualifying with some monster matchups in round one.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink