Sat, 7 Feb 2009, 05:24 PM Pro Stock Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Pro Stock at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 49th annual Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals 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: David Beckley Runs 6.650/206.61, Now #1
Right Lane: Jerry Haas Runs 6.854/202.55, Now #2

Weather conditions: air temperature 61 degrees, relative humidity 53 percent, barometer 28.75 inches, adjusted altitude 1,928 feet, track temperature 67 degrees.

Our first Pro cars of the weekend...Beckley with a nice pass. David Beckley's incremental times: 60ft-0.970 sec., 330ft-2.769, 660ft-4.269/163.71 mph, 1,000ft-5.561

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Left Lane: Frank Gugliotta Runs 23.129/53.91, Now #4
Right Lane: Erica Enders Runs 11.959/73.12, Now #3

Gugliotta with problems as soon as he let the clutch out, while Erica had problems by 300 feet.

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Left Lane: Bob Panella Runs 7.202/149.25, Now #3
Right Lane: Gordie Rivera Runs 25.448/31.85, Now #6

Rivera with problems as soon as he let the clutch out. Panella pushed in the clutch on the top end and coasted across the finish line.

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Left Lane: Tom Hammonds Runs 6.682/206.20, Now #2
Right Lane: Steve Spiess Runs 7.221/148.79, Now #5

Hammonds with a nice pass...Tom Hammonds' incremental times: 60ft-0.989 sec., 330ft-2.794, 660ft-4.297/163.73 mph, 1,000ft-5.591 Spiess got real loose on the top and he did a great job of driving.

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Left Lane: Rickie Jones Runs 6.691/206.26, Now #4
Right Lane: Johnny Gray Runs 6.661/208.33, Now #2

1:57 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 61 degrees, relative humidity 47 percent, barometer 28.72 inches, adjusted altitude 2,025 feet, track temperature 76 degrees.

...and we are back after another track drying session.

Gray gets waaay sideways in the burnout and just stays in his lane. Two good passes and Gray made up for his earlier trick with a great pass into the new #2 spot.

Jones had some tire chatter off the line and still runs into the sixties.

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Left Lane: Larry Morgan Runs 6.662/207.69, Now #3
Right Lane: Jim Yates Runs 6.665/206.64, Now #4

Two more sixties as both cars thunder down the track.

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Left Lane: Warren Johnson Runs 6.629/208.62, Now #1
Right Lane: Ron Krisher Runs 6.832/172.17, Now #8

Johnson has the new K&N colors on his GXP. He has a little zigzag off the line but that doesn't slow him too much and he runs well into the new #1 spot, close to the prior best numbers for the class here.

Krisher is quicker in 60 feet, but has a big move near the finish line and has to lift.

Warren Johnson's incremental times: 60ft-0.995 sec., 330ft-2.785, 660ft-4.271/165.58 mph, 1,000ft-5.551.
Ron Krisher's incremental times: 60ft-0.988 sec., 330ft-2.778, 660ft-4.266/164.73 mph, 1,000ft-5.579.

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Left Lane: V. Gaines Runs 6.654/206.32, Now #3
Right Lane: Greg Stanfield Runs 6.677/207.08, Now #7

... and the sixties keep comming. Two straight and true passes into the top half of the field.

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Left Lane: Allen Johnson Runs 6.625/207.82, Now #2
Right Lane: Jason Line Runs 6.616/209.43, Now #1

Gordie Rivera is on the bump spot at 25.448. New #1 and #2 qualifiers, with a new track MPH for Line.

Johnson had the advantage early in the run and then watches Line drive on by down track.

Allen Johnson's incremental times: 60ft-0.976 sec., 330ft-2.768, 660ft-4.258/164.95 mph, 1,000ft-5.542.
Jason Line's incremental times: 60ft-0.996 sec., 330ft-2.784, 660ft-4.266/166.13 mph, 1,000ft-5.541.

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Left Lane: Mike Edwards Runs 6.628/208.59, Now #3
Right Lane: Kurt Johnson Runs 6.642/207.91, Now #5

Two more great looking passes. Track prep and the weather are making this a terrific round.

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Left Lane: Greg Anderson Runs 6.588/209.59, Now #1
Right Lane: Jeg Coughlin Runs 6.629/208.23, Now #6

Last pair and what a pair!

They take a long time to stage and then Anderson just blows away both end of the track record and is the first car ever in the fifties at Pomona. Both cars were on a stright from start to finish. Coughlin is away first and has better sixty foot time. He makes a top half of the field pass, but was passed by anderson before the 330 feet lights.

Greg Anderson's incremental times: 60ft-0.985 sec., 330ft-2.763, 660ft-4.242/166.50 mph, 1,000ft-5.515.
Jeg Coughlin's incremental times: 60ft-0.981 sec., 330ft-2.775, 660ft-4.266/165.17 mph, 1,000ft-5.548.

2:10 p.m. Anderson is definitely the number one qualifier and Ron Krisher is on the bump spot at 6.832 [only qualified car not in the sixties!]

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink