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Sat, 21 Feb 2009, 02:10 PM

Competition Eliminator Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Darryl Jackman

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Competition Eliminator at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 25th annual Lucas Oil Slick Mist NHRA Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed this round, amount over/under index this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time, speed & over/under Index, and position in order prior to run:

Left Lane: Tom Mettler Runs 7.381/182.45/-0.629, Now #5; PST Index: 8.01, Prior Best: 7.454/182.23/-0.556, Was #9
Right Lane: Clint Neff Runs 7.859/167.34/-0.691, Now #1; K/A Index: 8.55, Prior Best: 7.893/166.68/-0.657, Was #1

11:45 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 67 degrees, relative humidity 34 percent, barometer 28.91 inches, adjusted altitude 2,113 feet, track temperature 88 degrees.

Comp comes out for their final qualifying session. There were only 31 cars yesterday so unless we picked up two or more last night there's no bump spot. Neff takes his altered even lower on the index and stands at almost .70 under. Mettler picks up four spots.

Left Lane: Mike DePalma Runs 8.072/165.68/-0.698, Now #1; I/A Index: 8.77, Prior Best: 8.121/165.23/-0.649, Was #2
Right Lane: Ray Goodman Runs 7.527/171.38/-0.343, Now #23; A/EA Index: 7.87, Prior Best: 7.539/173.92/-0.331, Was #23

DePalma put it all together in his 'alphabet' altered and takes the top spot away from Neff by .007. No real help for Goodman.

Left Lane: Thomas Shambaugh Runs 8.410/180.43/0.510, Now #27; DD/AT Index: 7.90, Prior Best: 7.928/176.28/0.028, Was #27
Right Lane: Pat Byron Runs 7.064/169.66/-0.436, Now #12; C/D Index: 7.50, Prior Best: 6.959/181.59/-0.541, Was #12

No improvement for either driver.

Left Lane: Scott Hedlund Runs 7.808/172.19/-0.602, Now #3; A/SM Index: 8.41, Prior Best: 7.776/173.21/-0.634, Was #3
Right Lane: Justin Lamb Runs 8.810/150.72/-0.550, Now #10; G/SMA Index: 9.36, Prior Best: 8.850/150.05/-0.510, Was #17

Lamb picks off seven spots and .04 on the field. Hedlund loses .03.

Left Lane: Frank Nelson Runs 7.229/191.73/0.119, Now #28; A/A Index: 7.11, Prior Best: 7.250/191.70/0.140, Was #28
Right Lane: Steve Graham Runs 7.494/180.36/-0.486, Now #20; C/A Index: 7.98, Prior Best: 7.539/0.00/-0.441, Was #21

Nelson and Graham pick up just a tad but pretty much stay in place in the field.

Left Lane: Will Hatcher Runs 12.956/85.31/5.816, Now #18; A/DA Index: 7.14, Prior Best: 6.614/205.79/-0.526, Was #17
Right Lane: Bob Hass Runs 7.059/194.77/-0.581, Now #9; B/AA Index: 7.64, Prior Best: 7.138/192.88/-0.502, Was #18

Hatcher fires and falls back in the first 100ft. The car shook hard and he was coasting. Hass finds almost a tenth and nine spots in the show.

Left Lane: Matt Hartford Runs 7.269/186.98/0.229, Now #26; A/D Index: 7.04, Prior Best: 7.055/164.95/0.015, Was #26
Right Lane: John Edwards Runs 7.366/184.40/-0.624, Now #6; C/AA Index: 7.99, Prior Best: 7.381/182.55/-0.609, Was #7

Edwards moves up a spot but Hartford remains #26.

Left Lane: Clark Smiley Runs 9.216/111.44/0.536, Now #15; B/SM Index: 8.68, Prior Best: 8.144/166.54/-0.536, Was #15
Right Lane: Brian Browell Runs 7.262/183.10/-0.558, Now #11; D/D Index: 7.82, Prior Best: 7.272/180.89/-0.548, Was #12

Smiley was on a good pass until he clicks it at about 1000ft. Browell picks off one position.

Left Lane: Alan Ellis Runs 10.518/97.40/3.258, Now #16; A/AP Index: 7.26, Prior Best: 6.725/201.37/-0.535, Was #16
Right Lane: Dean Howerton Runs 7.057/190.92/-0.443, Now #22; C/D Index: 7.50, Prior Best: 7.128/191.08/-0.372, Was #22

Ellis shook the tires hard and had to lift. Howerton picks up over a nickel but still can't get passed #22 on the ladder.

Left Lane: Shane Gray Runs 6.991/195.42/-0.609, Now #7; B/A Index: 7.60, Prior Best: 6.977/196.16/-0.623, Was #7
Right Lane: Tom Radeff Runs 8.195/181.91/1.025, Now #30; A/AA Index: 7.17, Prior Best: 7.463/173.83/0.293, Was #30

No help for Gray as he stands on his second hit for the #7 spot. Radeff shook and bounced at the hit and slowed well before the finish.

Left Lane: Lou Ficco Runs 7.318/186.95/-0.562, Now #11; B/AP Index: 7.88, Prior Best: 7.679/173.21/-0.201, Was #24
Right Lane: Joe Mozeris Runs 7.050/188.67/-0.520, Now #20; C/DA Index: 7.57, Prior Best: 7.081/188.02/-0.489, Was #19

Ficco certainly found something over night as he pulls into the top half of the field by finding three tenths from Friday. No help for Mozeris.

Left Lane: Dean Carter Runs 6.951/188.10/-0.619, Now #8; B/ND Index: 7.57, Prior Best: 6.971/189.34/-0.599, Was #8
Right Lane: Bill Kent Runs 7.734/113.63/0.234, Now #29; C/D Index: 7.50, Prior Best: 7.788/126.96/0.288, Was #29

Carter joins the magic -.60 under club but still remains at #8 on the qualifying list. Kent finds a nickel but gets no help on the ladder.

Left Lane: Art Hodges Runs 6.659/216.17/-0.411, Now #24; A/PM Index: 7.07, Prior Best: 12.846/85.90/5.776, Was #31
Right Lane: Jim Cowan Runs 8.162/158.58/-0.628, Now #6; I/AA Index: 8.79, Prior Best: 8.262/151.54/-0.528, Was #18

Hodges gets the car to go straight this time and cards a decent number for the first time this weekend. Cowan finds a tenth and moves all the way to #6. Nice run for the Cobalt Altered.

Left Lane: Lee Sharp Runs 8.395/161.19/-0.575, Now #12; D/SMA Index: 8.97, Prior Best: 8.400/161.36/-0.570, Was #11
Right Lane: Dan Fletcher Runs 8.034/167.30/-0.606, Now #10; C/EA Index: 8.64, Prior Best: 8.186/135.62/-0.454, Was #22

Sharp gets no help from his final qualifier but Fletcher finds a tenth and a half to go to the top half of the field.

Left Lane: Todd Patterson Runs 7.649/177.46/-0.711, Now #1; E/A Index: 8.36, Prior Best: 7.730/176.65/-0.630, Was #4
Right Lane: Doug Lambeck Runs 8.450/158.80/-0.520, Now #16; D/SMA Index: 8.97, Prior Best: 8.427/158.93/-0.543, Was #16

Out of nowhere comes Todd Patterson to wake up the Comp troops. He saves the best for the last pair of qualifying and takes over the top spot by going more than .71 under the E/Altered index. Lambeck actually slowed just a tiny bit and remains #16 at the close of Comp qualifying.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink