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Thu, 12 Nov 2009, 03:16 PM

Competition Eliminator Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Competition Eliminator at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 45th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, amount over/under index, and position in order following run, class and class index:

Left Lane: Jeff Taylor Runs 8.978/149.15/-0.572, Now #1 H/SMA Index: 9.55
Right Lane: Jay Payne Runs 9.443/94.18/2.643, Now #2 AA/PM Index: 6.80

11:45 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 72 degrees, relative humidity 27 percent, barometer 28.71 inches, adjusted altitude 2,649 feet, track temperature 86 degrees.

It's NOISY time, as Jay Payne comes to the line with his AA/PM. He leaves hard with a 0.984 sixty foot time and then slows to major tire shake.

Taylor leaves with the wheels up and cards a nice time to tune to.

Left Lane: Ron Weems Runs 7.576/195.65/0.426, Now #3 A/A Index: 7.15
Right Lane: David Beckley Runs 7.520/182.50/-0.450, Now #2 C/A Index: 7.97

Beckley gets the C/A into the field with a mid-four fifty under the index.

No joy for Weems makes a full pass, but not enough HP to keep a off the bump.

Left Lane: Craig Johnson Runs 7.599/160.14/0.529, Now #5 AA/A Index: 7.07
Right Lane: Nicole Lyons Runs 7.110/193.82/-0.040, Now #3 A/AA Index: 7.15

Johnson is way slow off the line and then takes the long way down.

Lyons leaves hard, but can't run the number.

Left Lane: Tom Brown Runs 8.310/160.42/-0.480, Now #3 F/ED Index: 8.79
Right Lane: Scott McClay Runs 7.351/179.25/-0.519, Now #2 C/ED Index: 7.87

Two long time Division 7 racers come to the line.

McClay cards a nice mid-fifty under the tough C/ED index to start his weekend.

F/ED index is no easier and Brown will need need some more HP later.

Left Lane: Gary Tackett Runs 8.558/159.57/-0.132, Now #6 B/SMA Index: 8.69
Right Lane: Tyler Hogan Runs 7.265/183.10/-0.305, Now #5 C/DA Index: 7.57

Left Lane: Blake Alexander Runs 6.873/199.73/-0.347, Now #5 A/AP Index: 7.22
Right Lane: Ed Sigmon Runs 10.118/142.22/1.028, Now #11 C/SR Index: 9.09

Both cars are loose off the line and Alexander uses the most track getting to the finish line.

Left Lane: Brian Fitzpatrick Runs 7.879/208.17/0.879, Now #12 H/D Index: 7.00
Right Lane: Paul Pittman Runs 7.131/186.67/-0.489, Now #3 B/AA Index: 7.62

Two big HP cars. Big engine for Pittman and twin hair dryers for Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick has problems spooling up and then bounces around on the hit.

Pittman makes a clean pass.

Left Lane: Alan Ellis Runs 6.735/200.29/-0.485, Now #4 A/AP Index: 7.22
Right Lane: Aaron Strong Runs 23.949/36.89/15.329, Now #16 F/A Index: 8.62

Strong shakes and shuts off.

Ellis shakes the tires at the shift and drives on through it for a reasonable recovery.

Left Lane: Lee Sharp Runs 7.642/177.35/-0.588, Now #1 D/AA Index: 8.23
Right Lane: Jacklyn Gebhardt-Still Runs 9.317/91.85/2.117, Now #16 A/ED Index: 7.20

Say "Hello" to your new #`1 qualifier. Sharp leave hard with a nice 1.007 sixty foot time and runs clean to the finis line.

Gebhardt leaves hard too and then slows.

Left Lane: Tom Huggins Runs 7.095/194.02/-0.465, Now #7 B/A Index: 7.56
Right Lane: Ross Wilson Runs 9.075/125.73/0.315, Now #13 C/SMA Index: 8.76

Left Lane: Steve Holloway Runs 7.037/195.99/-0.583, Now #2 B/AA Index: 7.62
Right Lane: Scott Hedlund Runs 7.834/172.39/-0.526, Now #4 A/SM Index: 8.36

Two nice runs into the top half of the field.

Steve Holloway's incremental times: 60ft-1.022 sec., 330ft-2.928, 660ft-4.516/154.94 mph, 1,000ft-5.885.
Scott Hedlund's incremental times: 60ft-1.112 sec., 330ft-3.217, 660ft-4.994/138.27 mph, 1,000ft-6.531.

Left Lane: Brian Moscini Runs 7.418/182.87/-0.542, Now #5 C/AA Index: 7.96
Right Lane: Tom Mettler Runs 7.396/183.72/-0.594, Now #1 PST Index: 7.99

Mettler takes the Dodge Pickup right down Broadway and into the new top spot. Nice looking pass.

Nice pass for Moscini into the top quarter of the field.

Left Lane: Mike DePalma Runs 8.242/148.89/-0.588, Now #3 C/T Index: 8.83
Right Lane: John Edwards Runs 7.382/180.77/-0.578, Now #5 C/AA Index: 7.96

...and another Pickup to near the top of the field. DePalma makes a clean pass in his S-10 into the current #3 spot.

Edwards was right behind by 0.01 to get the #5 spot.

Left Lane: Art Hodges Runs 6.443/215.86/-0.607, Now #1 A/PM Index: 7.05
Right Lane: Steve Graham Runs 10.997/82.89/3.027, Now #27 C/A Index: 7.97

...and the hit keep coming. It's Hodges turn to take the top spot.

Graham has a good leave and then slows.

Art Hodges' incremental times: 60ft-1.022 sec., 330ft-2.764, 660ft-4.183/173.61 mph, 1,000ft-5.404.

Left Lane: Bo Butner Runs 6.992/201.10/-0.558, Now #9 CC/A Index: 7.55
Right Lane: Dan Fletcher Runs 7.761/174.71/-0.579, Now #6 B/EA Index: 8.34

Two loud and quick passes.

Butner's car is blowing black exhaust all the way down the track.

Left Lane: Jeff Lane Runs 8.341/160.40/-0.419, Now #18 C/SMA Index: 8.76
Right Lane: Doug Lambeck Runs 8.582/148.87/-0.388, Now #19 D/SMA Index: 8.97

Lane's car makes a hard move move towards the center line at the hit and he drives through it and back into the center of his lane.

Neither car will write home about these passes.

Left Lane: Justin Lamb Runs 8.801/151.10/-0.529, Now #12 G/SMA Index: 9.33
Right Lane: Jim Cowan Runs 8.207/150.92/-0.553, Now #10 I/AA Index: 8.76

Aaron Strong is on the bump spot at 15.329. Two more fifty under passes into the top half of the field.

12:12 p.m. Jay Payne is on the bump spot at 2.643.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink