Thu, 12 Nov 2009, 06:08 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Larry Sullivan

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Funny Car 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, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Leah Pruett-LeDuc No Time, Now #2
Right Lane: Jeff Diehl Runs 4.192/292.20, Now #1

2:27 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 71 degrees, relative humidity 41 percent, barometer 28.67 inches, adjusted altitude 2,747 feet, track temperature 86 degrees.

This is Pruett-LeDuc's Funny Car debut - she is best known for wheeling a nostalgia Top Fuel car.

Looks like we'll have to wait until tomorrow for her debut run, the car broke the blower belt on the burnout. Then Diehl made a good solo pass with a career-best ET.

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Left Lane: Grant Downing Runs 6.200/110.37, Now #2
Right Lane: Bob Bode Runs 7.155/97.74, Now #3

Both cars were smoking the tires and dancing around. Bode's car lost traction almost immediately. Downing went about 100 feet, then started dancing around on the rear tires.

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Left Lane: Gary Densham Runs 6.056/130.25, Now #2
Right Lane: Jim Head Runs 7.724/82.73, Now #5

Almost perfectly in synchronization, these two launched, went about 100 feet, then went into tire shake and lost traction.

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Left Lane: Jerry Toliver Runs 5.932/112.79, Now #3
Right Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 4.940/155.92, Now #2

Both got almost to half track, then lost traction, Toliver first, then Arend.

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Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.266/286.38, Now #2
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 8.786/75.41, Now #9

Hagan chattered the tires and lifted early in the run. Pedregon drover through some early tire shake, then smoked a bunch of pistons on the top end.

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Left Lane: Mike Neff Runs 4.137/300.00, Now #1
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.165/303.91, Now #2

Force tested in Las Vegas after that event and (as far as we know) won't get any points this weekend. Neff goes to the #1 spot. Force also made a good run and he's #2 - for now.

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Left Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.509/195.34, Now #5
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.541/194.07, Now #6

Both cars made good runs to about 800 feet, then both cars lost traction and made hard moves. Both drivers had their hands full, the cars slowing abruptly.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.154/294.18, Now #3
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.149/302.08, Now #2

Two nice runs and a nice side-by-side show, splitting the two JFR teammates.

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Left Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.145/303.57, Now #2
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.523/195.25, Now #9

Pedregon lost traction around 800 feet. Beckman made a nice, strong, straight run to move into second spot.

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Left Lane: Ashley Force Hood Runs 4.211/290.88, Now #8
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.093/309.34, Now #1

Last pair. Once again Hight shows his heels to the field, four hundredths quicker than second-place Neff. Force Hood lost a lot of ground, her car once again unable to keep pace with the rest of the JFR team cars on the top end, as was the case in Las Vegas two weeks ago.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink