Sat, 14 Nov 2009, 04:28 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Larry Sullivan

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 3 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 this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time/speed, and position in order prior to run:

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Right Lane: Jeff Diehl Runs 6.493/109.82, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.192/292.20, Was #12

12:48 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 68 degrees, relative humidity 44 percent, barometer 28.87 inches, adjusted altitude 2,312 feet, track temperature 87 degrees.

Diehl skipped yesterday's session, so he gets to lead off today's first session.

Diehl launched hard, started rattling the tires and lifted.

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Left Lane: Mike Neff Runs 5.520/128.07, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.137/300.00, Was #6
Right Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 4.625/186.54, Now #13; No Prior Run

Arend is the first car of the session not in the 12-car field - we'll need three more to establish a bump time. Neff was already in the field based on his good run Thursday, but had a bad run yesterday.

Both drivers coasted across the line here, Neff's pipes going wet about 300 feet out, Arend shutting off about 800-feet out.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.089/307.79, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.154/294.18, Was #10
Right Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.179/301.94, Now #11; No Prior Run

Two good runs - Wilkerson with a very good run to move into the top four and Head with "a keeper" that should keep him in the field.

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Left Lane: Jerry Toliver Runs 4.162/305.49, Now #11; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Bob Bode Runs 7.809/81.92, Now #16; No Prior Run

If these two get times, we will have a bump time.

Bode lost traction about 200 feet out. Toliver made a full pass - not spectacular, but it should keep him in the field.

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Left Lane: Grant Downing Runs 5.069/152.97, Now #17; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.150/304.25, Now #10; No Prior Run

Downing started hazing the tires about 400 feet out, then lost power. Worsham made a full pass and moved into the tenth spot. That bumped Bode and Downing, putting Jeff Arend on the bump spot at 4.625.

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Left Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.140/302.28, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.145/303.57, Was #9
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 5.123/146.13, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.144/303.98, Was #8

Beckman improved slightly over his Thursday run, moved up one spot. Pedregon hazed the tires before half track, lost the spot that Beckman gained.

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Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.312/252.80, Now #16; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 4.476/196.04, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.107/304.94, Was #6

Pedregon's car was very loose, black tracking all the way through the run, and he squeaked into the field on the bump spot. Hagan made a good run to almost 660 feet, then lost traction.

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Left Lane: Gary Densham Runs 4.159/294.88, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.188/294.63, Was #14
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 5.581/125.27, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.076/307.65, Was #3

All the remaining cars are already in the field, so Cruz Pedregon will be on the bump spot for the final qualifying session, later today.

Capps struck the tires about 400 feet out, the right lane proving a bit tricky today. Densham made a clean pass to move up a couple spots.

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Left Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 7.485/84.99, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.154/295.08, Was #11
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 8.312/72.70, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.069/310.55, Was #2

Hight is in the "tricky right lane," so we'll see just how tricky it is.

Both cars launched hard, chattered the tires, and shut off in almost perfect synchronization.

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Left Lane: Ashley Force Hood Runs 5.150/146.50, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.098/307.58, Was #5
Right Lane: John Force Runs 5.839/103.05, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.060/307.72, Was #1

Last pair. Again in synchronization, a hard launch (0.90 60-foot times in both lanes) and a loss of traction, this time about 300 feet out.

For this session, the bonus points go to Wilkerson (3), Beckman (2) and Worsham (1).

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink