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Fri, 12 Feb 2010, 08:20 PM

Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 50th annual Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline 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:

Left Lane: Jeff Diehl Runs 4.299/283.91, Now #12; No Prior Run

4:28 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 70 degrees, relative humidity 42 percent, barometer 28.94 inches, adjusted altitude 2,381 feet, track temperature 87 degrees.

Tony Pedregon is on the bump with a 4.377 ET. Diehl gets the single in this session.

He gets a pass through the lights this time after yesterday's issues and makes a clean run into the current #12 position. That won't last long...

Left Lane: John Force Runs 4.066/310.41, Now #3; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Paul Lee Runs 4.327/278.58, Now #14; No Prior Run

Force let before the tree yesterday and didn't get an "official" time. Lee's good ET was DQ'ed,, when the car was too light after the long delay waiting for Diehl's car to get off the track.

Force takes the Mustang "Right Down Broadway" and shows that his prior run would have been a good one. That his fastest 1000ft time too.

Lee's pass from yesterday was better and he won't make today's bump.

Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.167/289.76, Now #9; Best prior run: 8.725/75.85, Was #18
Right Lane: Terry Haddock Runs 4.422/257.09, Now #17; Best prior run: 11.554/73.27, Was #19

Melanie Troxel is on the bump spot at 4.296.

Both cars get off the line without a problem this time, but Haddock has big problems down track, right at the finish line, with a flying burst panel, fire from under underneath the body, and oil on the track. He gets the car stopped safely. He moves up to the new #17 spot.

Capps gets his full pull and takes a conservative tune up into the new #9 position with a clean and straight pass. Nice run...

Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.905 sec., 330ft-2.333, 660ft-3.335/255.63 mph.

4:38 p.m. Time for some dusting and cleaning in the right lane.

Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.231/301.20, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.508/138.80, Was #19
Right Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 5.809/118.02, Now #19; Best prior run: 4.712/175.02, Was #18

4:50 p.m. Bob Tasca III is on the bump spot at 4.190.

Two Solara's to the line. Lots of pedaling for both cars and Arend gives it up early.

Pedregon gets a full pass this time and some numbers to tune to for tomorrow. He just misses the bump.

Left Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 6.543/97.90, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.296/285.95, Was #14
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.189/305.01, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.377/270.81, Was #17

Troxel was just bumped out and is making only her second attempt to qualify in the new In-N-Out Charger.

Pedregon's Nitrofish Monte Carlo is a little lazy off the line, but gets to the finish line without any problems today. Tasca is the only car left that can bump him out of today's field.

Troxel's is slow off the line and then shuts off before mid-track.

Left Lane: Bob Bode Runs 7.200/90.40, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.184/264.49, Was #11
Right Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 8.528/70.57, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.190/299.26, Was #13

Tony Pedregon is on the bump spot at 4.189.

Tasca's Ford chatters the tines and then Bode's Impala smokes them.

No joy for either team.

Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 7.374/87.27, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.166/304.74, Was #7
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 5.971/134.36, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.182/294.43, Was #10

These two both made strong passes yesterday and are looking to improve. They are both crew chief and driver, a rarity these days.

Two broken runs. They leave together and Head's Solara strikes the tires first, quickly followed by Wilkerson's Mustang.

They will stay #7 and #10 for now.

Left Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 7.562/84.82, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.101/310.91, Was #5
Right Lane: Gary Densham Runs 7.047/106.09, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.167/293.60, Was #8

Dueling shut offs. They leave together, smoke the tires together, and then shut off together. No joy here.

Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 7.983/73.21, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.062/312.35, Was #2
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 9.029/76.25, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.109/305.01, Was #6

Looks like everyone is trying to turn the earth, but the earth is winning!

Hagan's car moves back and forth on the track and he clicks it. Worsham's Solara surcums to the dreaded tire smoke at the same time.

Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 8.264/70.82, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.059/312.86, Was #1
Right Lane: Ashley Force Hood Runs 7.695/62.00, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.093/310.70, Was #4

Last pair for today. Maybe one of them can get down the track. The younger 2/3's of Team Force come to the line to wrap up today's Pro qualifying.

That's all folks! Two more tire smokers and we are done. Both cars have good sixty foot numbers, but to no avail.

5:11 p.m. Height stays #1 and Tony Pedregon is on the bump spot at 4.189.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink