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Fri, 19 Feb 2010, 08:30 PM

Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By David Gerard

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 26th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals 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:

Right Lane: Paul Lee No Time, Now #17; Best prior run: 12.199/31.51, Was #17

Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 26 percent, barometer 28.56 inches, adjusted altitude 3,142 feet, track temperature 96 degrees.

Lee launched hard and was on a good pass until just past half track when it started dropping cylinders on the left side. The car started to drift to the left and collected the finish line cones.

Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.153/284.75, Now #4; Best prior run: 9.112/77.59, Was #16
Right Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 4.150/303.37, Now #3; Best prior run: 8.822/78.89, Was #15

5:47 p.m. ...and we are back.

With only seventeen cars running so far, this won't be as critical a session as it could be. Tomorrows weather is not looking good for completing two more sessions.

Looks like the current AJ blowers are OK!

A great looking side by side pass for these two, running within 0.003 of each other.

Worsham's Solara gets way too close to the wall at the 1000 foot lights and it may have cost him some ET.

Del Worsham's incremental times: 60ft-0.911 sec., 330ft-2.344, 660ft-3.334/258.52 mph.
Jeff Arend's incremental times: 60ft-0.917 sec., 330ft-2.366, 660ft-3.345/261.17 mph.

Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 10.071/74.53, Now #16; Best prior run: 6.815/94.13, Was #15
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.120/305.22, Now #1; Best prior run: 7.273/89.13, Was #16

Last weeks runner up at Pomona must have annoyed the Napa Team a bunch. They give Capps a bunch of tune up and he uses it to make a super looking pass into the new top spot in both ET and MPH

Head was late off the line and the car was just a tad lazy earlier on, but kicks the tires and he slows.

Jim Head's incremental times: 60ft-0.935 sec., 330ft-3.659, 660ft-6.957/071.64 mph.
Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.912 sec., 330ft-2.342, 660ft-3.320/262.03 mph.

Left Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 4.469/222.55, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.187/285.77, Was #10
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.211/303.23, Now #11; Best prior run: 6.354/103.60, Was #15

Pedregon gets a small advantage off the line, but Troxel has better incrementals until near the 660 lights, where the car noses over and has a bunch of smoke and flame out from underneath the Charger.

Pedregon gets a full pass this time and moves up into the new #11 spot behind her.

Melanie Troxel's incremental times: 60ft-0.921 sec., 330ft-2.387, 660ft-3.469/227.77 mph.
Tony Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.927 sec., 330ft-2.386, 660ft-3.402/255.77 mph.

5:56 p.m. There will be clean up in Melanie lane.

Left Lane: Gary Densham Runs 7.733/99.52, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.178/290.69, Was #9
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.747/284.51, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.790/118.50, Was #15

5:58 p.m. That didn't take long!

Dueling tire smokers near the 330 lights. Densham has to give it up, but Beckman shows his skill and strokes the pedal, gathers it back up, and runs strong enough to stay off the bottom of the ladder.

Gary Densham's incremental times: 60ft-0.917 sec., 330ft-2.921, 660ft-5.374/095.31 mph.
Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.913 sec., 330ft-2.589, 660ft-3.861/220.40 mph.

Left Lane: Ashley Force Hood Runs 4.119/295.79, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.168/298.40, Was #8
Right Lane: Jeff Diehl Runs 4.313/276.52, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.314/274.22, Was #14

Team Force comes back with a vengeance, as Force Hood just thunders on down the track and nips Capps time by 0.001 of a second and captures the new top spot.

Diehl plays bracket racer and runs 0.001 seconds quicker than his first pass to stay #14.

The sun is behind the mountains now and the header flames are too cool!

Ashley Force Hood's incremental times: 60ft-0.906 sec., 330ft-2.339, 660ft-3.316/262.74 mph.
Jeff Diehl's incremental times: 60ft-0.927 sec., 330ft-2.425, 660ft-3.460/247.61 mph.

Left Lane: John Force Runs 4.074/304.67, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.168/300.86, Was #8
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.276/270.32, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.271/286.44, Was #13

John Force is taking no prisoners! The Mustang is right behind Pedregon at the green and then runs a terrific 0.890 sixty foot time. He has header flames over the roof all the way down and decidedly moves the quick ET even lowe into the "0's".

Nice pass for Pedregon again, but he doesn't improve.

John Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.890 sec., 330ft-2.305, 660ft-3.276/262.79 mph.
Cruz Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.912 sec., 330ft-2.365, 660ft-3.404/246.12 mph.

Left Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 7.710/84.12, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.160/301.20, Was #8
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.200/298.67, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.233/291.57, Was #12

Tasca's Ford is too strong for the lane and smokes the tires before the 330 lights, after strong early incrementals.

Wilkerson gets another low four twenty pass and moves up to the current#11 spot.

Bob Tasca III's incremental times: 60ft-0.900 sec., 330ft-2.655, 660ft-4.964/090.98 mph.
Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.936 sec., 330ft-2.396, 660ft-3.386/258.17 mph.

Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 7.837/82.02, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.139/302.62, Was #5
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 4.068/311.34, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.135/292.58, Was #4

Last pair of the session and it's a great one for DSR. Hagan regains his prior #1 qualifying spot with a picture perfect run. He cards both best ET and MPH to upset the Team Force efforts. He'll get the new track MPH record for his efforts.

Hight was on a grat looking pass with better incrementals until near the 330 lights, when tire spin and shake ended his hopes. He'll stay #5.

Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.909 sec., 330ft-2.690, 660ft-5.027/089.68 mph.
Matt Hagan's incremental times: 60ft-0.910 sec., 330ft-2.324, 660ft-3.285/267.06 mph.

6:14 p.m. Tony Pedregon is on the bump spot at 4.211.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink