Sat, 5 Jun 2010, 12:50 AM Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Larry Sullivan

JOLIET, Ill. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 13th annual United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Miller Welders listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Kevin Newburgh Runs 6.059/232.55, Now #1
Right Lane: Wayne Butler Runs 6.093/221.13, Now #2

12:52 p.m. Two clean runs, but with all the heavy-hitters here this weekend those times may not even make the field - and both drivers are capable of much quicker runs.

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Left Lane: Ken Webster Runs 5.788/250.51, Now #1
Right Lane: Rick Cortino Runs 6.560/192.44, Now #4

Webster's run gives us the first five of the day - it won't be the last. Cortino shook early in the run.

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Left Lane: Burl Brown Runs 5.772/248.29, Now #1
Right Lane: John Bojec Runs 5.775/250.51, Now #2

Bojec got to the stripe first, but Brown was slightly quicker and kept right on going. One chute came out way down the shutdown area, but he was still going at a pretty good pace when he went into the sand pit at the end of the strip, then into the net. He is reported to be conscious and talking with the safety crew, but it will take 30-45 minutes to get him out of the car, the car out of the net and the sand, then reset all the safety equipment. 1:00 p.m.

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Left Lane: Paul Gill Runs 5.695/251.34, Now #1
Right Lane: John Anderika Runs 6.002/239.53, Now #5

11:24 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 71 percent, barometer 29.04 inches, adjusted altitude 3,062 feet, track temperature 79 degrees.

The last pair of TAFC qualifiers went down the track at 1 p.m. In that pair, Burl Brown went into the net hard, destroying his car (he's okay). During the cleanup, it started raining. Several rain delays later, here we are.

Good run by Gill to take over the top spot. Anderika was off his usual pace, but that time will keep him in until tomorrow.

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Left Lane: Jason McKnight No Time, Now #10
Right Lane: Chris Foster Runs 5.765/251.53, Now #2

McKnight failed to stage in the alloted time and was timed out. Foster made a clean pass to move into the second spot.

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Left Lane: Ray Drew Runs 8.459/108.86, Now #10
Right Lane: Vern Moats Runs 15.562/51.96, Now #11

Both drivers pedaled early in the run, Moats first, then Drew. Both tried to hook the tires back up, neither was successful.

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Left Lane: Roger Bateman Runs 5.977/249.21, Now #7
Right Lane: Andy Bohl Runs 5.762/252.24, Now #2

Bateman had to pedal fairly early in the run, Bohl did not.

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Left Lane: Frank Manzo Runs 5.551/259.56, Now #1
Right Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 5.786/255.24, Now #7

This pair should give us a pretty good gauge on what's possible under these conditions...the man is unreal! Manzo put a tenth and a half between himself and the #2 qualifier on a string-straight pass with no bobbles or pedal jobs.

Frank Manzo's incremental times: 60ft-0.943 sec., 330ft-2.465, 660ft-3.660/207.46 mph, 1,000ft-4.684.

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Left Lane: Alexis De Joria Runs 22.684/57.53, Now #17
Right Lane: John Lombardo Jr. Runs 5.621/256.21, Now #2

DeJoris shook hard and slowed almost immediately. Lombardo made a good run, the second-best of the session.

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Left Lane: Mickey Ferro Runs 5.606/256.16, Now #2
Right Lane: Steve Harker Runs 5.694/253.61, Now #4

These two could give Manzo a run for the money...though it would take close to a career-best by Harker.

Two good runs, but so far Manzo is still alone in the fifties. Ferro came close, but no cigar.

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Right Lane: Jay Payne Runs 5.767/251.49, Now #8

Payne's car was a bit loose all the way through this run, the car's nose "hunting" back and forth, and he ended up in the middle of the field. Wayne Butler is on the bump spot at 6.093 and Manzo is atop the list at 5.551.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink