Fri, 25 Jun 2010, 06:50 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By David Gerard

NORWALK, Ohio - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, Fourth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Bob Bode Runs 4.191/295.46, Now #1
Right Lane: Jeff Diehl Runs 4.829/172.32, Now #2

6:04 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 82 degrees, relative humidity 47 percent, barometer 29.09 inches, adjusted altitude 3,167 feet, track temperature 118 degrees.

Just like the good ol' days! Two BUG's [Back Up Girl's} directing the cars back from their burnouts. Schriefer was supposed to be the first car out on a single, but decided to wait until later.

Both cars leave well and run together until near mid-track, where Diehl kicked the tires and slowed.

Bode's Impala started to drift towards the wall down track and it likely cost him some ET, but its a great pass anyway.

That's a new track speed record!

Bob Bode's incremental times: 60ft-0.901 sec., 330ft-2.353, 660ft-3.366/253.56 mph.
Jeff Diehl's incremental times: 60ft-0.929 sec., 330ft-2.412, 660ft-3.547/194.69 mph.

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Right Lane: Jim Head No Time, Now #3

Lee will not make this session, so Head gets a single.

It's a good thing too, as Head's Solara leave hard with a 0.941 and immediately starts to smoke the tires big time. He may have stayed with it a little too long, as the car moved hard across the centerline. He fought it several times and the rear quarter panel just banged the left guardrail and bent up the headers. He had slowed a lot by that point, but will still have a patch job to do back in the pits before the next session later tonight. Ouch!

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Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.568/186.87, Now #3
Right Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 4.233/291.95, Now #2

The two cars left together and ran side by side until right after mid-track, where Pedregon started to smoke the tires.

Arend makes a strong finish and slides in behind Bode in the #2 spot on the ladder

Cruz Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.899 sec., 330ft-2.335, 660ft-3.396/216.51 mph.
Jeff Arend's incremental times: 60ft-0.913 sec., 330ft-2.379, 660ft-3.400/251.53 mph.

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Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.517/205.69, Now #4
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.271/284.45, Now #3

In almost a repeat of the prior pair, Pedregon has to lift, but earlier in the run.

Wilkerson gets to the finish line under power and moves into the current #3 spot.

Tony Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.923 sec., 330ft-2.391, 660ft-3.444/234.00 mph.
Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.927 sec., 330ft-2.401, 660ft-3.423/249.90 mph.

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Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.254/292.84, Now #3
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.272/287.60, Now #5

Capps has a new co-crew chief this weekend, as John Medlen moves from the Diehard Team to the Napa Team.

Both cars get down the track without drama. Worsham has better numbers down low and they match each others 330 times.

Worsham pull slowly ahead from there to the finish and captures the new #3 spot. Capps will get #5. Nice looking runs.

Del Worsham's incremental times: 60ft-0.921 sec., 330ft-2.385, 660ft-3.420/249.12 mph.
Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.924 sec., 330ft-2.385, 660ft-3.425/246.03 mph.

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Left Lane: Bob Tasca III No Time, Now #11
Right Lane: Ashley Force Hood Runs 4.177/290.07, Now #1

Two Boss 500 Mustangs come to the line.

Tasca's car sounds terrible trying to come into the beams and he is given the classic cut throat gesture. He clicks it off.

Force-Hood starts her pass with a strong 0.895 sixty foot time and powers on down the track into the new top spot, pushing Bode to number two. Nice!

Ashley Force Hood's incremental times: 60ft-0.895 sec., 330ft-2.330, 660ft-3.340/251.67 mph.

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Left Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.229/294.05, Now #4
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 4.169/294.43, Now #1

Two Chargers this time.

Looks like the crew chief shuffle didn't impact the Diehard Team, as Hagan thunders down the track into the new top spot.

Nice clean pass for Beckman too and he takes the new #4 spot.

Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.913 sec., 330ft-2.374, 660ft-3.397/250.46 mph.
Matt Hagan's incremental times: 60ft-0.904 sec., 330ft-2.341, 660ft-3.342/254.95 mph.

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Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.181/296.89, Now #3
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.256/291.89, Now #8

Team Force will finish up the round.

Almost identical RT's for the two Mustangs and Hight marches down the track to recapture his track MPH record on a strong pass into the final #3 position for the round.

Force chased him to the finish line and will be the #8 qualifier going into tonight's second round.

Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.904 sec., 330ft-2.357, 660ft-3.362/256.26 mph.
John Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.922 sec., 330ft-2.396, 660ft-3.419/249.76 mph.

6:33 p.m. Matt Hagan is number one with a 4.169 and Cruz Pedregon is on the bump spot at 4.568.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink