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Sat, 17 Jul 2010, 07:52 PM

Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By David Gerard

SONOMA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA 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:

Left Lane: Brian Thiel Runs 4.445/273.39, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.410/278.69, Was #16
Right Lane: Grant Downing Runs 4.352/274.22, Now #16; Best prior run: 6.867/140.39, Was #18

4:14 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 76 degrees, relative humidity 54 percent, barometer 29.92 inches, adjusted altitude 1,783 feet, track temperature 123 degrees.

Brian Thiel is on the bump spot at 4.410.

Downing finally gets a full pass and its good enough to bump Thiel out and take over the bump spot with one more car to go. He keeps the candles lit and runs a season best ET and MPH. Looks expensive, as he once again has terminal engine problems and there is a oil slick clean up past the finish line.

Thiel gave it a good try and runs close to his prior season best ET and MPH and gets bumped to #17.

Brian Thiel's incremental times: 60ft-0.991 sec., 330ft-2.497, 660ft-3.558/237.92 mph.
Grant Downing's incremental times: 60ft-0.906 sec., 330ft-2.394, 660ft-3.463/237.21 mph.

Left Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 4.307/292.52, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.304/289.94, Was #15
Right Lane: Jeff Diehl Runs 4.352/282.84, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.787/182.87, Was #18

4:25 p.m. Back to racing. Diehl is the last car to have a chance to bump in.

Diehl needed to run 4.352 to match Downing and he does! He gets the last qualifying position by almost eight MPH. That engine damage for Downing costs him the position.

Clean pass for Troxel, but can only improve her MPH to stay #15.

Melanie Troxel's incremental times: 60ft-0.937 sec., 330ft-2.431, 660ft-3.469/247.57 mph.
Jeff Diehl's incremental times: 60ft-0.930 sec., 330ft-2.432, 660ft-3.498/243.85 mph.

Left Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 4.242/287.96, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.253/286.13, Was #13
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.488/205.79, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.273/289.51, Was #14

Two more full pulls. Arend picks up a little, but no enough to improve him up from the current thirteen position.

Pedregon has a clean pass until near the finish line and slows.

Jeff Arend's incremental times: 60ft-0.903 sec., 330ft-2.360, 660ft-3.395/247.25 mph.
Tony Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.904 sec., 330ft-2.364, 660ft-3.420/231.20 mph.

Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.177/296.70, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.223/284.51, Was #12
Right Lane: Ashley Force Hood Runs 4.172/297.68, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.187/292.77, Was #8

They leave within 0.002 of each other at the green and run side by side to the finish line where they finish within 0.005 for a net 0.003 difference.

Capps takes over Force Hood's #8 spot, as she moves up to number seven.

Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.898 sec., 330ft-2.340, 660ft-3.353/253.04 mph.
Ashley Force Hood's incremental times: 60ft-0.897 sec., 330ft-2.349, 660ft-3.355/256.36 mph.

Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.152/301.27, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.213/282.13, Was #12
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.997/156.08, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.172/301.87, Was #6

Worsham gives the Camry a good wring out and makes the best pass of the round, so far. He moves into the top half of the field, replacing Hight in the current #6 position.

Hight's Mustang had a little better sixty foot time, but couldn't keep the pace and is up in smoke before the 330 lights.

Del Worsham's incremental times: 60ft-0.902 sec., 330ft-2.337, 660ft-3.340/256.16 mph.
Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.900 sec., 330ft-2.346, 660ft-3.582/176.51 mph.

Left Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 4.238/286.56, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.202/284.93, Was #11
Right Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.188/288.77, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.130/304.39, Was #5

The track temperature has started to slack off and is now back to 118 degrees.

Hagan picks up some MPH and runs close on ET to stay #11. Tasca's car is off a little on the top end and he doesn't improve.

Matt Hagan's incremental times: 60ft-0.898 sec., 330ft-2.342, 660ft-3.381/243.37 mph.
Bob Tasca III's incremental times: 60ft-0.915 sec., 330ft-2.364, 660ft-3.365/256.02 mph.

Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.170/297.55, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.181/294.75, Was #10
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.178/295.92, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.112/304.19, Was #4

Two great looking passes and Wilkerson gets the best of it with a clean and straight pass into the top half of the field in the #7 position.

Pedregon makes it three out of four for good passes and he stays #4. Looks like they are back to the position of giving the field a hard time on Sunday!

Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.909 sec., 330ft-2.355, 660ft-3.352/256.94 mph.
Cruz Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.901 sec., 330ft-2.345, 660ft-3.357/254.57 mph.

Left Lane: John Force Runs 6.847/95.24, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.104/307.30, Was #3
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.192/298.54, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.063/311.56, Was #1

Beckman keeps his number one position, as Densham sits out the session and Force smokes the tires before the 330 lights.

John Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.904 sec., 330ft-2.526, 660ft-4.489/107.70 mph.
Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.913 sec., 330ft-2.364, 660ft-3.373/254.28 mph.

4:49 p.m. Jeff Diehl is on the bump spot at 4.352.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink