Drag Race Central | Presented by Summitracing.com

Sat, 4 Sep 2010, 09:00 PM

Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By David Gerard

CLERMONT, Ind. - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil 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: Bob Bode Runs 4.157/298.21, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.109/298.14, Was #4
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.057/311.34, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.113/270.27, Was #8

8:11 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 31 percent, barometer 29.03 inches, adjusted altitude 2,622 feet, track temperature 89 degrees.

John Smith is on the bump spot at 4.174.

Bode comes back for this session makes a clean and straight pass, but its no match for Cruz Pedregon's Solara. He gets a little excitement near the 330 lights, as the roof hatch blows off going down the track. That's still good enough for the new #2 spot.

Bob Bode's incremental times: 60ft-0.907 sec., 330ft-2.342, 660ft-3.341/256.65 mph.
Cruz Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.907 sec., 330ft-2.307, 660ft-3.273/265.38 mph.

Left Lane: Paul Lee No Time, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.920/162.70, Was #18
Right Lane: Ashley Force Hood Runs 4.857/88.64, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.059/310.98, Was #4

It's just dark enough now for the header flames to make a big impression.

Force Hood is away first and has the advantage until just before the 660 lights, where the Mustang starts to spin the tires. Its full time smoke after that and she lifts.

Lee's pass was good enough to have moved the team up to the number 16 spot, but the car drifted over and clipped the top end reflector to DQ the pass.

Paul Lee's incremental times: 60ft-0.906 sec., 330ft-2.350, 660ft-3.406/220.84 mph.

Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 7.170/94.75, Now #19; Best prior run: 6.467/97.55, Was #19
Right Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.660/177.86, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.185/271.62, Was #13

Worsham continues to struggle with keeping the car stuck off the starting line. Not too bad initially, but too much too soon.

Head's car gets to just past the six sixty and has to lift when the Solara gets right up against the wall.

The asphalt zamboni goes out to sweep and drag the right lane around the 330 mark.

Left Lane: Brian Thiel Runs 6.525/98.43, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.262/289.07, Was #14
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.191/261.52, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.334/214.59, Was #15

Thiel gets away first and strikes the tires, pumps the throttle a couple of times and gives it up.

Pedregon gets down the track quick enough this time to move past Thiel and still doesn't move into the top twelve.

Tony Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.915 sec., 330ft-2.340, 660ft-3.336/256.99 mph.

Left Lane: John Force Runs 7.518/84.78, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.058/312.86, Was #3
Right Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 5.915/113.45, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.146/303.64, Was #10

Two more broken passes. Troxel gets off the line first and makes a good pass until after the 330 lights before smoking the tires.

Force had a better sixty foot time and them smokes the tires hard.

Left Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.086/306.33, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.759/168.85, Was #17

Tasca gets the single pass and its the one he has been looking for.

The car is a little lazy down low, but keeps the tire stuck all the way down the track to move him from outside to the top half of the field. Nice!

Bob Tasca III's incremental times: 60ft-0.907 sec., 330ft-2.322, 660ft-3.291/264.39 mph.

Left Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 5.245/141.70, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.110/307.02, Was #7
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.104/297.02, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.153/277.15, Was #12

Tim Wilkerson is on the bump spot at 4.153 and he gets a strong pass to move the car up into the top half of the field. It's expensive, as it looked to have been pushing out the head gaskets on the top end.

Arend was on a better pass until after the 330 lights, where the slicks started to smoke.

Jeff Arend's incremental times: 60ft-0.901 sec., 330ft-2.344, 660ft-3.689/160.23 mph.
Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.924 sec., 330ft-2.351, 660ft-3.309/267.96 mph.

Left Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 7.170/90.07, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.136/303.16, Was #11
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 4.039/277.89, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.112/299.86, Was #10

Team DSR on the line.

Hagan strikes hard and bumps the track record taking over the new #1 spot on a terrific looking pass. He had to have clicked it early, looking at the MPH.

Beckman was right behind him until just before the 330 lights, going up in smoke.

Matt Hagan's incremental times: 60ft-0.882 sec., 330ft-2.274, 660ft-3.228/267.75 mph.

Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.049/309.77, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.111/300.66, Was #10
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 6.428/104.25, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.055/310.98, Was #2

Capps puts nail in the top two spots for Team Schumacher with a beautiful pass to end tonight's session. Good incrementals all the way down to take over the number two spot for tonight.

Hight's Mustang was a little lazy off the line and then was up in smoke before the 330 lights.

Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.890 sec., 330ft-2.296, 660ft-3.264/266.74 mph.
Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.896 sec., 330ft-2.458, 660ft-4.280/116.69 mph.

8:50 p.m. Matt Hagan is number one at 4.039 and Melanie Troxel is on the bump spot at 4.146.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink