Fri, 24 Sep 2010, 05:22 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Dave Rowe

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 25th annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Todd Simpson Runs 6.860/102.65, Now #1
Right Lane: Dale Creasy Jr. Runs 7.733/131.59, Now #2

3:17 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 95 degrees, relative humidity 44 percent, barometer 29.48 inches, adjusted altitude 3,801 feet, track temperature 141 degrees.

0-for-2 here, both go up in smoke quickly. Creasy hits the throttle as soon as he hits the throttle, Simpson gets a little further before he loses traction.

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Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 6.006/110.69, Now #1
Right Lane: Melanie Troxel Runs 7.116/85.36, Now #3

These two get a little further than the first pair but not by much. Head and Troxel have decent 60 foot times, .908 and .923, but then strike the tires about 300 feet out.

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Left Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 4.348/239.65, Now #1
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 5.121/146.42, Now #2

Arend gets down the track with no traction problems, the first car to do it so far, and he takes the early pole. Pedregon makes it to the 400 feet mark, goes up in smoke and backs off the throttle.

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Left Lane: Del Worsham No Time, Now #8
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.325/278.35, Now #1

Worsham gets about 100 feet out, strikes the tires and makes a violent move to the right before he backs off the throttle. Wilkerson makes an impressive run for the conditions and takes the pole for now.

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Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.744/192.66, Now #3
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.861/185.43, Now #4

4:09 p.m. We're back after a lengthy cleanup in the left lane. Worsham's car deposited some oil on the track staring around half-track.

Capps hits the throttle, gets about 300 feet out and strikes the tires. He pedals, gets to half-track, then makes a hard move to the right and has to give up on the run. Pedregon gets about 400 feet out, hazes the tires and pedals, then goes on through with a decent pass for the conditions.

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Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 5.370/142.36, Now #7
Right Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.644/216.03, Now #3

Hight rattles the tires early, pedals, then loses traction about 400 feet out and gives up on the run. Tasca was on a decent pass but had problems late in the run.

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Left Lane: Ashley Force Hood Runs 4.713/215.41, Now #4
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 6.195/102.55, Now #10

Hagan makes it 400 feet and goes up in smoke. Hood was on a decent pass, then lost traction around half-track. She pedals a couple of times and runs quick enough to get in the fourth spot.

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Left Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.441/251.34, Now #4
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.407/254.90, Now #3

We finally get a side-by-side, the last pair of the round. Beckman was on a clean pass, then the rear of the car started moving around late in the run but he was able to hang on and stay on the throttle. Force went right down the groove and gets in the third spot.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink