Sat, 25 Feb 2012, 15:58 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By David Gerard

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Pacific Division, event at Firebird International Raceway listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Ross Stickler Runs 7.413/117.01, Now #2
Right Lane: Charles McLaws Runs 6.173/241.80, Now #1

1:24 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 73 degrees, relative humidity 18 percent, barometer 28.32 inches, adjusted altitude 2,960 feet, track temperature 108 degrees.

Stickler gets the front end shimmy shake, as he tries to stop the Corvette after the burnout.

Strickler gets the better numbers down low and then starts to drift towards the wall and lifts.

McLaws deep stages a ton and has crummy incremental, as the car is lazy off the line, but gets it to the finish line under power.

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Left Lane: Steve Griboski Runs 5.868/239.44, Now #1
Right Lane: Brian Smith Runs 5.933/247.61, Now #2

Griboski is first off the line first and pulls steadily ahead going down the track to move into the new top spot for now.

Smith's Camaro is sluggish off the line, but still gets into the fives. That may not hold.

Steve Griboski's incremental times: 60ft-0.958 sec., 330ft-2.558, 660ft-3.836/193.90 mph, 1,000ft-4.931.
Brian Smith's incremental times: 60ft-1.031 sec., 330ft-2.664, 660ft-3.937/195.56 mph, 1,000ft-5.018.

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Right Lane: Mark Woznichak Runs 5.759/248.16, Now #1

Woznichak will make a single this session. I don't know who was supposed to be in the left lane.

Neat! I enjoy hearing the shift changes as the cars run down the track. The Woz makes a strong pass and will take over the current top spot.

Mark Woznichak's incremental times: 60ft-0.980 sec., 330ft-2.551, 660ft-3.795/197.74 mph, 1,000ft-4.860.

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Left Lane: Annie Whiteley Runs 5.659/254.28, Now #1
Right Lane: Shane Westerfield Runs 5.698/254.66, Now #2

Stylish black and purple paint scheme on Whiteley's Mustang.

...and it runs well too! She is second off the line, but has the power to card the best incrementals and capture the new number one position.

Westerfield gets a good leave too and chases her at the top end to slide right in behind her in the #2 spot.

Annie Whiteley's incremental times: 60ft-0.968 sec., 330ft-2.522, 660ft-3.739/203.83 mph, 1,000ft-4.776.
Shane Westerfield's incremental times: 60ft-0.955 sec., 330ft-2.534, 660ft-3.769/201.19 mph, 1,000ft-4.812.

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Left Lane: John Lombardo Jr. Runs 5.615/250.09, Now #1
Right Lane: Brian Hough Runs 5.622/255.97, Now #2

We'll get out first bump spot from this pair.

Loong burnout for Hough and he has to hurry back to the starting line. He still has the Cowie "Get Well" paint scheme on the Mustang.

Hough gets the best of the starting line and got to the finish line first, but Lombardo is 0.007 quicker to get the new top spot.

John Lombardo Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-0.946 sec., 330ft-2.503, 660ft-3.709/205.98 mph, 1,000ft-4.736.
Brian Hough's incremental times: 60ft-0.961 sec., 330ft-2.496, 660ft-3.707/203.74 mph, 1,000ft-4.741.

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Left Lane: Doug Gordon Runs 5.688/255.10, Now #5
Right Lane: Jay Payne Runs 5.615/260.11, Now #1

Charles McLaws is on the bump spot at 6.173.

Payne is quick and fast going down the track to the new top spot.

Gordon was second off the line and had some shake at the shift. He get into the top of the bottom half of the field.

Doug Gordon's incremental times: 60ft-0.951 sec., 330ft-2.533, 660ft-3.763/202.03 mph, 1,000ft-4.803.
Jay Payne's incremental times: 60ft-0.969 sec., 330ft-2.518, 660ft-3.724/206.45 mph, 1,000ft-4.747.

1:42 p.m. Steve Griboski is on the bump spot at 5.868.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink