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Sat, 17 May 2003, 04:35 PM

Pro Stock Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Larry Sullivan

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Pro Stock at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 34th annual K&N Filters SuperNationals presented by Pep Boys 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: Vinny Barone Runs 6.830/202.33, Now #30; Best prior run: 7.123/188.83, Was #31
Right Lane: Bruce Allen Runs 13.795/53.27, Now #32; Best prior run: 8.045/126.89, Was #32

3:50 PM Current weather conditions: 61 degrees, 68 percent relative humidity, the absolute barometer 29.93 inches, with a track temperature of 91 degrees, still overcast.

With conditions not quite as good as they were earlier today, the bump spot belongs to Gene Wilson with a 6.750. These two cars had the potential of getting into the field, both with handling problems on earlier runs. Allen's car shook and danced on the launch, his weekend over. Barone finally got down the track, but was not quick enough.

Left Lane: David Strouse Jr. Runs 6.788/202.70, Now #25; Best prior run: 6.826/202.09, Was #29
Right Lane: Nick Fratt Runs 6.814/204.35, Now #30; Best prior run: 6.852/202.85, Was #31

Now the Sun is peeping through the clouds, but the track should stay relatively cool for the rest of the session. Both drivers made their best runs of the weekend, with career-best times and speeds, but both came up short of this extremely quick field.

Left Lane: JR Carr Runs 18.342/80.53, Now #27; Best prior run: 6.791/202.61, Was #27
Right Lane: George Marnell Runs 6.810/202.94, Now #29; Best prior run: 6.799/203.34, Was #29

carr's car got up on the tires and shook. Marnell's run looked okay, but he lost ground.

Left Lane: Mark Whisnant Runs 6.791/203.65, Now #26; Best prior run: 6.789/202.97, Was #26
Right Lane: Bob Benza Runs 6.794/203.52, Now #28; Best prior run: 6.798/202.67, Was #28

Two good runs, career-best marks for Benza, but no brass ring.

Left Lane: Ben Watson Runs 6.769/203.65, Now #20; Best prior run: 6.782/204.23, Was #24
Right Lane: Mike Edwards Runs 6.759/203.92, Now #17; Best prior run: 6.778/204.51, Was #22

Edwards moves to the first-alternate spot on his best run of the weekend, but that's all he'll get this weekend.

Left Lane: Kenny Koretsky Runs 6.781/203.86, Now #24; Best prior run: 6.778/204.01, Was #24
Right Lane: Larry Morgan Runs 6.825/203.16, Now #23; Best prior run: 6.777/203.34, Was #23

Nope, neither Neon improved.

Left Lane: V. Gaines Runs 6.769/204.05, Now #20; Best prior run: 6.777/204.70, Was #22
Right Lane: Taylor Lastor Runs 6.747/205.29, Now #15; Best prior run: 6.769/204.73, Was #19

Lastor got that Maskin power to the ground, bumping Wilson. Now it's Jeg Coughlin on the bump spot at 6.748.

Left Lane: Mike Thomas Runs 6.778/202.30, Now #22; Best prior run: 6.770/202.82, Was #22
Right Lane: John Nobile Runs 6.838/201.85, Now #19; Best prior run: 6.768/203.65, Was #19

Nope!

Left Lane: Jeg Coughlin Runs 6.711/204.57, Now #2; Best prior run: 6.748/203.80, Was #16
Right Lane: Gene Wilson Runs 6.741/205.44, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.750/204.98, Was #17

Classic final round pairing, Jeg on the bump and Wilson wanting to send him home. Well, Jeg had a 0.984 60-foot time and moved way off the bump spot, while Wilson jumped right into the field, bumping Lastor. That moves Terry Adams to the bump spot, but all the cars left in the lanes are already in the field.

Left Lane: Greg Stanfield Runs 6.741/204.88, Now #16; Best prior run: 6.741/205.04, Was #15
Right Lane: Terry Adams Runs 6.728/205.66, Now #7; Best prior run: 6.742/205.38, Was #16

Adams made a great run to move into the top half of the field, pushing Stanfield into a first-round race with the #1 qualifier.

Left Lane: Dave Northrop Runs 6.746/203.86, Now #13; Best prior run: 6.735/204.82, Was #13
Right Lane: Barry Grant Runs 15.707/52.32, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.736/204.45, Was #14

Grant's car shook hard and he lifted. Northrop stayed in contention, but did not improve.

Left Lane: Troy Coughlin Runs 6.788/203.52, Now #12; Best prior run: 6.734/203.77, Was #12
Right Lane: Mark Pawuk Runs 6.725/204.76, Now #6; Best prior run: 6.729/205.13, Was #10

Mark is in a rut, a 6.72 rut, that is. A nice run to move into the top half of the field. Pawuk pulled away from Coughlin on the first half of the run, then held him off on the top end.

Left Lane: Darrell Alderman Runs 6.760/204.14, Now #11; Best prior run: 6.734/205.26, Was #11
Right Lane: Ron Krisher Runs 6.754/205.01, Now #7; Best prior run: 6.727/205.41, Was #7

These two were side-by-side all the way down the track. No improvement, however.

Left Lane: Scott Geoffrion Runs 6.742/204.82, Now #9; Best prior run: 6.728/204.82, Was #9

Geoffrion is the next-to-final car before the King Demon Crown semifinals. The car did a dance on the launch, which knocked a few thousandths off the elapsed time.

Left Lane: Warren Johnson Runs 6.767/204.35, Now #10; Best prior run: 6.729/205.69, Was #10
Right Lane: Kurt Johnson Runs 6.716/206.57, Now #4; Best prior run: 6.724/205.76, Was #5

No help for WJ, but KJ came up with a fine run, the car off the line hard with a 1.002 60-foot time and right down the middle of the groove, to move one rung up the ladder.

Left Lane: Jim Yates Runs 6.736/204.35, Now #3; Best prior run: 6.715/204.79, Was #3
Right Lane: Greg Anderson Runs 6.684/206.76, Now #1; Best prior run: 6.702/207.08, Was #1

Would you look at that? The first driver with a 207 mph speed is now the first in the sixties, an awesome run to close out qualifying. That ends an amazing day of qualifying and the quickest field ever will be back tomorrow to choose a winner.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink