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Sat, 10 Nov 2012, 19:51 PM

Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 48th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals 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: Josh Crawford Runs 6.003/115.84, Now #22; Best prior run: 8.380/77.46, Was #22
Right Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.300/262.18, Now #17; Best prior run: 6.338/102.46, Was #21

3:44 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 64 degrees, relative humidity 33 percent, barometer 28.89 inches, adjusted altitude 1,879 feet, track temperature 78 degrees.

Final round of qualifying for FC's in 2012. Tony Pedregon is on the bump spot at 4.247.

Tasca's year ends on a sour note, as the car gets loose and he has to pedal.

Crawford was very loose off the line and has to work hard to keep from crossing over the center line after the 330 lights. Looks like he was driving over his own oil, as the asphalt zamboni is called out on the track to start a scrub down. The car stops on the track right after the finish line.

Left Lane: Bob Bode Runs 10.002/62.68, Now #19; Best prior run: 4.443/248.29, Was #18
Right Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.281/290.76, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.342/143.00, Was #21

4:06 p.m. Crawford loses five points for his oil down. Back to qualifying.

Bode strikes the tires at the green. Johnson finds over a second in ET on this pass, but won't make the field.

Tommy Johnson Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-0.923 sec., 330ft-2.420, 660ft-3.448/252.19 mph.

Left Lane: Alexis DeJoria Runs 8.260/79.92, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.105/310.91, Was #13
Right Lane: Terry Haddock Runs 8.526/80.99, Now #21; Best prior run: 5.093/151.87, Was #21

Capps can breath a big sigh of relief, as he can't be bumped from the field. That keeps his Championship hopes alive.

Dueling shake and smoke. They leave almost together, run together to just past the sixty foot lights and then have to give it up.

Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.075/306.74, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.102/303.43, Was #12
Right Lane: Todd Lesenko Runs 11.179/52.67, Now #20; Best prior run: 4.787/147.33, Was #20

The Dunn Team had to thrash hard together to get the Charger back up to qualify, but the engine goes silent right off the line.

Wilkerson takes his Mustang on a strong pass, just missing the top eight.

Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.886 sec., 330ft-2.301, 660ft-3.280/263.10 mph.

Left Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 4.574/180.89, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.100/308.50, Was #12
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.112/300.93, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.247/302.62, Was #16

Pedregon can't be bumped and is looking to move well off the bottom of the ladder. He does so with a big improvement, but it is only good enough for one spot on the ladder.

Hagan was right with him and then has tire shake and smoke before mid-track and slows.

Tony Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.898 sec., 330ft-2.329, 660ft-3.308/262.74 mph.

Left Lane: Paul Lee Runs 4.037/309.63, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.082/308.28, Was #10
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.007/319.29, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.131/276.69, Was #16

Capp is now on the bump and saves his best for last. He goes from the bottom to the top in one easy step. If this holds he will get back all of the little points he lost to Beckman earlier.

Lee makes a strong pass too and moves into the top half of the field. Once again, he improves on his career best ET and MPH this time in Densham's car.

Paul Lee's incremental times: 60ft-0.894 sec., 330ft-2.293, 660ft-3.250/267.11 mph.
Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.886 sec., 330ft-2.282, 660ft-3.240/271.19 mph.

Left Lane: Mike Neff Runs 8.069/84.91, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.062/313.66, Was #10

Neff leaves hard and then lifts. He will stay #10 for now.

Left Lane: Jim Head Runs 4.033/312.50, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.056/306.40, Was #8
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.075/315.71, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.090/308.71, Was #12

Head runs another career best ET and MPH to move up three positions on the ladder on a terrific pass.

Force finds some power too and moves up the ladder one spot to number eleven.

Jim Head's incremental times: 60ft-0.886 sec., 330ft-2.285, 660ft-3.252/264.96 mph.
John Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.893 sec., 330ft-2.330, 660ft-3.300/268.38 mph.

Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 7.845/83.63, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.053/313.07, Was #8
Right Lane: Johnny Gray Runs 4.046/311.20, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.060/313.22, Was #9

Hight gets to the sixty foot mark first and then shakes the tires.

Clean and straight pass for Gray to move up one spot on the ladder to the top half of the field.

Johnny Gray's incremental times: 60ft-0.909 sec., 330ft-2.308, 660ft-3.266/269.78 mph.

Left Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 5.653/121.44, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.025/319.75, Was #3
Right Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 9.031/69.97, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.036/312.93, Was #6

Beckman will want his little points back from Capps. Nope! The car leaves hard, rattles the tires and is up in smoke before the 330 lights. He will still have a one round advantage going into eliminations tomorrow.

Arend doesn't even get that far and is done.

Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.008/319.60, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.009/305.56, Was #2
Right Lane: Courtney Force Runs 4.039/317.12, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.032/315.93, Was #4

So close! Capps will keep the number one spot by just 0.001!

Pedregon was on a super strong pass and improves his career best speed by almost three MPH. Great Power to stay number two.

Force is right behind him and is quicker to sixty feet. She improves on her speed and slows just a tad from her prior best to stay #4.

Great pair of passes to wrap up the 2012 FC qualifying.

4:39 p.m. Ron Capp is number one at 4.007 and Tony Pedregon is on the bump spot at 4.112.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink