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Sat, 3 May 2003, 03:09 PM

Pro Stock Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Larry Sullivan

COMMERCE, Ga. - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Pro Stock at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac 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:

Right Lane: Barry Grant Runs 6.882/200.38, Now #17; Best prior run: 8.008/126.73, Was #33

2:36 PM Current weather conditions: 72 degrees, 69 percent relative humidity, the barometer 30.05 inches, with a track temperature of 99 degrees under partly cloudy skies.

The bump for this final session is Troy Coughlin's 6.876. Grant had problems in the earlier session and will miss "the show" Sunday, unable to beat the bump time despite making a full pass.

Left Lane: Tim Freeman Runs 6.953/199.26, Now #28; Best prior run: 6.973/199.26, Was #29
Right Lane: Nick Fratt Runs 7.042/197.91, Now #33; Best prior run: 7.264/193.71, Was #33

Nope, no real help, though both drivers did improve over their earlier runs.

Left Lane: Tom Martino Runs 6.933/198.99, Now #26; Best prior run: 6.942/198.47, Was #26
Right Lane: Chris Garner Runs 8.010/173.49, Now #32; Best prior run: 7.023/196.96, Was #32

Garner spun the tires and shook just off the line and he slowed. No joy for Martino, his best lap of the weekend a few hundredths short of the cut.

Left Lane: Mike Thomas Runs 6.944/198.29, Now #24; Best prior run: 6.914/198.76, Was #24
Right Lane: Gene Wilson Runs 6.918/199.58, Now #25; Best prior run: 6.987/199.46, Was #31

Skies overhead are almost completely clear now, the weather that appeared threatening earlier today passing southwest of Atlanta. Wilson stepped way up from his previous best, but came up short.

Left Lane: JR Carr Runs 6.923/199.26, Now #23; Best prior run: 6.912/199.49, Was #23
Right Lane: Ray Franks Runs 6.963/197.33, Now #31; Best prior run: 6.974/198.41, Was #31

Nope, Carr slows a hundredth, Franks improves a hundredth, no help for either.

Left Lane: Fernando Cuadra Runs 10.854/82.62, Now #22; Best prior run: 6.903/199.76, Was #22
Right Lane: Larry Morgan Runs 6.956/198.96, Now #30; Best prior run: 6.955/198.99, Was #30

Cuadra's car had the wheels up and was dancing around, so he lifted. No help for Morgan.

Left Lane: Dave Northrop Runs 6.909/200.14, Now #21; Best prior run: 6.896/200.50, Was #21
Right Lane: Tom Lee Runs 6.899/200.26, Now #22; Best prior run: 6.949/199.67, Was #28

Northrop has the Jenkins engine shop brain trust standing behind his car for this pass, but it doesn't help. Lee broke into the eighties, but not far enough to do him any good.

Left Lane: Troy Coughlin Runs 6.893/200.26, Now #16; Best prior run: 6.876/200.11, Was #16
Right Lane: George Marnell Runs 13.384/54.48, Now #27; Best prior run: 6.924/199.76, Was #27

marnell's car fishtailed several times on the launch and he lifted. Troy stays on the bubble.

Left Lane: Greg Stanfield Runs 6.900/200.71, Now #15; Best prior run: 6.870/200.38, Was #15
Right Lane: Ron Krisher Runs 6.875/200.05, Now #16; Best prior run: 6.890/200.11, Was #20

All the remaining cars with a shot at bumping Troy Coughlin are coming up in the right lane. Krisher came in having qualified in 76 straight races. He kept that string alive by the smallest possible margin, bumping Coughlin by a thousandth of a second. But he's i=on the bubble, so the streak is still not secure.

Left Lane: Darrell Alderman Runs 7.400/152.30, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.870/200.74, Was #14
Right Lane: Mark Whisnant Runs 6.872/199.70, Now #16; Best prior run: 6.889/199.32, Was #20

Whisnant posted a 0.999 60-foot time and bumped Krisher, ending his streak at 76, replacing Krisher on the bubble. Alderman shook early and lifted.

Left Lane: Ben Watson Runs 6.917/199.43, Now #12; Best prior run: 6.868/199.67, Was #12
Right Lane: V. Gaines Runs 6.878/200.44, Now #19; Best prior run: 6.889/200.53, Was #20

Gaines came up just short and the bumping was over.

Left Lane: Scott Geoffrion No Time, Now #12; Best prior run: 6.863/200.83, Was #11
Right Lane: Terry Adams Runs 6.863/201.31, Now #11; Best prior run: 6.870/201.22, Was #13

The remaining cars are already in, so what's at stake now is first-round pairings. Geoffrion did the burnout and shut it off, getting out of the car while the crew pushed it to the side. All he could do was watch as Adams leapfrogged over him on the ladder. By the way, the hoped-for new Panella power plant showed up Wednesday, but two bad test runs gave them no data to tune from and Geoffrion elected to run the same engine as he ran in Bristol. He did say that the new engine was "animal," however.

Left Lane: Mark Pawuk Runs 6.894/200.83, Now #8; Best prior run: 6.858/201.22, Was #8
Right Lane: Bruce Allen Runs 6.860/200.71, Now #9; Best prior run: 6.862/200.74, Was #10

Pawuk lost some ground compared with his earlier run today. Allen used a 1.002 60-foot time to improve a couple thousandths, just enough to move up one spot and into a first-round pairing with Pawuk.

Left Lane: Taylor Lastor Runs 6.864/201.28, Now #5; Best prior run: 6.847/200.77, Was #5
Right Lane: Allen Johnson Runs 6.858/201.34, Now #8; Best prior run: 6.861/201.40, Was #10

Oops, scratch that, AJ stepping into the top half and a first-round match with Pawuk by improving three thousandths.

Left Lane: Mike Edwards Runs 6.883/200.32, Now #4; Best prior run: 6.846/200.95, Was #4
Right Lane: Warren Johnson Runs 6.849/201.82, Now #6; Best prior run: 6.854/201.85, Was #7

Okay, the remaining cars are in the top half of the field. Edwards lost a lot of ground from his earlier run, but WJ improved enough to move up one spot and a first-round match with Adams.

Left Lane: Jeg Coughlin Runs 6.847/201.07, Now #2; Best prior run: 6.822/201.04, Was #2
Right Lane: Jim Yates Runs 6.862/200.74, Now #7; Best prior run: 6.850/201.10, Was #7

1.003 short time for Jeg, 1.010 for Yates. No overall improvement, however.

Left Lane: Greg Anderson Runs 6.848/202.61, Now #1; Best prior run: 6.821/203.00, Was #1
Right Lane: Kurt Johnson Runs 6.844/201.97, Now #3; Best prior run: 6.840/202.67, Was #3

Last pair, both looking to beat Jeg's 6.847 for low ET of the round. KJ did, Anderson did not, they stayed #1 and #3 for tomorrow.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink