Fri, 12 Sep 2014, 14:18 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Larry Sullivan

CONCORD, N.C. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Seventh annual PepBoys NHRA Carolina Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Dave Richards Runs 10.478/79.08, Now #2
Right Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 6.044/112.32, Now #1

1:44 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 86 degrees, relative humidity 60 percent, barometer 29.34 inches, adjusted altitude 3,376 feet, track temperature 117 degrees.

Richards was up in smoke immediately, Arend did the same a couple hundred feet out.

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Left Lane: Chad Head Runs 6.825/92.94, Now #3
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.777/182.08, Now #1

Pedregon's car sports a new sponsor this weekend, Micro Strategies.

Two more tire-smokers, Head before the 330-foot marker, Pedregon after.

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Left Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 6.974/67.19, Now #5
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.207/253.95, Now #1

Tasca went about 300 feet, then the burst panel popped with a quick flash of flame and the chutes came out. Beckman was hazing the tires on the top end, came the closest to making a full pass so far.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.292/246.93, Now #3
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 4.215/293.66, Now #2

This looked almost like two full passes, the cars close together all the way, Worsham's car was soft for the first half of the run, Wilkerson's slowed on the top end.

Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.919 sec., 330ft-2.372, 660ft-3.383/248.89 mph.
Del Worsham's incremental times: 60ft-0.927 sec., 330ft-2.390, 660ft-3.395/256.99 mph.

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Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 8.791/79.25, Now #9
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 4.192/290.19, Now #1

Pedregon smoked the tires early in the run. Hagan made the best pass so far and he's now #1.

Matt Hagan's incremental times: 60ft-0.904 sec., 330ft-2.353, 660ft-3.365/253.52 mph.

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Left Lane: Courtney Force Runs 4.155/288.21, Now #1
Right Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.185/292.77, Now #2

Good runs, a pair, and these two jump right to the head of the class.

Courtney Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.887 sec., 330ft-2.316, 660ft-3.320/257.87 mph.
Tommy Johnson Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-0.902 sec., 330ft-2.344, 660ft-3.356/253.56 mph.

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Left Lane: Alexis DeJoria Runs 4.194/276.24, Now #4
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.229/293.66, Now #7

There's a 300 mph run out there somewhere, but not for this pair. Both were strong to the 660-foot marker, but both came up short at the stripe.

Alexis DeJoria's incremental times: 60ft-0.894 sec., 330ft-2.341, 660ft-3.357/254.47 mph.
Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.898 sec., 330ft-2.356, 660ft-3.393/247.70 mph.

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Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 7.000/94.87, Now #14
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.494/209.52, Now #9

Last pair. Hight smoked the after 100 feet. Force was "truckin' on through there" and then started hazing the tires around the 660-foot marker. He pedaled and lost traction again - the car possibly shredding the blower belt.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink