Fri, 19 Sep 2014, 17:41 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Dave Rowe

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 29th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Todd Simpson Runs 7.233/80.09, Now #2
Right Lane: Terry Haddock Runs 6.120/111.96, Now #1

4:07 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 86 degrees, relative humidity 57 percent, barometer 29.32 inches, adjusted altitude 3,412 feet, track temperature 110 degrees.

Simpson rattled the tires about sixty feet out, gets about 200 feet out and the chutes come out. Haddock gets about 300 feet out and the pipes go wet, not sure why.

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Left Lane: Chad Head Runs 4.128/295.34, Now #1
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.387/220.84, Now #2

Pedregon starts drifting toward the centerline, backs off the throttle and is able to steer it back towards the middle of the track. Head made a clean pass and takes the top spot for now.

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Left Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.158/299.46, Now #3
Right Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.122/304.87, Now #1

Tasca goes right down the groove with a clean pass to take the early pole. Beckman makes a clean pass but was falling behind Tasca all the way through the run.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.160/302.48, Now #4
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 5.320/136.41, Now #6

Worsham had a cylinder out at the hit, gets about 300 feet out and backs off the throttle. Wilkerson makes a clean pass and gets in the fourth spot for now.

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Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.154/298.27, Now #4
Right Lane: Courtney Force Runs 4.131/310.70, Now #3

Pedregon was on a decent pass but lost a cylinder late in the run and made a hard move to the left as he went through the lights. Force went right down the groove with a clean pass to get in the third spot for now.

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Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.076/309.42, Now #1
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 4.136/283.19, Now #5

Hagan was on a decent pass, side-by-side with Johnson early, then the car starts dancing around. Johnson went right down the groove with the quickest pass so far to move into the top spot.

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Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.095/310.63, Now #2
Right Lane: Alexis DeJoria Runs 4.101/304.74, Now #3

A good side-by-side here, both right down the groove. Capps moves into the second spot, DeJoria right behind in third.

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Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.102/309.84, Now #5
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.081/314.24, Now #2

Another good side-by-side, both right down the groove. Force moves into the second spot, Hight a few spots back in third to end this session.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink