Sat, 27 Sep 2014, 19:31 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session |
By Dave Rowe |
MADISON, Ill. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Third annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals 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: Alexis DeJoria Runs 4.108/298.93, Now #9; Best prior run: 10.028/71.93, Was #18
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.187/296.24, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.994/160.18, Was #17
5:57 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 81 degrees, relative humidity 42 percent, barometer 29.63 inches, adjusted altitude 2,417 feet, track temperature 98 degrees.
DeJoria has
had traction problems all weekend. No problems on this pass, right down the groove, candles lit all
the way through the run. She makes her quickest pass of the weekend and gets in the show in the
ninth spot for now. Pedregon makes his quickest pass of the weekend and gets in the field for now,
in the 14th spot.
Left Lane: Chad Head Runs 4.168/292.27, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.273/280.25, Was #16
Right Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 4.169/304.67, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.706/182.03, Was #18
Head goes right down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend and gets off the bump and into the 13th spot. Arend makes a clean pass and gets in the field in the 14th spot.
Tony Pedregon is on the bump spot at 4.187.
Left Lane: Brian Stewart Runs 4.258/287.72, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.181/300.06, Was #15
Right Lane: Dale Creasy Jr. Runs 4.301/294.63, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.623/200.35, Was #18
TSewart is in the show right now, Creasy is not.
Creasy makes his quickest pass of
the weekend but still comes up a little short. Stewart doesn't improve and stays in the 15th
spot.
Left Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 10.835/41.29, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.157/307.23, Was #12
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.117/289.82, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.193/302.21, Was #17
Wilkerson is the last to run that is not in the field. Tasca is safely in the 12th spot.
Tasca gets about 60 feet out, bangs the blower and the chutes come out.
Wilkerson goes
right down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend and gets in the show, bumping out Tony
Pedregon.
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.071/313.00, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.125/302.35, Was #11
Diehl was scheduled to run in the left lane in this pair but chose not to make a pass.
Capps goes right down the groove with the quickest pass of the round so far and moves up to
the sixth spot in the order.
Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.040/316.15, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.099/313.00, Was #9
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.371/212.39, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.078/311.49, Was #8
Hight goes right down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend and moves up to the third spot for now. Beckman has problems late in the run and is out of power early.
Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 5.106/147.79, Now #5; Best prior run: 4.049/314.75, Was #5
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 4.071/315.49, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.075/313.95, Was #8
Worsham gets just past the 330 foot mark and strikes the tires. Hagan makes his quickest pass of the weekend and moves up a spot to seventh.
Left Lane: Courtney Force Runs 4.778/169.10, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.047/317.87, Was #4
Right Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.088/312.50, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.053/315.78, Was #6
Force gets about 300 feet out and loses a cylinder or two on the left side of the engine. The car makes a wild move to the left, she corrects and the car turns far enough to read the writing on the side of the car, but she gets it under control and keeps it in the lane. Johnson goes right down the groove but does not improve.
Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.038/314.39, Now #2; Best prior run: 4.022/314.02, Was #2
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.039/313.95, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.022/319.52, Was #1
This was a good side-by-side, both right down the groove. Neither driver improves but remain number one and two in the order.
That ends qualifying with John Force on the pole taking
on Brian Stewart in the first round tomorrow.
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