Fri, 03 Oct 2014, 14:40 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Rick Green

MOHNTON, Pa. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 30th annual Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: John Bojec Runs 4.383/270.92, Now #1
Right Lane: Mike Smith No Time, Now #2

Weather conditions: air temperature 78 degrees, relative humidity 52 percent, barometer 29.35 inches, adjusted altitude 2,629 feet, track temperature 96 degrees.

Smith did the burnout and then had problems before staging and was shut off. Bojec is making his nitro Funny Car debut here. He makes a good looking pass until around 800 feet when the car started eating itself up.

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Left Lane: Jeff Diehl Runs 4.120/302.14, Now #1
Right Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 4.183/292.46, Now #2

Diehl launched hard and was straight down the groove to run his career quickest and fastest pass to go to the number one spot. Jeff Diehl's incremental times: 60ft-0.930 sec., 330ft-2.345, 660ft-3.319/263.00 mph. Arend with a nice pass to start the weekend. Jeff Arend's incremental times: 60ft-0.921 sec., 330ft-2.353, 660ft-3.351/254.47 mph.

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Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.239/281.66, Now #4
Right Lane: Chad Head Runs 4.136/308.78, Now #2

Pedregon started drifting out of the groove around half track and then started mixing up cylinders on the top end...Head with a real nice pass, straight down the groove to go to the number two spot and he has the fastest pass of the session. Chad Head's incremental times: 60ft-0.900 sec., 330ft-2.341, 660ft-3.337/258.76 mph.

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Left Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.473/246.21, Now #7
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.069/313.58, Now #1

Beckman has the Matco Tools (tools for a cause) car and the lettering is in pink. He launches hard and was straight down the groove to go to the number one spot. Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.897 sec., 330ft-2.314, 660ft-3.285/265.80 mph. Tasca was out of the groove and started to lose traction and mix up cylinders before he clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 5.391/133.66, Now #9
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.090/314.46, Now #2

Cruz starts to smoke the tires by 330 feet and clicks it off. Wilkerson launched hard and keep it hooked up to go to the number two spot. He runs top speed of the day. Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.908 sec., 330ft-2.334, 660ft-3.307/264.75 mph.

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Left Lane: Del Worsham Runs 7.444/85.17, Now #11
Right Lane: Alexis DeJoria Runs 4.087/307.02, Now #2

Worsham started lose traction around 150 feet and clicks it off. DeJoria with a real nice pass until on the top end when it started to eat itself up. She still goes to the number two spot. Alexis DeJoria's incremental times: 60ft-0.904 sec., 330ft-2.324, 660ft-3.296/265.85 mph.

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Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.065/316.01, Now #1
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.070/313.22, Now #3

Johnson Jr. launched hard and keep it hooked up to go to the number one spot. Tommy Johnson Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-0.889 sec., 330ft-2.316, 660ft-3.288/267.69 mph. Capps was right there with him to go to the number two spot. Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.893 sec., 330ft-2.306, 660ft-3.282/262.85 mph.

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Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.072/314.68, Now #5
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 4.032/314.09, Now #1

Hight with a good looking pass to go to the number five spot behind the DSR cars. Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.900 sec., 330ft-2.316, 660ft-3.291/265.22 mph. Hagan launched hard and keep it hitting on all eight to go to the number one spot. Matt Hagan's incremental times: 60ft-0.895 sec., 330ft-2.297, 660ft-3.256/269.62 mph.

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Left Lane: Courtney Force Runs 4.108/305.29, Now #9
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.046/318.24, Now #2

Courtney with a nice pass to start the weekend. Courtney Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.895 sec., 330ft-2.305, 660ft-3.302/258.27 mph. John Force with a great pass to go to the number two spot. John Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.897 sec., 330ft-2.315, 660ft-3.276/270.43 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink