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Thu, 13 Nov 2014, 18:11 PM

Competition Eliminator Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Competition Eliminator at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 50th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed this round, amount over/under index this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time, speed & over/under Index, and position in order prior to run:

Left Lane: Dean Carter Runs 7.033/189.15/-0.527, Now #15; B/ND Index: 7.56, Prior Best: 11.991/101.29/4.431, Was #22
Right Lane: Tom Mettler Runs 7.396/183.69/-0.574, Now #6; PST Index: 7.97, Prior Best: 7.451/182.90/-0.519, Was #14

2:45 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 68 degrees, relative humidity 55 percent, barometer 28.90 inches, adjusted altitude 2,369 feet, track temperature 86 degrees.

Full overcast now, but the track is still warm. Mihovetz is number one at -0.713 under. No bump spot.

Carter keeps the slick stuck this time and makes a strong pass, close to the 7.000 record.

Mettler gets a full pass this time too and jumps all the way up to the new #6 spot.

Left Lane: Dan Fletcher Runs 8.042/159.10/-0.558, Now #10; C/EA Index: 8.60, Prior Best: 8.115/148.46/-0.485, Was #16
Right Lane: Ed Sigmon Runs 8.476/154.47/-0.514, Now #17; C/SR Index: 8.99, Prior Best: 8.594/137.89/-0.396, Was #18

Two more better passes. Fletcher gets six spots on the ladder and Sigmon just one.

Left Lane: Joe Mozeris Runs 7.000/190.14/-0.470, Now #18; B/ED Index: 7.47, Prior Best: 7.064/189.15/-0.406, Was #18
Right Lane: Scott Hedlund Runs 7.760/174.14/-0.590, Now #4; A/SM Index: 8.35, Prior Best: 7.782/173.99/-0.568, Was #7

Hedlund finds a little power and moves into the top four.

Mozeris is clean and picks up a little too and stays #18.

Left Lane: Ralph Van Paepeghem Runs 7.266/181.37/-0.554, Now #12; A/EA Index: 7.82, Prior Best: 7.288/180.62/-0.532, Was #14
Right Lane: Ray Skillman Runs 8.383/162.67/-0.527, Now #3; E/SMA Index: 8.91, Prior Best: 8.310/162.57/-0.600, Was #3

Skillman can't match his prior pace, but Van Paepeghem moves up two spots.

Left Lane: Jeff Lane Runs 11.270/89.26/2.710, Now #5; B/SMA Index: 8.56, Prior Best: 7.975/160.90/-0.585, Was #5
Right Lane: Gary Ross Runs 7.065/161.54/-0.025, Now #21; A/AA Index: 7.09, Prior Best: 7.184/154.58/0.094, Was #21

Lane's Cobalt move hard towards the centerline and he lifts.

Ross continues to struggle.

Left Lane: Tyler Hogan Runs 7.075/188.07/-0.465, Now #19; C/DA Index: 7.54, No Prior Run
Right Lane: John Mihovetz Runs 5.920/248.07/-0.900, Now #1; AA/AT Index: 6.82, Prior Best: 6.107/241.93/-0.713, Was #1

Hogan didn't get to make a pass last session, but gets to the finish line this time.

POW! For only the third time in NHRA history, we have a five second pass in Comp.! Big power on a 10.5 tire!

John Mihovetz's incremental times: 60ft-1.004 sec., 330ft-2.658, 660ft-3.932/195.11 mph, 1,000ft-5.011.

Left Lane: Adam Bowdish Runs 8.087/155.67/-0.523, Now #17; C/SMA Index: 8.61, Prior Best: 9.894/102.41/1.284, Was #23
Right Lane: Tony Mandella Runs 8.564/136.54/-0.376, Now #21; C/TA Index: 8.94, Prior Best: 8.563/142.40/-0.377, Was #20

Bowdish carries the front wheels off the starting line and moves six spots.

Mandella loses just 0.001 in ET, but a spot on the ladder.

Left Lane: David Rampy Runs 7.293/180.43/-0.527, Now #14; A/EA Index: 7.82, Prior Best: 7.283/180.91/-0.537, Was #14
Right Lane: Ryan Warter Runs 8.701/155.36/-0.529, Now #8; F/SM Index: 9.23, Prior Best: 8.664/155.72/-0.566, Was #8

Carter nails the tree with a strong 0.005 light and loses a little ET. Rampy is a little slower too.

Left Lane: Ross Wilson Runs 8.161/166.52/-0.589, Now #5; C/SM Index: 8.75, Prior Best: 8.194/166.54/-0.556, Was #11
Right Lane: Jim Greenheck Runs 7.307/186.25/-0.563, Now #7; C/AA Index: 7.87, Prior Best: 7.289/186.48/-0.581, Was #6

Wilson finds a little ET and its good for six spots on the ladder. That pushes a slowing Greenheck back a spot.

Left Lane: John Keilers Runs 8.930/101.95/1.830, Now #23; A/DA Index: 7.10, Prior Best: 6.938/204.23/-0.162, Was #22
Right Lane: John Edwards Runs 7.364/185.87/-0.506, Now #19; C/AA Index: 7.87, No Prior Run

Edwards gets a full pass this time and gets into the field.

Keilers dragster slows down track.

Left Lane: Aaron Strong Runs 10.971/84.37/2.271, Now #10; B/T Index: 8.70, Prior Best: 8.138/164.91/-0.562, Was #10
Right Lane: Mark Lelchook Runs 7.387/177.84/-0.533, Now #13; D/ED Index: 7.92, Prior Best: 7.378/177.60/-0.542, Was #13

Strong lifts before half track and Lelchook nails the tree with a 0.001 light. He slows a tad.

Left Lane: Clint Neff Runs 8.071/128.29/-0.179, Now #2; K/AA Index: 8.25, Prior Best: 7.617/172.19/-0.633, Was #2
Right Lane: Alan Ellis Runs 6.629/203.28/-0.521, Now #15; A/AP Index: 7.15, Prior Best: 6.621/203.74/-0.529, Was #15

No apparent big issues for Neff after his little sand box experience in round one, but he Leave hard and then lifts.

Ellis basically repeats his session one performance.

Right Lane: Doug Lambeck Runs 8.354/161.13/-0.536, Now #15; D/SMA Index: 8.89, Prior Best: 19.657/53.24/10.767, Was #25

Lambeck will run last again, but with much better results this time. Strong pass into the fives and the #15 spot.

3:05 p.m. Mihovetz is number one at -0.900 under his index. Field not filled, no bump spot.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink