Thu, 13 Nov 2014, 18:57 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Rick Green

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car 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, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: John Cannuli Runs 5.872/244.29, Now #2
Right Lane: Hannes Wernhart Runs 5.818/218.41, Now #1

Weather conditions: air temperature 68 degrees, relative humidity 55 percent, barometer 28.90 inches, adjusted altitude 2,369 feet, track temperature 79 degrees.

Cannuli is out of the groove early and hugging the centerline all the way down the track. Wernhart clicked it off early.

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Left Lane: Bernie Harrington Runs 5.644/251.95, Now #1
Right Lane: Bret Williamson Runs 5.766/248.07, Now #2

Harrington launched hard and keep it hooked up to run his career quickest and fastest pass to go to the number one spot. Bernie Harrington's incremental times: 60ft-0.923 sec., 330ft-2.461, 660ft-3.694/199.61 mph, 1,000ft-4.750.
Williamson with a good looking pass...Bret Williamson's incremental times: 60ft-0.971 sec., 330ft-2.561, 660ft-3.801/200.11 mph, 1,000ft-4.861.

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Left Lane: Terry Ruckman Runs 6.247/162.55, Now #5
Right Lane: Mike Doushgounian Runs 6.505/115.08, Now #6

Ruckman made a quick move toward the wall and then back across the lane toward the centerline and got real close to the centerline before he clicked it off. Doushgounian was real loose and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Greg Hunter Runs 7.238/143.22, Now #7
Right Lane: Ulf Leanders Runs 9.391/89.48, Now #8

Hunter with a lot of tire shake and then pedaled it and had a lot of smoke around half track and clicked it off. Leanders with violent tire shake right at the hit and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Tony Bartone No Time, Now #10
Right Lane: Jonnie Lindberg Runs 5.571/261.07, Now #1

Bartone's car pulled through the staging beams when he brought up the rpms...Lindberg with a great looking pass, straight down the groove to go to the number one spot. Jonnie Lindberg's incremental times: 60ft-0.983 sec., 330ft-2.511, 660ft-3.698/209.01 mph, 1,000ft-4.711.

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Left Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 5.634/261.42, Now #2
Right Lane: Nick Januik Runs 15.035/49.61, Now #11

Gasparrelli with a real nice pass, straight down the groove to go to the number two spot. Januik with a lot of sparks flying from underneath the car early and then trailing a lot of smoke all the way down the track.

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Left Lane: Annie Whiteley Runs 11.061/77.28, Now #12
Right Lane: Sean Bellemeur Runs 9.794/88.25, Now #11

Whiteley with violent tire shake right at the hit...Bellemeur with a lot of tire shake also and they both click them off early.

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Left Lane: Todd Veney Runs 5.785/255.34, Now #5
Right Lane: Brian Hough Runs 11.805/79.94, Now #14

Veney with a clean pass to get into the top half of the show. Todd Veney's incremental times: 60ft-0.961 sec., 330ft-2.601, 660ft-3.859/200.26 mph, 1,000ft-4.905. Hough with a lot of tire shake right at the hit and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Kris Hool Runs 5.633/260.66, Now #2
Right Lane: John Lombardo Jr. Runs 16.123/48.30, Now #17

Hool launched hard and keep it hooked up to go to the number two spot with a great pass. Kris Hool's incremental times: 60ft-0.978 sec., 330ft-2.542, 660ft-3.745/207.62 mph, 1,000ft-4.768. Lombardo Jr. with a lot of tire shake right off the starting line and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Doug Gordon Runs 5.598/258.91, Now #2
Right Lane: Shane Westerfield No Time, Now #20

According to National Dragster historian/statistician Brad Littlefield that Shane Westerfield is also entered in Chuck Worsham's Fuel Funny Car and that is the first time since Las Vegas 1 in 2005 when Gary Scelzi entered in those two categories....Gordon with a great pass, straight down the groove to go to the number two spot. Doug Gordon's incremental times: 60ft-0.958 sec., 330ft-2.496, 660ft-3.660/175.48 mph, 1,000ft-4.729. Westerfield with a lot of tire shake and gets out of the groove and takes out the half track timing cones.

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Left Lane: Jay Payne Runs 16.242/40.20, Now #20
Right Lane: Steve Harker Runs 5.864/246.93, Now #9

Payne was completely side ways right off the staring line and clicked it off. Harker is real loose as he has the car sideways one way then another and then back the other way before he got it to hook up. Steve Harker's incremental times: 60ft-1.004 sec., 330ft-2.638, 660ft-3.904/197.02 mph, 1,000ft-4.969.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink