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Sat, 9 Oct 2004, 03:19 PM

Pro Stock Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Jim Samuel

MOHNTON, Pa. - Notes from final, round 5 qualifying in Pro Stock at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 20th annual Lucas Oil NHRA 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: David Strouse Jr. No Time, Now #23; Best prior run: 6.864/199.76, Was #23
Right Lane: Bill Shorts No Time, Now #24; Best prior run: 6.971/197.42, Was #24

2:53 p.m. -- Weather conditions: air temperature 71 degrees, relative humidity 64 percent, barometer 29.50 inches, adjusted altitude 1,578 feet, track temperature 80 degrees.
Strouse got loose on his burnout and came about as close to hitting the wall as he could get. He shut it down and did not make a final qualifying attempt.

Shorts tried to stage his car but rolled across the beams and had to shut it down. So, neither of the first two drivers in this session were able to complete their final attempts. Both will be going home early.

Left Lane: Fernando Cuadra Runs 6.803/201.37, Now #19; Best prior run: 6.773/202.00, Was #19

Cuadra needed to beat the bump time of 6.759 seconds to push Kurt Johnson out of the field and make his way in. He had a clean run but was not as quick as he was earlier today, so he'll be going home early.

Left Lane: Bob Benza Runs 6.779/202.82, Now #17; Best prior run: 6.765/203.68, Was #17
Right Lane: Jim Yates Runs 6.809/202.06, Now #21; Best prior run: 6.774/202.82, Was #21

Neither driver was in the field when they staged for their final qualifying attempts. When they were done, neither had accomplished that task and neither will be in eliminations tomorrow.

Left Lane: Mark Whisnant Runs 6.755/203.46, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.745/203.95, Was #14
Right Lane: Ben Watson Runs 6.786/202.24, Now #20; Best prior run: 6.774/202.94, Was #20

Whisnant was in the field, Watson was not. Both had clean runs but Whisnant stayed where he was in the order and Watson did not make it in.

Left Lane: Ron Krisher Runs 7.273/165.31, Now #12; Best prior run: 6.742/204.08, Was #12
Right Lane: Warren Johnson Runs 6.877/202.24, Now #18; Best prior run: 6.770/203.86, Was #18

Johnson needed to beat the the 6.759 second bump to make the field and push his son out. Instead, he had his weakest pass of the weekend and will not make the field. Krisher also slowed but he'll stay where he was in the order.

Left Lane: Rickie Smith Runs 6.762/203.80, Now #11; Best prior run: 6.741/204.01, Was #11
Right Lane: Kurt Johnson Runs 6.757/203.86, Now #16; Best prior run: 6.759/203.46, Was #16

Neither driver changed their place in the order with a pair of runs that were clean but not as quick as their prior efforts.

Left Lane: Jeg Coughlin Runs 13.096/65.47, Now #9; Best prior run: 6.719/204.82, Was #9
Right Lane: Mark Pawuk Runs 6.777/203.25, Now #15; Best prior run: 6.751/203.61, Was #15

Coughlin launched, shook the tires and shut it down at 330 feet. Pawuk had a clean run but, like most of the other drivers before him, did not improve his place in the order.

Left Lane: Allen Johnson Runs 6.741/203.37, Now #8; Best prior run: 6.717/204.08, Was #8
Right Lane: Bruce Allen Runs 6.761/204.23, Now #13; Best prior run: 6.744/203.95, Was #13

Both drivers had good-looking runs but neither improved their place in the order.

Left Lane: Larry Morgan Runs 6.714/204.26, Now #6; Best prior run: 6.710/204.60, Was #6
Right Lane: Dave Connolly Runs 6.728/204.76, Now #10; Best prior run: 6.731/204.76, Was #10

Connolly was one of the few drivers to run more quickly this session but he was not quick enough to move up in the order. Both he and Morgan will stay where they were.

Left Lane: Kenny Koretsky Runs 6.727/204.39, Now #3; Best prior run: 6.697/205.16, Was #3
Right Lane: Steve Johns Runs 6.715/205.22, Now #7; Best prior run: 6.716/205.04, Was #7

Koretsky was in the top spot at the end of the day yesterday but both Greg Anderson and Jason Line passed him earlier today. This time, he had a soft launch and did not get the same speed he had in the earlier sessions. Johns was 0.001-seconds quicker but it was not enough to change his place in the order.

Left Lane: Jason Line Runs 6.717/204.66, Now #2; Best prior run: 6.695/205.54, Was #2
Right Lane: V. Gaines Runs 6.733/204.63, Now #5; Best prior run: 6.710/204.82, Was #5

Both drivers will stay where they were in the order after a pair of clean runs that had no effect on the standings.

Left Lane: Greg Anderson Runs 6.758/202.82, Now #1; Best prior run: 6.693/205.57, Was #1
Right Lane: Mike Edwards Runs 6.713/204.73, Now #4; Best prior run: 6.707/204.70, Was #4

Anderson took over the top spot in the qualifying order in the fourth qualifying session earlier today. Edwards had the quickest lap of this session but it was not quick enough to change the qualifying order. At the end of Pro Stock qualifying, Anderson had his 15th number one qualifying position of the season, followed by Line and Koretsky.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink