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Sat, 14 Nov 2015, 13:47 PM

Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 3 qualifying in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 51st annual Auto Club NHRA Finals 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: Shane Westerfield Runs 5.626/261.93, Now #13; Best prior run: 9.691/89.58, Was #21

10:06 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 69 degrees, relative humidity 31 percent, barometer 28.87 inches, adjusted altitude 2,228 feet, track temperature 83 degrees.

Westerfield is quickly on and off the throttle about 100 feet out and then powers on down the track to get into the field for now.

Shane Westerfield's incremental times: 60ft-0.944 sec., 330ft-2.540, 660ft-3.748/206.42 mph, 1,000ft-4.766.

Left Lane: Robert Turner Runs 6.570/166.99, Now #21; Best prior run: 6.503/199.14, Was #21
Right Lane: Ulf Leanders Runs 5.527/263.77, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.877/252.10, Was #19

Chip Beverett is on the bump spot at 5.678.

Turner's Monte Carlo is loose and makes a move towards the center line. He had to pump the pedal.

Leaders gets closer to a normal pass and moves into the top eight on a clean pass.

Ulf Leanders' incremental times: 60ft-0.969 sec., 330ft-2.486, 660ft-3.669/209.98 mph, 1,000ft-4.677.

Left Lane: Greg Hunter Runs 5.707/250.88, Now #19; Best prior run: 5.950/237.21, Was #20
Right Lane: Todd Veney Runs 9.421/93.39, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.689/252.28, Was #18

Hannes Wernhart is on the bump spot at 5.677.

Veney gets a bunch of shake and then starts to tail wag. He has to lift.

Hunter make a big ET improvement, but can't bump into the field.

Greg Hunter's incremental times: 60ft-0.955 sec., 330ft-2.519, 660ft-3.754/199.58 mph, 1,000ft-4.811.

Left Lane: Steve Gasparrelli Runs 5.603/259.06, Now #13; Best prior run: 5.768/210.11, Was #20
Right Lane: Hannes Wernhart No Time, Now #17; Best prior run: 5.677/255.58, Was #16

After strong leaves, both cars start to drift towards the center line. Gasparrelli was well out in front and gently drove back into the groove to finish the pass and move up into the new #13 position.

Wernhart's Mustang continued towards the center line and clips the 660 reflector. His 5.776 ET wouldn't have kept him in the field anyway.

Steve Gasparrelli's incremental times: 60ft-0.956 sec., 330ft-2.499, 660ft-3.706/205.60 mph, 1,000ft-4.734.
Hannes Wernhart's incremental times: 60ft-1.071 sec., 330ft-2.613, 660ft-3.837/201.31 mph, 1,000ft-4.887.

10:14 a.m. Time for dusting and cleaning at half track.

Left Lane: Chip Beverett Runs 5.846/193.96, Now #18; Best prior run: 5.678/258.02, Was #18
Right Lane: Chris Marshall Runs 5.653/253.75, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.618/254.28, Was #14

10:21 a.m. Back to qualifying. Nick Januik is on the bump spot at 5.640.

Beverett will need a career best pass to get into the field. He had great early numbers, but has the chutes out early. There was a bang from the blower around 1000 feet.

Marshall was already in the field at #14 and slows a little from his best.

Chip Beverett's incremental times: 60ft-0.963 sec., 330ft-2.531, 660ft-3.745/205.07 mph, 1,000ft-4.796.
Chris Marshall's incremental times: 60ft-0.985 sec., 330ft-2.519, 660ft-3.731/204.01 mph, 1,000ft-4.768.

Left Lane: Nick Januik Runs 5.705/242.28, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.640/235.80, Was #16
Right Lane: Sean Bellemeur Runs 5.606/259.76, Now #11; Best prior run: 5.589/259.46, Was #11

Januik is rarely on the bump spot at this point of the weekend. He makes a good leave, but the car is all over the track getting to the finish line. He goes a little faster, but doesn't improve on his ET. There was a Bang from the engine right in the lights and the Safety Safari is out checking the track.

Bellemeur makes a clean pass, but doesn't improve.

Nick Januik's incremental times: 60ft-0.959 sec., 330ft-2.501, 660ft-3.729/199.05 mph, 1,000ft-4.796.
Sean Bellemeur's incremental times: 60ft-0.976 sec., 330ft-2.521, 660ft-3.718/207.15 mph, 1,000ft-4.740.

10:26 a.m.

Left Lane: Kris Hool Runs 5.601/260.51, Now #12; Best prior run: 5.593/260.61, Was #12
Right Lane: Terry Ruckman Runs 10.130/87.00, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.569/255.00, Was #10

10:29 a.m. That didn't take long.

Ruckman's car darts hard towards the centerline at the green and he has to quickly lift.

Hool makes a strong pass, close to yesterday's best to stay #12.

Kris Hool's incremental times: 60ft-0.959 sec., 330ft-2.506, 660ft-3.713/206.80 mph, 1,000ft-4.736.

Left Lane: Brian Hough Runs 5.491/265.33, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.539/263.46, Was #8
Right Lane: Jay Payne Runs 5.513/266.21, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.557/261.62, Was #9

Two clean passes and Hough makes a big move up the ladder into the top four for now.

Payne was second off the line and chasing. He gets a clean pass and moves into the top half of the field.

Brian Hough's incremental times: 60ft-0.940 sec., 330ft-2.455, 660ft-3.638/210.05 mph, 1,000ft-4.643.
Jay Payne's incremental times: 60ft-0.949 sec., 330ft-2.485, 660ft-3.673/209.56 mph, 1,000ft-4.672.

Left Lane: Clint Thompson Runs 5.491/266.00, Now #5; Best prior run: 5.518/264.86, Was #8
Right Lane: John Lombardo Jr. Runs 5.429/274.39, Now #1; Best prior run: 5.493/273.22, Was #5

WOW! Lombardo runs a huge ET and speed. The fastest ever in National Event competition. He launches with a 0.0950 sixty foot time and runs a career best speed into the new top spot.

Thompson ran his new career best ET and speed to just miss the top four.

Clint Thompson's incremental times: 60ft-0.968 sec., 330ft-2.474, 660ft-3.649/211.30 mph, 1,000ft-4.646.
John Lombardo Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-0.950 sec., 330ft-2.474, 660ft-3.630/215.20 mph, 1,000ft-4.607.

Left Lane: Doug Gordon Runs 10.796/78.59, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.510/265.74, Was #7
Right Lane: Jonnie Lindberg Runs 5.462/267.11, Now #3; Best prior run: 5.461/268.81, Was #3

Gordon's Camaro is shaking hard off the line and he has to lift.

Lindberg uses a lot of race track getting to the finish line and runs just 0.001 off of yesterday's best ET. He will stay #3. Consistent.

Jonnie Lindberg's incremental times: 60ft-0.958 sec., 330ft-2.463, 660ft-3.632/212.79 mph, 1,000ft-4.622.

Left Lane: Annie Whiteley Runs 9.216/96.42, Now #4; Best prior run: 5.463/266.48, Was #4
Right Lane: Mickey Ferro Runs 14.239/57.40, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.457/271.19, Was #2

Two broken runs. Ferro is spinning the slicks early and Whiteley right after that. They both has 0.946 sixty foot times before problems started.

10:42 a.m. John Lombardo Jr. is number one at 5.429 and Nick Januik is on the bump spot at 5.640.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink