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Sat, 14 Nov 2015, 20:32 PM

Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in 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: Brandon Welch Runs 6.636/96.24, Now #19; No Prior Run

4:49 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 72 degrees, relative humidity 27 percent, barometer 28.78 inches, adjusted altitude 2,565 feet, track temperature 74 degrees.

Tommy Johnson is number one at 3.917 and Chad Head is on the bump spot at 4.437.

No joy for Welsh, as the flames go out quickly after the launch.

Left Lane: Chad Head Runs 4.408/230.06, Now #15; Best prior run: 4.437/197.94, Was #16
Right Lane: Bob Bode Runs 4.942/165.27, Now #18; Best prior run: 11.055/82.57, Was #21

It's almost full dark not and the header flames are clearly visible.

Two good leaves and Bode has a chance to qualify until right after the 330 lights, where the tires are smoking.

Head gets a little further down the track and he is done too.

Chad Head's incremental times: 60ft-0.877 sec., 330ft-2.256, 660ft-3.324/208.17 mph.
Bob Bode's incremental times: 60ft-0.905 sec., 330ft-2.369, 660ft-3.597/176.81 mph.

Left Lane: Paul Lee Runs 4.054/313.95, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.286/276.97, Was #14
Right Lane: John Hale Runs 5.158/147.91, Now #19; Best prior run: 8.246/79.33, Was #21

Hale gets away with a good leave and then has the Charger move hard towards the center line before the 60 foot lights. He can't pull it back and has to lift.

Lee finally makes the pass they needed and runs into the low four oh's and one spot on the ladder with a great looking pass.

Paul Lee's incremental times: 60ft-0.894 sec., 330ft-2.307, 660ft-3.276/267.43 mph.

Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.073/300.73, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.082/301.20, Was #14
Right Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 4.625/194.63, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.429/241.24, Was #16

Pedregon makes a strong pass and may have had the chutes out a little early. He stays #14 on his final qualifying attempt.

Arend's Charger is lazy off the line and is done before the 330 lights.

Tony Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.887 sec., 330ft-2.315, 660ft-3.276/265.33 mph.
Jeff Arend's incremental times: 60ft-0.922 sec., 330ft-2.403, 660ft-3.485/217.42 mph.

Right Lane: John Force Runs 6.396/104.34, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.990/321.73, Was #10

Force will make a single, as Densham is already well qualified.

Force has a 0.875 sixty foot time and then the tires are up in smoke after that.

Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.467/189.90, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.011/316.38, Was #11
Right Lane: Courtney Force No Time, Now #9; Best prior run: 3.988/323.12, Was #9

Mark Lyle tells the Force crew to shut off the engine and her chances of getting into the top half of the field are done.

Wilkerson launches hard and then is up in smoke.

Left Lane: Alexis DeJoria Runs 7.761/89.48, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.987/318.02, Was #8
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 6.395/101.56, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.953/316.23, Was #6

Dueling shutoff's. They smoke the tires together after leaving just 0.001 apart.

Left Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 3.890/327.90, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.964/319.29, Was #7
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 3.896/326.32, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.941/323.89, Was #4

A potential swing in small point here, as the number one and number two Funny Cars come to the line. Beckman needs to stay just two rounds behind Worsham to have any reasonable chance at the Championship.

Worsham is up to the task and runs a stellar 3.896 ET. That's better than the Nation Record and will take a 3.935 to back up the record. That's the forth quickest pass ever. Beckman sees that and posts an even better ET, in what may be the quickest side by side pass ever. His 3.890 will take a 3.929 to back up for his record. That's the third quickest and sixth fastest pass ever.

Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.855 sec., 330ft-2.224, 660ft-3.147/280.89 mph.
Del Worsham's incremental times: 60ft-0.867 sec., 330ft-2.229, 660ft-3.149/280.31 mph.

Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 6.830/96.55, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.945/324.20, Was #6
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 3.910/330.15, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.923/329.50, Was #4

Hagan flies on down the track on a great looking pass with a big speed and one spot up on the ladder. That's the second fastest speed ever.

Hight had great early numbers but was done before the 330 lights.

Matt Hagan's incremental times: 60ft-0.861 sec., 330ft-2.242, 660ft-3.168/280.19 mph.

Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 3.886/326.87, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.937/325.69, Was #5
Right Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.192/225.22, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.917/324.67, Was #4

Team Schumacher dominates the top of the field. Capps was second off the line and first to the finish line with the best pass of the weekend. He will need a 3.925 to back up that pass. That gives him the newest third quickest pass ever.

Johnson runs right with him until after the 330 and then is up in smoke.

Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.859 sec., 330ft-2.226, 660ft-3.142/281.07 mph.
Tommy Johnson Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-0.873 sec., 330ft-2.241, 660ft-3.211/248.25 mph.

5:23 p.m. Jeff Arend is on the bump spot at 4.429.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink