Sat, 15 Oct 2016, 16:02 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Dave Rowe

ENNIS, Texas - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 31st annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals 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:

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Left Lane: Dave Richards Runs 4.167/256.50, Now #14; No Prior Run
Right Lane: John Hale Runs 4.053/308.78, Now #13; No Prior Run

2:37 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 82 degrees, relative humidity 63 percent, barometer 29.37 inches, adjusted altitude 2,862 feet, track temperature 108 degrees.

Hale makes a clean straight pass, his quickest of the weekend, and he gets in the field for now. Richards was on a decent pass but it looks like the candles went out a little before the finish line. He makes his quickest pass of the weekend and will get in the show for now.

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Right Lane: Chad Head Runs 4.103/246.89, Now #11; Best prior run: 3.957/322.42, Was #11

Head was on a decent pass but was off the throttle by the time he made it 700 feet. He doesn't improve and stays in the 11th spot.

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Left Lane: Alexis DeJoria Runs 3.960/322.65, Now #12; Best prior run: 3.961/321.96, Was #12
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 3.928/317.34, Now #9; Best prior run: 3.919/322.19, Was #9

Wilkerson gets about 700 feet out, starts drifting to the left, but hangs on and makes a decent pass. DeJoria improves a little but not enough to move up in the order.

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Left Lane: John Force Runs 3.867/330.39, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.873/329.02, Was #8
Right Lane: John Bojec Runs 3.988/315.49, Now #13; No Prior Run

Force goes right down the groove with a career best ET but he doesn't improve enough to move up in the order. Bojec makes his first ever sub-4 second run and he gets in the field in the 13th spot.

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Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 5.878/115.75, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.952/284.99, Was #10
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.040/249.21, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.864/322.96, Was #7

Pedregon gets about 200 feet out, strikes the tires and aborts the run. Capps gets about 800 feet out and is out of power.

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Left Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 3.881/327.35, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.851/328.22, Was #4
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 3.904/327.98, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.857/326.95, Was #6

A good side-by-side, both right down the groove. Hagan makes a decent pass but doesn't improve. Worsham slows and will stay in the sixth spot.

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Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.415/195.82, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.847/325.06, Was #3
Right Lane: Courtney Force Runs 4.690/169.53, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.854/321.65, Was #5

0-for-2 on this one. Force gets about 400 feet out, strikes the tires and backs off the throttle. Johnson makes it a little further, loses traction and gives up on the run.

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Left Lane: Robert Hight Runs 3.872/327.59, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.839/332.02, Was #1
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 5.110/144.58, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.843/333.66, Was #2

Beckman gets about 300 feet out, strikes the tires and backs off the throttle. Hight makes a clean, straight pass but can't improve on his time.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink