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Fri, 11 Nov 2016, 20:12 PM

Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 52nd 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:

Right Lane: John Hale Runs 4.261/214.93, Now #11; Best prior run: 6.907/94.20, Was #20

4:23 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 82 degrees, relative humidity 28 percent, barometer 28.90 inches, adjusted altitude 3,129 feet, track temperature 100 degrees.

Ron Capps is number one at 3.883 and Jeff Arend is on the bump spot at 4.408.

Hale has a strong hard leave, powers on down the track for a while, and then has the front end start to steadily rotate up. He stays with it briefly and then wisely gives it up as a bad idea. That still will briefly get him into the field in #11.

John Hale's incremental times: 60ft-0.893 sec., 330ft-2.276, 660ft-3.231/243.46 mph.

Left Lane: Brandon Welch Runs 4.775/185.64, Now #17; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 3.894/329.83, Now #1; Best prior run: 6.397/109.08, Was #19

Great pass for Hagan into the top spot, with the potential for three Little Points for the round.

Left Lane: Brandon Welch Runs 4.775/185.64, Now #17; No Prior Run
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 3.894/329.83, Now #2; Best prior run: 6.397/109.08, Was #19

Anthony Begley is on the bump spot at 4.309.

Hagan gets a huge starting line advantage and thunders on down th track to get his full pass. It's a great one and be jumps all the way up to #2 for now.

Welsh's Monte Carlo was loose down low, he pumps the pedal and lifts early. That gives him a number to tune to tomorrow.

Brandon Welch's incremental times: 60ft-0.979 sec., 330ft-2.491, 660ft-3.584/209.10 mph.
Matt Hagan's incremental times: 60ft-0.873 sec., 330ft-2.243, 660ft-3.156/281.83 mph.

Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 3.920/328.38, Now #4; Best prior run: 6.502/121.49, Was #21
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 7.022/98.93, Now #21; Best prior run: 5.979/118.36, Was #20

Worsham is two for two on broken runs.

Wilkerson gets the Mustang from start to finish with drama and moves up into the top four.

Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.874 sec., 330ft-2.262, 660ft-3.179/282.01 mph.

Left Lane: Jeff Arend Runs 3.930/317.19, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.408/204.91, Was #15
Right Lane: Chad Head Runs 7.053/88.44, Now #20; Best prior run: 5.583/127.23, Was #20

Cruz Pedregon is on the bump spot at 4.233.

Arend makes a career best ET and season best speed, in the Tequila Patron Camry, to move into the top eight

Head is up in smoke early and slows.

Jeff Arend's incremental times: 60ft-0.888 sec., 330ft-2.260, 660ft-3.179/279.56 mph.

Left Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 6.312/108.20, Now #14; Best prior run: 4.233/226.20, Was #13
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 3.889/329.75, Now #2; Best prior run: 5.098/147.04, Was #19

Jon Capps is on the bump spot at 4.093.

Terrific pass for Hight, the best of the session, so far, to move his Camaro all the way up to the #2 spot with ease.

Pedregon continues to struggle and is smoking the tires before the 330 lights.

Cruz Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.900 sec., 330ft-2.430, 660ft-4.222/119.13 mph.
Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.867 sec., 330ft-2.236, 660ft-3.148/281.83 mph.

Left Lane: John Bojec Runs 6.017/110.51, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.029/301.00, Was #11
Right Lane: Dave Richards Runs 6.983/93.36, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.611/182.90, Was #18

Gary Densham is on the bump spot at 4.071.

Richards' Mustang strikes the tires early. Bojec's car is loose down low and moving around.

Left Lane: Courtney Force Runs 8.804/73.75, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.953/316.67, Was #10
Right Lane: Bob Bode Runs 5.134/148.71, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.490/199.35, Was #17

4:40 p.m. to 4:43 p.m. - One of the prior cars is locked up on the top end. Bode had already started the engine and was forced to shut off. They back the engine down and then restart the engine once the top end was clear.

Force's engine goes quiet right off the line.

Bode's Solara leave hard and about the 330 lights starts to hike up the front end. He wisely clicks it off early.

Left Lane: John Force Runs 3.880/330.72, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.925/326.79, Was #7
Right Lane: Gary Densham No Time, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.071/268.33, Was #12

Gary Densham is on the bump spot at 4.071 and looking to improve. He nails the throttle at the green and the engine blows up. The Mustang spots before the tree. He will stay #12.

Force has the power and thunders right on down the track to move into the new top spot on a great looking pass. That's a new track ET record!

John Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.865 sec., 330ft-2.236, 660ft-3.144/285.89 mph.

Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 5.555/127.09, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.918/288.15, Was #5
Right Lane: Paul Lee Runs 3.950/324.83, Now #9; Best prior run: 3.935/305.36, Was #9

Johnson was second off the line, but had better initial numbers. Too strong for the track and he is done before the 330 lights.

Lee gets a full pass, but doesn't improve his ET. Big speed, but the headers looked weird on the top end.

Paul Lee's incremental times: 60ft-0.885 sec., 330ft-2.273, 660ft-3.200/277.94 mph.

Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 6.757/93.87, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.883/323.66, Was #2
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 3.865/332.84, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.921/326.32, Was #7

Neat! Beckman has "Jungle Pam" acting as his BUG on this pass [Back Up Girl]. Jungle Jim would have been proud. BTW:: Capps set a new track ET record in session one.

Beckman is away second by just 0.006, but thunder on down the track to reset the track ET and speed record. That pushes Hagan out of the Little Points for this round too.

Capps' tune up was too strong for the track and the tires are smoking early.

Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.860 sec., 330ft-2.222, 660ft-3.133/282.30 mph.

4:59 p.m. Gary Densham is on the bump spot at 4.071.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink