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Thu, 08 Nov 2018, 17:48 PM

Competition Eliminator Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Competition Eliminator at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 54th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed this round, amount over/under index this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time, speed & over/under Index, and position in order prior to run:

Left Lane: John Edwards Runs 7.370/184.57/-0.570, Now #11; C/AA Index: 7.94, Prior Best: 7.413/181.79/-0.527, Was #13
Right Lane: Barry Forrester No Time, Now #15; C/ED Index: 7.89, Prior Best: 7.371/178.14/-0.519, Was #15

1:24 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 46 percent, barometer 28.81 inches, adjusted altitude 2,897 feet, track temperature 106 degrees.

Art Hodges is number one at -0.722 and Field not filled, no bump spot.

Forrester's Transbrake fails and the dragster backs up out of the lights, when he goes to full throttle! They push him away.

Edwards picks up two spot in worse weather to go to #11.

Left Lane: Travis Gusso Runs 8.537/137.75/-0.443, Now #5; G/A Index: 8.98, Prior Best: 8.349/162.25/-0.631, Was #5
Right Lane: Art Hodges Runs 7.647/170.36/-0.703, Now #1; D/A Index: 8.35, Prior Best: 7.628/178.59/-0.722, Was #1

They leave together, drive towards the center line together, and finish their runs together.

Neither car can improve!

Left Lane: Doug Lambeck Runs 8.451/135.95/-0.489, Now #2; D/SMA Index: 8.94, Prior Best: 8.291/162.00/-0.649, Was #2
Right Lane: Doug Engels Runs 7.288/180.14/-0.622, Now #6; D/ED Index: 7.91, Prior Best: 7.305/179.06/-0.605, Was #7

Engels picks up a little to #6 and Lambeck slows a little to stay #2 for now.

Left Lane: Brian Hyerstay Runs 8.706/146.85/-0.574, Now #8; G/D Index: 9.28, Prior Best: 8.677/147.09/-0.603, Was #8
Right Lane: Ralph Van Paepeghem Runs 7.365/156.84/-0.445, Now #16; A/EA Index: 7.81, Prior Best: 7.322/181.20/-0.488, Was #16

Two clean passes, but neither dragster will improve.

Left Lane: David Rampy Runs 7.212/179.71/-0.608, Now #8; A/EA Index: 7.82, Prior Best: 7.259/166.76/-0.561, Was #12
Right Lane: Frank Aragona Runs 7.274/183.59/-0.626, Now #6; E/DA Index: 7.90, No Prior Run

Aragona will replace Rampy as the Comp National Champion in 2019!

Two strong passes and Aragona moves into the field in #6 and Rampy moves up four to the top eight.

Left Lane: Ryan Warter Runs 9.393/101.80/0.093, Now #19; F/SM Index: 9.30, Prior Best: 11.117/75.25/1.817, Was #19
Right Lane: Josh Lee Runs 14.811/54.57/5.321, Now #3; H/EA Index: 9.49, Prior Best: 8.847/148.41/-0.643, Was #3

Lee labors off the line and then slows.

Warter picks up a bunch to stay #19.

Left Lane: Jim Greenheck Runs 7.648/155.42/-0.502, Now #9; D/AA Index: 8.15, Prior Best: 7.543/178.73/-0.607, Was #9
Right Lane: Tony Mandella Runs 8.294/133.13/-0.196, Now #14; A/SMA Index: 8.49, Prior Best: 7.931/157.72/-0.559, Was #14

Both cars are a little slower than Q1

Left Lane: Randy Jones Runs 26.839/30.02/18.029, Now #15; C/T Index: 8.81, Prior Best: 8.287/162.51/-0.523, Was #15
Right Lane: David Billingsley Runs 8.096/163.87/-0.624, Now #4; D/EA Index: 8.72, Prior Best: 8.079/164.13/-0.641, Was #4

Jones hikes up the front wheels and drives right towards the center line hard, He wisely lifts and coasts on down.

Billingsley runs close to Q1 times, but doesn't improve.

Left Lane: Stig Olsson Runs 6.527/204.82/-0.563, Now #14; A/DA Index: 7.09, Prior Best: 7.177/191.97/0.087, Was #18
Right Lane: Tom Mettler Runs 7.388/184.02/-0.602, Now #11; PST Index: 7.99, Prior Best: 7.401/183.59/-0.589, Was #11

Olsson finds some tune up and moves up four spots to #14.

Mettler is close to Q1 times and stays #11.

Left Lane: Todd Miller Runs 6.352/208.49/-0.688, Now #2; AA/AM Index: 7.04, No Prior Run
Right Lane: Jeff Lane Runs 7.941/169.40/-0.599, Now #13; B/SMA Index: 8.54, No Prior Run

Miller sounded like he did a double pumps off the line and still gets a strong pass into the #2 spot.

Lane leaves well and then makes a hard move way down track. There is a wall of smoke [engine or brakes or both?] and he clips the wall after the finish line. He is out of the car and walking around. He moves into the field in #13, but is likely done for the weekend.

1:39 p.m. Lots of clean up after the finish line.

Right Lane: Allen Wilson Runs 8.973/137.50/-0.287, Now #21; F/SMA Index: 9.26, Prior Best: 18.520/43.83/9.260, Was #23

2:02 p.m. Back to racing!

Clean pass, almost ten seconds quicker, and Wilson picks up just two spots on the ladder.

Right Lane: Brandon Huhtala Runs 7.742/133.42/0.082, Now #22; B/A Index: 7.66, Prior Best: 9.616/97.83/1.956, Was #23

Huhtala had to play "Dodge-Em" Cars in Q1. He has a strong leave again, but is off the throttle well before the lights. He picks one spot to #22.

2:08 p.m.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink