Sat, 04 May 2019, 14:06 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #3

By Rick Green

COMMERCE, Ga. - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 39th annual Arby's NHRA Southern Nationals 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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Right Lane: Paul Lee Runs 4.113/308.57, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.792/118.70, Was #13

Weather conditions: air temperature 85 degrees, relative humidity 57 percent, barometer 29.12 inches, adjusted altitude 3,499 feet, track temperature 110 degrees.

Lee was straight down the groove with a good clean pass to move into the top half of the show. Paul Lee's incremental times: 60ft-0.894 sec., 330ft-2.327, 660ft-3.320/260.86 mph.

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Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.031/313.66, Now #6; Best prior run: 4.040/316.30, Was #6
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.644/188.91, Now #11; Best prior run: 11.154/75.54, Was #16

Johnson Jr. with his quickest pass of the weekend, but will stay in the number six spot. Tommy Johnson Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-0.891 sec., 330ft-2.301, 660ft-3.258/268.28 mph.

Cruz starts to haze the tire around half track and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Dave Richards Runs 6.696/100.13, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.442/211.46, Was #10
Right Lane: Jim Campbell Runs 5.727/122.51, Now #14; Best prior run: 32.340/20.91, Was #17

richards is up in smoke early and clicks it off.

Campbell starts to smoke the tires before half track, but coast on down into the show.

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Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.149/290.94, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.730/120.31, Was #15

Capps drops a cylinder on the right side and it pushes him out of the groove over by the wall. He stays with and makes his quickest pass of the weekend to go to the number 10 spot. Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.899 sec., 330ft-2.334, 660ft-3.337/258.02 mph.

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Left Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 10.726/70.41, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.987/322.11, Was #5
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 10.823/62.49, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.126/149.12, Was #14

Langdon is up in smoke right at the it and clicks it off.

Beckman is up in smoke and clicks it off.

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Right Lane: Blake Alexander No Time, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.101/295.40, Was #7

Alexander couldn't get the car to start and is pushed off the starting line.

Hagan and Hight were the next pair when NHRA decided to send the teams back to the pits.

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Left Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 10.186/72.31, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.129/263.98, Was #9
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 3.920/328.54, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.816/162.90, Was #13

We are back after the rain delay and Hagan has a hole out right at the hit and clicks it off.

Hight launched hard and kept it hooked up to go to the number one spot. Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.875 sec., 330ft-2.257, 660ft-3.179/280.54 mph.

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Left Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.885/161.71, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.981/314.61, Was #5
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 3.988/322.11, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.959/324.83, Was #4

Tasca was up in smoke right at the hit and clicked it off.

wilkerson with another great pass, but will not improve. Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-99.999 sec., 330ft-99.999, 660ft-99.999/000.00 mph.

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Left Lane: J.R. Todd Runs 3.984/320.74, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.944/323.50, Was #2
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.301/209.95, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.958/322.04, Was #3

Todd with another great pass, but will not improve...J.R. Todd's incremental times: 60ft-0.890 sec., 330ft-2.287, 660ft-3.225/274.22 mph.

Force is up in smoke early and clicks it off.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink