Sat, 18 May 2019, 18:24 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Rick Green

DINWIDDIE, Va. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Second annual Virginia NHRA 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: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.027/311.70, Now #11; Best prior run: 4.017/309.77, Was #11

Weather conditions: air temperature 91 degrees, relative humidity 44 percent, barometer 29.70 inches, adjusted altitude 3,168 feet, track temperature 131 degrees.

Pedregon is straight down the groove with a good clean pass, he will not improve. Cruz Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.885 sec., 330ft-2.290, 660ft-3.251/268.71 mph.

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Left Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.128/264.55, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.045/316.23, Was #13
Right Lane: Blake Alexander Runs 4.579/182.60, Now #9; Best prior run: 4.003/315.27, Was #9

Tasca was on a good pass, then started mixing up cylinders before the engine let go with quick fireball.

Alexander started dropping cylinders and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.056/302.69, Now #12; Best prior run: 4.029/310.05, Was #12
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 4.062/313.44, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.967/326.32, Was #5

Wilkerson was on a good looking pass until the engine started eating itself up on the top end. The word from the Safety Safari is there is oil. Tim Wilkerson was charged with an oildown, #1 for the season. That will cost 5 points.

Hight is straight down the groove with a good clean pass.

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Left Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 4.071/285.23, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.005/320.28, Was #10
Right Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 4.364/211.36, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.964/316.45, Was #4

Beckman with a good clean pass. Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.878 sec., 330ft-2.298, 660ft-3.266/269.03 mph.

Langdon clicked it off early.

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Left Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 3.991/321.27, Now #7; Best prior run: 4.001/320.51, Was #8
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 3.953/319.52, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.927/321.50, Was #3

Hagan was straight down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend to move up the ladder a spot. Matt Hagan's incremental times: 60ft-0.878 sec., 330ft-2.280, 660ft-3.228/274.05 mph.

Capps launched hard and kept it hooked up to make the quickest pass of the session, he will not improve on his qualifying. Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.860 sec., 330ft-2.247, 660ft-3.191/272.94 mph.

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Left Lane: Jonnie Lindberg Runs 4.010/320.74, Now #8; Best prior run: 4.001/322.04, Was #8
Right Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.021/312.21, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.922/323.58, Was #2

Lindberg with another good looking pass, he will not improve. Lindberg with the third quickest pass of the session. Jonnie Lindberg's incremental times: 60ft-0.874 sec., 330ft-2.290, 660ft-3.250/272.45 mph.

Johnson Jr. was right there with him with good pass, the fourth quickest of the session. Tommy Johnson Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-0.876 sec., 330ft-2.282, 660ft-3.243/267.48 mph.

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Left Lane: J.R. Todd Runs 3.961/318.47, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.978/316.38, Was #6
Right Lane: John Force Runs 3.978/320.81, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.899/321.88, Was #1

Todd kept it hooked up and hitting on all eight to make the second quickest pass of the session. J.R. Todd's incremental times: 60ft-0.867 sec., 330ft-2.258, 660ft-3.198/274.55 mph.

Force with the third quickest pass of the session with a good, clean pass. He holds on to the the number one spot for the second time this season and the 157th time in his career. John Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.875 sec., 330ft-2.270, 660ft-3.219/273.27 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink