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Sun, 01 Sep 2019, 19:25 PM

Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By David Gerard

BROWNSBURG, Ind. - Notes from final, round 5 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 65th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. 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:

Left Lane: Terry Haddock Runs 4.086/292.08, Now #19; Best prior run: 7.774/83.46, Was #19
Right Lane: Jim Campbell Runs 4.018/317.05, Now #17; Best prior run: 4.164/300.06, Was #18

6:11 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 79 degrees, relative humidity 66 percent, barometer 29.11 inches, adjusted altitude 3,110 feet, track temperature 107 degrees.

There are three cars still looking to bump into the record field. Justin Schriefer is on the bump spot at 4.005.

Both cars run strong to the lights and make their best runs of the weekend to no avail.

Campbell runs close to a season best ET an will just miss getting into the field.

Haddock finally makes a near full pass to stay #19.

Terry Haddock's incremental times: 60ft-0.900 sec., 330ft-2.300, 660ft-3.270/261.52 mph.
Jim Campbell's incremental times: 60ft-0.902 sec., 330ft-2.315, 660ft-3.252/275.39 mph.

Left Lane: Justin Schriefer No Time, Now #16; Best prior run: 4.005/317.94, Was #16
Right Lane: Phil Burkart No Time, Now #18; Best prior run: 4.047/305.08, Was #18

OK! This is the first time I have ever seen this...

Both cars do their burn outs and pull back to the starting line, where NHRA shuts them off for "stuff on the track"!

Justin Schriefer was charged with an oildown, #2 for the season. That will cost 10 points.

Phil Burkart was charged with an oildown, #2 for the season. That will cost 10 points.

6:14 p.m. Lots of clean up in both lanes.

Left Lane: Jonnie Lindberg Runs 3.968/321.81, Now #14; Best prior run: 3.984/320.43, Was #15
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 4.024/305.42, Now #12; Best prior run: 3.949/291.13, Was #12

6:56 p.m. Back to qualifying. Justin Schriefer will be on the record low bump spot at 4.005.

Best run of the weekend for Lindberg and a one position move up the ladder to #14.

Pedregon had an identical sixty foot number and was close at the 330 lights. The Charger started to slow from there and he still runs his fastest speed.

Jonnie Lindberg's incremental times: 60ft-0.892 sec., 330ft-2.280, 660ft-3.214/276.69 mph.
Cruz Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.892 sec., 330ft-2.284, 660ft-3.240/268.38 mph.

Left Lane: Bob Bode Runs 4.290/214.18, Now #15; Best prior run: 3.982/320.20, Was #15
Right Lane: Paul Lee Runs 9.839/74.33, Now #9; Best prior run: 3.900/325.30, Was #9

Lee is up in smoke right at the hit and is coasting.

Bode gets to around the 660 lights and the pipes go wet. Blower belt?

They will stay in their current positions.

Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 3.924/322.34, Now #11; Best prior run: 3.923/326.08, Was #11
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 3.884/330.07, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.896/331.94, Was #8

Two great looking passes and Wilkerson makes three out of four three second passes and is just 0.001 off of his prior best pass.

Hight comes into Q5 with just two good passes,but makes up for it big time. A much better ET and his second fastest speed gets him two spots up the ladder to #6.

Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.896 sec., 330ft-2.257, 660ft-3.175/279.50 mph.
Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.879 sec., 330ft-2.238, 660ft-3.148/285.41 mph.

Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 3.912/324.90, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.909/319.82, Was #10
Right Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.100/248.43, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.894/325.85, Was #8

Johnson keeps up his Q4 pace and runs close to his prior best and stays #10.

Tasca only made one good pass so far and he is off the pedal early and coasting this time.

Tommy Johnson Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-0.868 sec., 330ft-2.243, 660ft-3.164/278.52 mph.
Bob Tasca III's incremental times: 60ft-0.880 sec., 330ft-2.258, 660ft-3.203/262.85 mph.

Left Lane: J.R. Todd Runs 3.905/330.63, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.883/331.20, Was #5
Right Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 3.944/326.87, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.887/330.63, Was #7

A nice pair of clean passes to the finish line.

They run good numbers and Todd has another big speed, but they can't move up the ladder.

J.R. Todd's incremental times: 60ft-0.879 sec., 330ft-2.253, 660ft-3.167/281.36 mph.
Shawn Langdon's incremental times: 60ft-0.885 sec., 330ft-2.267, 660ft-3.196/278.23 mph.

Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 3.891/329.10, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.882/327.66, Was #4
Right Lane: John Force Runs 3.961/278.12, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.876/332.67, Was #3

They leave together and run together to past the 660 lights.

Force lifts early and stays #3. He was a mile an hour faster than Capps at the eighth.

Capps is clean in the lights with his second best ET and speed.

Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.869 sec., 330ft-2.234, 660ft-3.152/280.37 mph.
John Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.880 sec., 330ft-2.245, 660ft-3.159/281.42 mph.

Left Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 3.976/275.34, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.874/327.66, Was #2
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 3.875/335.23, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.861/330.07, Was #1

Hagan gets away first and has better numbers to the 660 lights. The Charger gets loose and slows.

Beckman matches his Q1 ET to the thousands and makes his fastest speed to ensure the number one spot. First #1 qualifier spot of the year for Beckman and his twenty-fifth career.

Matt Hagan's incremental times: 60ft-0.874 sec., 330ft-2.234, 660ft-3.166/276.86 mph.
Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.880 sec., 330ft-2.244, 660ft-3.146/286.68 mph.

7:19 p.m. Justin Schriefer is on the record low bump spot at 4.005.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink