Fri, 11 Oct 2019, 17:02 PM Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Dave Rowe

CONCORD, N.C. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 12th annual NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Right Lane: Mike McIntire Runs 4.219/256.99, Now #1

4:31 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 83 degrees, relative humidity 38 percent, barometer 29.37 inches, adjusted altitude 2,848 feet, track temperature 121 degrees.

This is McIntire's third race. He was on a good pass but put out a cylinder about 500 feet out. The car pushed to the right but he was able to stay on the throttle and make a full pass.

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Left Lane: Dave Richards Runs 4.071/297.16, Now #1
Right Lane: Dale Creasy Jr. Runs 7.776/89.43, Now #3

Richards gets out of the groove, makes a move toward the wall, but he stays on the throttle and makes a good pass to take the early pole. Creasy loses traction early in the run and has to click it off.

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Left Lane: Jonnie Lindberg Runs 4.000/322.50, Now #1
Right Lane: Jim Campbell Runs 4.040/303.64, Now #2

A good side-by-side, both right down the groove with decent passes. Lindberg makes the quickest pass of the round so far and moves into the top spot for now. Campbell made a little move to the right in the middle of the run but he hung on and made a decent pass.

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Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 3.976/326.08, Now #1

Pedregon goes right down the middle of the groove with a good, clean pass to take the top spot for now.

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Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 3.945/318.99, Now #1
Right Lane: Matt Hagan Runs 6.674/98.20, Now #7

Hagan goes up in smoke soon after he leaves the line and he has to give up on the run early. Wilkerson goes down the groove with a good pass to move into the top spot for now.

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Left Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 4.233/219.08, Now #7
Right Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 5.871/121.08, Now #8

Langdon gets about 300 feet out, hazes the tires and backs off the throttle. Johnson gets about 800 feet out, puffs the tires and gives up on the run.

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Left Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 3.939/324.20, Now #1
Right Lane: J.R. Todd Runs 5.607/125.32, Now #9

Todd gets about 300 feet out and hazes the tires. Tasca goes right down the groove with the quickest pass of the round so far and he takes the top spot for now.

Bob Tasca III's incremental times: 60ft-0.877 sec., 330ft-2.257, 660ft-3.187/278.52 mph.

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Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 3.968/326.00, Now #3
Right Lane: Jack Beckman Runs 6.004/121.27, Now #12

Beckman gets about 200 feet out, strikes the tires and aborts the run. Capps goes down the middle of the groove with a clean pass and he moves into the third spot for now.

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Left Lane: John Force Runs 3.904/327.19, Now #1
Right Lane: Robert Hight Runs 3.945/327.51, Now #3

A good way to end the session, both cars right down the groove with clean, straight passes. Force makes the quickest pass of the round to take the top spot. Hight makes a decent pass and gets in the third spot.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink