Fri, Oct 9, 10:40 PM MEMPHIS - Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session # 1

By Rick Green

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Funny Car at the 11th annual Pennzoil Nationals presented by AutoZone, listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, position in order following run:

---

Left Lane: Keith Jackson Runs 9.142/ 90.61 Psn # 2
Right Lane: Glenn Mikres Runs 8.379/ 94.80 Psn # 1

Mikres is in his new ride with the "Hot and Juicy" team, and he starts to lose traction around 200 feet. Jackson starts to lose traction immediately and pedals it once. But loses traction again and clicks it off.

---

Left Lane: Dale Creasy, Jr. Runs 9.587/ 95.31 Psn # 4
Right Lane: Chuck Etchells Runs 4.980/286.68 Psn # 1

Creasy bounces and hops off the starting line and he clicks it off. Etchells is on a great pass, but around the 1000-foot mark loses an engine.

---

Left Lane: Dean Skuza Runs 5.118/ 3.00 Psn # 2
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 7.332/113.55 Psn # 3

Pedregon launches hard with an 0.889 seconds 60-foot time and then overpowers the track around 330-foot mark. Skuza is on a run until 1000 feet and then has a little engine fire, then blows the burst panel. The panel comes back and hits the windshield, then goes flying high in the air. Skuza hits the fire bottles and gets the car stopped. The crew will have a lot of work on this body.

---

Left Lane: Frank Pedregon Runs 8.701/ 99.18 Psn # 6
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 5.298/268.44 Psn # 3

Pedregon starts to lose traction on the launch and makes a move toward the wall. He clicks it off. Worsham pedals it around 200 feet and motors on it through the quarter mile.

---

Left Lane: Al Hofmann Runs 12.242/ 77.35 Psn # 9
Right Lane: Randy Anderson No Time Psn #10

Hofmann is up in smoke as soon as he hits the throttle, and the tire smoke bellows from the car. Anderson barely moves off the starting line and then coast to a stop before the finish line.

---

Left Lane: Gary Densham Runs 5.341/234.09 Psn # 5
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.981/301.47 Psn # 2

Capps slips his Camaro right in behind the other. He was mixing up the cylinders right in the lights. Densham clicks it early.

---

Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 5.180/280.95 Psn # 4
Right Lane: Bob Weickgenannt Runs 10.743/ 66.30 Psn #12

Pedregon starts to loses traction, pedals it and drives it on through the quarter mile. Weickgenannt with not as much luck, as he smokes the tires and clicks it off.

---

Left Lane: Tom Hoover Runs 5.725/188.20 Psn # 8
Right Lane: Jim Epler Runs 5.152/306.12 Psn # 4

Hoover loses traction right off the starting line, pedals it and then starts to spin the tires around 800 feet and that is when he gets out of it. Epler with a really good pass and top mile per hour of the round, so far.

---

Left Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 5.060/288.46 Psn # 3
Right Lane: Vicky Fanning Runs 5.488/245.05 Psn # 9

Whit makes it 1,2,3, for Chevy as he clicked right before the lights when it started mixing up the cylinders. Fanning makes one of her better passes here.

---

Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 5.179/281.83 Psn # 7
Right Lane: John Force Runs 5.086/303.98 Psn # 4

Both cars with soft launches, and then Force just motors on while Wilkerson was mixing up the cylinders in the middle of the track, but then it clears up.

---

Right Lane: Jack Wyatt Runs 5.666/270.10 Psn #12

Wyatt with help from Sammy's Towing is the last car of the session. He launches hard and then makes a move toward the centerline as he starts to strike the tires. He pedals it and then heads toward the wall, but starts to lose traction and pedals it. Then Wyatt pedals it one more time right where the track makes the transition to asphalt and then drives it on through for the number 12 spot.

We end this session with the three Chevys on top and Keith Jackson holding on to the number 16 spot.