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Fri, Oct 30, 09:29 PM

BAYTOWN - Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session # 1

By Michael L. Jex

Trick Or Treat Track In Round One

BAYTOWN, Texas - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Funny Car at the 2nd Annual Matco Tools Supernationals, listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, position in order following run:

Left Lane: Chuck Beal No Time Psn # 2
Right Lane: Jack Wyatt Runs 5.251/284.99 Psn # 1

Just sixteen more chances to thunder down the quarter mile remain in 1998 for the current speed kings of the sport. Rumors are flying in the pits today the Top Fuel boys mean to get "their" speed record back this weekend.

Beal was late getting ready, and will run a single after Wyatt.

Left Lane: Chuck Beal Runs 5.352/275.98 Psn # 2

Beal dropped a number of clyinders at the top end of the track, the motor sounding sour from half track on.

Left Lane: Glenn Mikres Runs 5.847/192.92 Psn # 3
Right Lane: Jim Epler Runs 9.188/ 98.69 Psn # 4

Jim Epler watched the space shuttle launch here in the press center yesterday. His comment was "I hope I don't launch my funny car in the air like I did here last year!"

Mikres was on a good run till half track, when raw fuel started pouring out both sides of header pipes. Looks like Glenn lost the blower belt at that point.

Epler's Easy Car Avenger did a slight hop at the starting line, then made a Goodyear Crayfish boil, the smoke heavy and hearty.

Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 5.259/222.00 Psn # 3
Right Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 4.908/313.04 Psn # 1

Wilkerson rolled to the finish line after his burnout, the longest roll down after a regular burnout of the year.

Wilkerson grenaded the motor at the 800 foot mark and the car caught fire. He hit the fire bottles and got out of the car quickly through the escape hatch. The safety safari arrived quickly, and the cleanup doesn't look like it will be too bad.

Bazemore broke the track speed record with a stout run in the other lane.

Left Lane: Chuck Etchells Runs 5.690/173.04 Psn # 5
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 10.055/ 86.28 Psn # 8

Del Worsham mentioned yesterday the fuel pumps in these Nitro machines are now making over 500 pounds of fuel pressure during a run.

Etchells drifted out of the groove and had to lift when he got close to the left side retaining wall. Worsham lost traction just past the 60 foot mark.

Left Lane: Gary Densham Runs 5.104/301.40 Psn # 2
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 6.443/148.83 Psn # 8

Cruz had quite a handful on that run, his Firebird shook, rattled and rocked back and forth. He pedaled several times trying to save the run, finally giving up after the tires started smoking heavily at half track.

Left Lane: Tom Hoover Runs 5.411/202.24 Psn # 7
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.944/299.90 Psn # 2

The Copenhagen Camaro has a new logo on the escape hatch, from here it looks like an updated nineties kind of Snake moniker.

The first part of Ron's run was awesome, the fire out the header pipes clearly visible. At the top end of the track the black Camaro started mixing up cylinders, a problem the team has been chasing for awhile now.

Hoover slowed at the top end, the reason not visible from our vantage point.

Left Lane: Dean Skuza Runs 10.318/ 79.48 Psn #13
Right Lane: Randy Anderson No Time Psn #14

Dean's car was "under wraps" in the staging lanes, then unveiled at the starting line. The new Matco Tools Look includes checkerboard graphics from one side, across the top, and down the other side.

Skuza smokes the tires almost immediately and lifts off the loud pedal.

Anderson drifted left and took out the 660-foot cones, sending pieces of foam into Skuza's lane for Dean to drive over.

Left Lane: Al Hofmann Runs 10.525/ 81.82 Psn #15
Right Lane: Dale Creasy, Jr. Runs 5.417/239.23 Psn # 8

Dale was late getting his Firebird fired up, so he did a short burnout and backed up to the starting line quickly.

Hofmann lifted the right rear tire upwards at the start, the result was lots of tire smoke. Creasy gets into the top half of the program for now, he lifted off the throttle at the top end of the track.

Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 8.489/ 98.86 Psn #13
Right Lane: Ronny Young Runs 6.058/166.38 Psn #11

Ronny Young must love the color green, this car has more of it than any other racecar here at Houston Raceway Park. Pedregon lost the blower belt at half track, Young lifted off the throttle just a few ticks later.

The middle of the track is starting to look pretty tricky for the fuel floppers so far.

Left Lane: Vicky Fanning Runs 8.396/ 93.46 Psn #14
Right Lane: Frank Pedregon Runs 6.205/144.02 Psn #12

First came a little smoke, then a flash of flame from Frank Pedregon's racecar. Both drivers had problems and lifted early.

Right Lane: John Force Runs 5.041/302.82 Psn # 3

John is running the same limited edition body he ran last week in Dallas. The car hopped left and right at the start, the car just didn't look quick off the starting line. The result won't be what the Castrol team was looking for.

So round one ends with Whit Bazemore on top with a 4.908 313.04 effort, the bubble is held by the youngest Pedregon brother, Tony.