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Sat, Oct 31, 06:04 PM

BAYTOWN - Pro Stock Qualifying Notes, Session # 3

By Larry Sullivan

Takes a Six to Get In

BAYTOWN, Texas - Notes from round 3 qualifying in Pro Stock at the 2nd annual Matco Tools Supernationals, 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: Mike Thomas Runs 6.980/198.32 Now # 8, (Best prior run: 6.977/197.58 Was # 8)
Right Lane: Warren Johnson Runs 6.938/199.33 Now # 2, (Best prior run: 6.923/198.67 Was # 2)

11:06 AM We open with Shawn Collins on the bubble at 7.004, the only seven in the field. Based on these two, we could see some shuffling today.

Left Lane: Mark Osborne Runs 6.936/198.36 Now # 4, (Best prior run: 6.983/197.32 Was #11)
Right Lane: John Nobile Runs 6.984/197.67 Now #12, (Best prior run: 6.992/197.19 Was #14)

Osborne converts a 1.037 60-foot time into a big move up in the field, a nice run.

Left Lane: Allen Johnson Runs 7.075/194.51 Now #21, (Best prior run: 7.029/196.80 Was #21)
Right Lane: Jim Yates Runs 6.973/197.84 Now # 3, (Best prior run: 6.935/197.80 Was # 3)

No help here, the Eicke engine not doing the job for Allen this weekend.

Left Lane: Larry Morgan Runs 7.024/197.15 Now #21, (Best prior run: 7.032/196.76 Was #23)
Right Lane: Kurt Johnson Runs 6.927/199.33 Now # 1, (Best prior run: 6.920/198.67 Was # 1)

Morgan missed the setup last night, so this figured to be his last realistic shot at the field - and he misses again, a 1.057 60-foot time slower than the top runners (1.03-1.04).

Left Lane: Arturo Delgado Runs 9.705/ 99.11 Now #20, (Best prior run: 7.020/197.06 Was #20)
Right Lane: Tom Martino Runs 6.982/197.54 Now # 7, (Best prior run: 6.962/196.85 Was # 7)

Arturo posted a 1.15 60-foot time and shut it off early.

Left Lane: Jeg Coughlin Runs 7.008/198.45 Now #13, (Best prior run: 6.989/197.41 Was #13)
Right Lane: Joel Bayless Runs 10.904/ 82.26 Now #29, (Best prior run: 7.132/193.67 Was #29)

Bayless inspected the right-hand wall, at close quarters. Coughlin is struggling this weekend, a 1.067 60-foot time well off the mark.

Left Lane: Robert Patrick Runs 7.012/197.19 Now #17, (Best prior run: 7.035/197.62 Was #25)
Right Lane: Ron Krisher Runs 7.237/191.89 Now #10, (Best prior run: 6.982/197.36 Was #10)

Patrick steps up nicely on a good-looking run, but comes up just short. Krisher's car darted toward the wall early in the run.

Left Lane: Robert Harman Runs 7.119/194.59 Now #27, (Best prior run: 7.058/196.07 Was #27)
Right Lane: Richie Stevens Runs 6.988/197.32 Now # 5, (Best prior run: 6.938/197.93 Was # 5)

Stevens' car fishtailed on the launch, but he still managed a good run.

Left Lane: Pete Williams Runs 7.003/197.41 Now #16, (Best prior run: 7.017/196.37 Was #20)
Right Lane: Mark Pawuk Runs 6.967/198.01 Now # 6, (Best prior run: 6.946/197.58 Was # 6)

Williams makes a nice pass to replace Collins on the bubble, by a thousandth of a second.

Left Lane: Ray Franks Runs 7.001/197.15 Now #16, (Best prior run: 7.014/196.24 Was #19)
Right Lane: Randy Peters Runs 12.055/ 72.63 Now #30, (Best prior run: 7.260/174.18 Was #30)

Franks bumps Williams, by 0.002 seconds, so now he's the target for those not in the field.

Left Lane: George Marnell Runs 6.989/196.89 Now #14, (Best prior run: 7.015/196.67 Was #20)
Right Lane: Mark Thomas Runs 7.050/195.00 Now #26, (Best prior run: 7.039/195.22 Was #26)

And Marnell makes it an all-six-second field. That puts Rickie Smith on the bubble at 6.996.

Left Lane: Troy Coughlin Runs 7.586/142.04 Now #28, (Best prior run: 7.097/196.97 Was #28)
Right Lane: V. Gaines Runs 7.014/196.97 Now #15, (Best prior run: 6.989/196.42 Was #15)

The Gaines team cars are now qualified 15th and 16th, Smith now working with Gaines.

Left Lane: Shawn Collins Runs 7.013/197.15 Now #19, (Best prior run: 7.004/196.72 Was #19)
Right Lane: Bruce Allen Runs 7.023/195.77 Now #22, (Best prior run: 7.034/195.86 Was #25)

Collins started the round on the bubble and stayed there for quite a while, but was bumped a few pairs ago. No help here. Allen improved, but not enough to do him any good.

Left Lane: Larry Nance Runs 7.005/197.02 Now #20, (Best prior run: 7.031/196.03 Was #25)
Right Lane: Steve Schmidt Runs 6.997/195.86 Now # 8, (Best prior run: 6.969/197.36 Was # 8)

Nance steps up a bunch, but he needed two bunches.

Left Lane: Mike Edwards Runs 6.975/197.97 Now # 9, (Best prior run: 6.983/197.97 Was #11)
Right Lane: Rickie Smith Runs 7.035/196.03 Now #16, (Best prior run: 6.996/196.29 Was #16)

Edwards improves, Rickie doesn't, and that's the way it was.

We have one session left, with Kurt Johnson on the pole and Rickie Smith on the bubble.