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Fri, 12 Nov 1999, 07:09 PM

POMONA - Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By Michael L. Jex

Career Best For Capps

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Funny Car at the 35th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals 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:

Right Lane: Greg Daebelliehn Runs 9.990/86.79, Now #19; No Prior Run

2:55 PM Greg blew through the clutch - big time. The over revved engine then dropped at least four cylinders, but the Bakersfield driver wisely lifted before he blew it up.... Big Time.

Left Lane: John Force Runs 4.923/300.46, Now #2; Best prior run: 19.504/61.44, Was #26
Right Lane: Frank Pedregon Runs 8.792/97.71, Now #18; Best prior run: 15.279/79.03, Was #24

3:12 PM The safety safari found oil on the right lane after Greg Daebelliehn's run after all. We were down about fifteen minutes for a cleanup. Frank Pedregon is really excited about his ride with Del Worsham and CSK next ye ar, saying last night "I can't wait."

Force made it look easy here - .888 60-foot time, the Mustang on a rope from A to B all the way downtrack. Pedregon smoked the tires almost immediately.

Left Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 5.032/304.25, Now #5; Best prior run: 17.838/66.68, Was #26
Right Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 6.727/146.56, Now #14; Best prior run: 14.294/68.96, Was #25

You won't see this very often after a round of qualifying - these two drivers are last and next-to-last in the order right at the moment. Don't hold your breath, it won't last long now....

Both drivers were busy on these runs - TJ lost traction about the 100-foot mark, then pedaled several times, trying to get downtrack. Bazemore's run was clean till the top end when he started spinning the tires and moving around. It sounded like he pedaled at least twice as well, but it could have been TJ's Firebird in the other lane. The result is both drivers get into the program, but the Interstate Batteries gang will not be happy with that run.

Left Lane: Wyatt Radke Runs 5.318/282.01, Now #10; Best prior run: 12.055/58.31, Was #25
Right Lane: Bob Gilbertson Runs 9.600/74.91, Now #22; Best prior run: 13.117/70.32, Was #26

Radke dropped a cylinder on the left side right at the hit of the throttle - he got >><< that close to the centerline and may have crossed it, no word yet from the race officials.

Left Lane: Peter Russo Runs 6.318/159.61, Now #16; Best prior run: 8.602/99.35, Was #19
Right Lane: Jack Wyatt Runs 5.760/215.51, Now #14; Best prior run: 10.846/83.92, Was #26

Russo lost a cylinder on the right side of the engine early in the run, a long trail of smoke showing the pistons were not happy at the top end of the track. Wyatt spun the tires at the top end of the track, but hung on to ge t into the program.

Left Lane: Glenn Mikres Runs 5.541/253.99, Now #12; Best prior run: 8.375/96.11, Was #20
Right Lane: Johnny Gray Runs 7.639/119.78, Now #21; Best prior run: 9.730/83.25, Was #25

Mikres made it to the 1000-foot mark before kicking the rods out of the motor, but he was far enough downtrack to bump Peter Russo and put Mitch McDowell on the bubble. Gray smoked the tires at about the 100-foot mark.

Down for a cleanup, left lane this time around. 3:27 PM.

Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 5.237/262.33, Now #9; Best prior run: 7.497/117.60, Was #20
Right Lane: Jerry Toliver Runs 5.603/181.84, Now #16; Best prior run: 9.622/86.34, Was #25

Rydin Decal is on board and helping out Tim Wilkerson. Tim has not qualified for the last three races, he just wants a clean run downtrack this time around. He gets that and more, just missing the top half of the program.

Toliver got near the centerline, in fact the body actually crossed over the line, but the tires were on the right side, so Jerry got into the program on the bubble with that run.

Left Lane: Mitch McDowell Runs 5.452/276.80, Now #13; Best prior run: 6.305/187.23, Was #18
Right Lane: Gary Densham Runs 8.504/96.48, Now #23; Best prior run: 8.788/102.62, Was #23

Densham repeats the antics Toliver experienced the pair before, he pedaled, shook, rattled, then rolled to the finishline. McDowell moves back into the program the hard way, the car dancing around right and left all the way to the finishline.

Left Lane: Scotty Cannon Runs 5.470/203.22, Now #14; Best prior run: 5.593/264.08, Was #16
Right Lane: Cruz Pedregon Runs 9.639/82.44, Now #21; Best prior run: 6.844/130.33, Was #21

Cannon is running the Camaro body this weekend. John Force is busy bringing the house down here in the pressroom as only he can....

Cannon hazed the tires at the top end, but had enough in the ET bank to bump Jerry Toliver, Cruz smoked the tires about 100-feet off the line.

Left Lane: Al Hofmann Runs 9.012/88.37, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.251/288.27, Was #10
Right Lane: Larry Huff Runs 6.424/137.76, Now #16; Best prior run: 5.544/260.97, Was #16

Hofmann's Firebird made a violent move about half track, aborting the run at that point. Huff smoked the tires in the middle of the track as well, the surface obviously proving tricky this round.

Left Lane: Dean Skuza Runs 8.879/94.20, Now #7; Best prior run: 5.082/308.85, Was #7
Right Lane: Cory Lee Runs 5.248/295.72, Now #10; Best prior run: 5.379/245.09, Was #12

Skuza's Avenger had problems at the middle of the track, the reason not clear from our vantage point.

Left Lane: Jim Epler Runs 5.214/226.01, Now #4; Best prior run: 4.990/308.07, Was #4
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 10.464/81.77, Now #8; Best prior run: 5.220/252.14, Was #8

See a pattern? Epler hazed the tires at the top end of the track, traction evidently lacking from the 800-foot mark to the finishline. Worsham had trouble about the same place as the others in the right lane, about 100-200 feet out.

Left Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.853/307.72, Now #1; Best prior run: 4.868/309.34, Was #1
Right Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 5.107/243.41, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.957/314.31, Was #3

Capps runs a career best ET on this run - straight as a string all the way down broadway. Pedregon's run was one of the better ones of the round in the right lane, but it was seriously lacking compared to Capps thundering blitz in the other lane. Wow. 3:57 PM