Fri, 6 Oct 2000, 05:04 PM MEMPHIS - Funny Car Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By David Rowe

MILLINGTON, Tenn. - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Funny Car at the 13th annual AutoZone Nationals presented by Pennzoil listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Louis Sweet Runs 5.697/194.27, Now #2
Right Lane: Phil Burkart Runs 5.026/295.92, Now #1

3:02 PM The sun finally came out and hopefully we'll get a little heat in the track. Sweet gets out of the groove and just misses the 1000 foot cone. Nice pass by Burkart.

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Right Lane: Scott Weis Runs 11.059/70.94, Now #3

Weis comes off the line and goes up in smoke about 100 feet out.

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Left Lane: Dale Creasy Jr. Runs 21.682/26.59, Now #5
Right Lane: Tommy Johnson Jr. Runs 5.147/282.54, Now #2

Creasy loses traction about 100 feet out and has to lift. Johnson makes a trouble free pass.

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Left Lane: Cristen Powell Runs 5.145/218.09, Now #3
Right Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 4.972/295.40, Now #1

Powell was on a good pass but it looked like the engine threw the blower belt about 1000 feet out. Wilkerson makes a good pass to take the early pole.

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Left Lane: Gary Densham Runs 12.012/72.54, Now #8
Right Lane: Bob Gilbertson Runs 11.770/73.53, Now #7

Densham had a .913 sixty-foot time but then the tires broke loose. Gilbertson gets into severe tire shake and has to abort the run.

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Left Lane: Al Hofmann Runs 5.027/285.47, Now #3
Right Lane: Frank Pedregon Runs 14.567/67.68, Now #10

Pedregon hits the throttle, breaks the tires loose and aborts the run. Hofmann moves into the third spot with a trouble free run,

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Left Lane: Bruce Sarver Runs 4.985/294.43, Now #2
Right Lane: Dean Skuza Runs 5.084/255.77, Now #5

These two were glued together until about the 1000 foot mark. Skuza's Avenger throws the blower belt and he loses power.

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Left Lane: Whit Bazemore Runs 4.931/299.86, Now #1
Right Lane: Del Worsham Runs 10.019/79.46, Now #10

Worsham gets about 200 feet out and breaks the tires loose. Bazemore makes a great pass to take the pole for now.

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Left Lane: Scotty Cannon Runs 5.076/300.60, Now #7
Right Lane: Jim Epler Runs 4.971/295.53, Now #2

Epler is using the "Stone Cold" body again this weekend. He makes a trouble free pass and gets in the two spot right behind Bazemore.

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Left Lane: Tony Pedregon Runs 4.952/294.18, Now #3
Right Lane: Ron Capps Runs 4.942/302.01, Now #2

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Left Lane: Jerry Toliver Runs 4.896/302.28, Now #1
Right Lane: John Force Runs 4.945/299.86, Now #4

These two come off the line together and are still side-by-side at the sixty-foot mark. Toliver then started making a move and extended his lead at every incremental. Toliver will be on the pole after the first round of qualifying and Worsham is on the bump with a 10.019.