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Sat, 13 Nov 2004, 06:57 PM

Pro Stock Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Darryl Jackman

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Pro Stock at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 40th 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:

Left Lane: Tony Rizzo Runs 6.822/203.65, Now #26; Best prior run: 6.853/202.94, Was #27

3:16 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 69 degrees, relative humidity 52 percent, barometer 28.86 inches, adjusted altitude 2,150 feet, track temperature 83 degrees.

Rizzo opens with a single and he got no help here in the final session. The bump is Allen Johnson at 6.774.

Left Lane: Bob Panella Runs 6.795/203.22, Now #22; Best prior run: 6.814/203.06, Was #25
Right Lane: Arturo Delgado Runs 10.050/91.27, Now #27; Best prior run: 6.842/198.58, Was #27

Best run of the weekend for Panella but he's still not going to make the Sunday program. It's really tough to make these shows at the end of the season if your not spot on the tune up. Delgado clicks it early and won't make the program either.

Left Lane: Gordie Rivera Runs 6.828/201.16, Now #24; Best prior run: 6.808/202.21, Was #24
Right Lane: Barry Grant Runs 6.826/201.76, Now #25; Best prior run: 6.812/201.40, Was #25

Nothing here for either driver and both will be packing up.

Left Lane: Jim Yates Runs 6.758/203.89, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.787/203.80, Was #19
Right Lane: Scott Geoffrion Runs 6.887/203.06, Now #23; Best prior run: 6.797/203.16, Was #23

Yates becomes the first to find their way into the field here in the final round of qualifying. Allen Johnson is gone. Yates is #14 and Haas is on the bump at 6.770. Geoffrion will fall short along with teammate Panella.

Left Lane: Mark Whisnant Runs 6.798/205.51, Now #19; Best prior run: 6.778/203.86, Was #19
Right Lane: Warren Johnson Runs 6.807/203.68, Now #21; Best prior run: 6.793/203.58, Was #21

Close for both but neither will race on Sunday. WJ has heard those words far more than he's used to this season.

Left Lane: Ben Watson Runs 6.785/202.97, Now #18; Best prior run: 6.776/203.46, Was #18
Right Lane: Mark Pawuk Runs 6.819/202.18, Now #20; Best prior run: 6.790/202.39, Was #20

Ever so close for Watson but no joy. Pawuk tried hard but it just wasn't there for him.

Left Lane: Allen Johnson Runs 6.784/203.16, Now #17; Best prior run: 6.774/203.09, Was #17
Right Lane: Jerry Haas Runs 6.806/204.39, Now #16; Best prior run: 6.770/204.11, Was #16

Johnson was bumped early in the session and looks to get back in. He doesn't make it. He comes close at .014 from the mark but that's a huge miss in Pro Stock. Haas can't get off the bump and will have to sweat out the rest of the session.

Left Lane: Bruce Allen Runs 6.756/203.46, Now #13; Best prior run: 6.756/204.91, Was #13
Right Lane: Kurt Johnson Runs 6.801/203.31, Now #15; Best prior run: 6.766/204.08, Was #15

Both drivers come in qualified and remain in the same spots. Allen is nothing if not consistent.

Left Lane: Fernando Cuadra Runs 16.030/53.39, Now #11; Best prior run: 6.753/205.26, Was #11
Right Lane: Jeg Coughlin Runs 6.760/205.47, Now #12; Best prior run: 6.755/205.13, Was #12

It's a good thing for Cuadra didn't need this one to qualify. He had problems and barely made the finish line. Coughlin will stand on his earlier 6.755.

Left Lane: Kenny Koretsky Runs 6.742/204.63, Now #8; Best prior run: 6.744/205.26, Was #10
Right Lane: Rickie Smith Runs 6.774/204.51, Now #9; Best prior run: 6.742/204.29, Was #8

Koretsky picks up .002 and gains TWO spots in the field. Close? You bet! Smith fell one spot as Koretsky went around him

Left Lane: Dave Connolly Runs 6.746/204.45, Now #10; Best prior run: 6.744/205.35, Was #10
Right Lane: V. Gaines Runs 6.769/204.91, Now #7; Best prior run: 6.741/204.66, Was #7

ETs are coming down but these drivers don't improve a bit.

Left Lane: Mike Edwards Runs 6.765/202.45, Now #5; Best prior run: 6.728/204.76, Was #5
Right Lane: Ron Krisher Runs 6.749/205.19, Now #6; Best prior run: 6.739/204.17, Was #6

Two more good passes but neither driver makes a change in the order.

Right Lane: Steve Johns Runs 6.780/204.73, Now #3; Best prior run: 6.720/205.16, Was #3

Larry Morgan was up here but he left before the tree was activated. Johns sat there and waited so the person running the computer advanced the screen to show Johns running a single. Anyway.....Johns doesn't improve.

Left Lane: Greg Anderson Runs 6.705/205.38, Now #1; Best prior run: 6.713/205.10, Was #1
Right Lane: Jason Line Runs 6.748/205.57, Now #2; Best prior run: 6.715/204.82, Was #2

Anderson improves on his number one numbers but Line falls off just a taste.

Just a little bonus coverage here. The next pair is Nostalgia Top Fuel. The left lane was Brendan Murry and the other lane was Sean Bellemeur. Bellemeur leaves on Murry and keeps on pulling away. Bellemeur runs 6.019/242.23 and Murry gets a 6.057/229.35 pass in the Chevy powered racer.

The next pair up is Jack 'The Sheriff' Harris and Mendy Fry in the Mastercam AA/FD of Frank and Ruthie Hedge. Harris runs the Big Red Car out the back door to a 5.776/259.01. Fry had problems and shutoff early to a 8.490/97.96.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink