Drag racing | Funny Car mainstay fails to qualify

KENT — For the first time since 1979, the world's fastest race cars will burn rubber here without 14-time Funny Car world champion John Force in the field.

Force, who has seven of his 126 career victories at Pacific Raceways, failed to qualify for the Schuck's Auto Supply Nationals by 0.002 of a second.

It's only the 15th time in 509 career attempts that Force will miss the finals and the first time he's missed here since Sept. 23, 1979.

Force, who qualified a record 395 straight times before missing in Las Vegas last year, vowed it would be a temporary setback for his Ford Mustang which had a speed of 293.47 mph.

"Don't worry, we'll fix this heap," Force said after his elapsed time of 4.158 was just slower than final qualifier Tim Wilkerson's 4.156. "We've got to figure out why the choke keeps sticking."

Force driver and teammate Robert Hight qualified first with a time of 4.056 and a top speed of 304.39 mph. He'll square off against Wilkerson when the final eliminations begin today at 11 a.m.

"Sometimes you're the windshield and sometimes you're the bug and it was sure looking like we were going to be the bug," Wilkerson said after he failed to improve on his time in his fourth and final qualifying run and Force had one final attempt to get into the field. "I feel sorry for John, but you have to be in the field to win and we're glad we're in."

It was the third straight year Hight has been the top qualifier, but his best finish was second in 2005.

"Honestly, it's not that big a deal to be the top qualifier when you haven't capitalized on it and gone on to win on Sunday," Hight said.

Hight entered the race 215 points behind Wilkerson, but knows he can make a serious move if he can knock Wilkerson out in the first round.

"If we could win it's much more realistic to catch him," Hight said. "It's going to be a big-time drag race [today]."

Tony Schumacher continued his stroll through the Top Fuel field, the fastest qualifier for the fourth time this season and for the 51st time in his career.

He had an elapsed time of 3.802 and a speed of 316.90 mph. Schumacher, who has lapped the field with five wins this season, has won twice in a row here and three times in the last four years.

Schumacher will begin the eliminations against 16th qualifier Steve Chrisman.

Defending Pro Stock champion Dave Connolly held onto the top qualifying spot and said there is nothing about last year that is the same as this one.

"Last year we had to wait through a rain delay and this year it's hot," Connolly said. "There's not a lot of similarities from last year so we take all our notes and throw them out the window."

Notes

• Jack Beckman has survived chemotherapy for two types of cancer so it's not too surprising that "Fast Jack" isn't too concerned about being on the bubble to make the countdown to the championship. Beckman, the defending Funny Car champion, qualified 14th and is in the 10th and final spot in the countdown.

• As part of its "hometown hero" program, U.S. Army driver Tony Schumacher and his team welcome a soldier at every race. Here it is Staff Sgt. Andrew Turnbull, who is stationed at Fort Lewis and was born and raised in Yakima. Turnbull has twice been deployed to Iraq. He is decorated with both a bronze star and a purple heart.

• AC Delco crew member Brian Straight gave up his seat at the main event at the World Series of Poker to volunteer to help driver Kurt Johnson on the three-race Western Swing that started last weekend in Denver.