MORRISON — Full fields of 16 developed Saturday at Bandi- mere Speedway, likely avoiding any first-round freebies for today’s eliminations of the 30th Mopar Mile-High Nationals.
The top fuel and funny car divisions had only 14 cars qualify through Friday’s first two sessions. But Steve Chrisman and Terry Haddock joined top fuel qualifying Saturday afternoon, and Jerry Toliver and Gary Densham made successful funny car passes.
Toliver made an impressive first pass in the first session, going to 10th on the grid with a run of 4.269 (296.50 mph).
Sixteen cars are qualified for top fuel, funny car and pro stock, with no one going home early. Pro stock motorcycle had 18 riders attempting to make the field, so two are headed home.
Scary twists.
It could have been bad, really bad. As Ashley Force Hood jumped off the line during the second session of qualifying late Friday night, her funny car jerked to the left and the rear end swung out, almost causing the car to run perpendicular to the track.
Force Hood was able to get the car under control before anything horrible happened. She was the top qualifier in Friday’s first session and had the lowest time and top speed before the incident in the second session.
Her near-accident dropped her to seventh in the second qualifying session (4.287 seconds, 283.49 mph), and she stood ninth heading into Saturday’s final round (4.260, 291.70).
Star sighting.
Former NBA forward Tom Hammonds, who played six seasons for the Nuggets, was at the track Saturday. Hammonds is the owner and driver of the Tom Hammonds Race for Achievement pro stock Chevy Cobalt.
He competed in the first seven events of the season but hasn’t entered a race since the beginning of May; he is not running at Bandimere Speedway.
Footnote.
Intermittent rain altered the schedule again Saturday, but the storms that blew over the foothills were nothing like the ones that caused a nearly four-hour delay Friday night. . . . Eleven of the 16 funny car drivers at Bandimere are listed from California, not including brothers Tony and Cruz Pedregon. The Ped- regons live in Brownsburg, Ind., but grew up in Torrance, Calif.
