Both cars made clean passes and their computers indicate that both ran low-5.80, high-5.70 laps, but, unfortunately, because they left before the tree was activated neither received a time. That meant they would have to make the field in the only qualifying session they had left.
The second qualifying session went off at 9 p.m. The famous Cordova dew that often is a factor late at night wasn’t an issue and the track was right.

The “Crop Duster” (Matt Schramel photo)

Top qualifiers White and Capps, who both hurt their engines in the first round, elected to stand on their numbers so the main attraction of the second round was the matchup between Hale and Gallen. The crowd, who had stayed in their seats all night long, rose to their feet when the two cars pulled to the line.

The nitro fumes clogged the starting line as both cars were obviously tuned up. Both drivers waited for the green this time but both cars immediately spun the tires at the hit of the throttle. Gallen shoved the clutch in and coasted his car down the track while in the other lane a frustrated Hale, who had done a wheelie on the launch, kept stepping on and off the throttle and moving around the track, eventually hitting a timing cone at the finish line.

For points leader Hale it was the second straight year he has failed to qualify for the World Series and for Gallen, who made the long haul from his Pennsylvania hometown, it was the second straight DRO race he had failed to qualify for. To say he was disappointed is an understatement.

Eliminations

The racers and fans had to wait nearly 24 hours for the first round of eliminations under the lights after a history-making marathon qualifying session that delivered the first all 5-second field in series history. It is worth noting that the crowd that was on hand for the first round of AA/FC Eliminations Saturday night was the largest in the sixty years of World Series events. The track literally ran out of parking by 4:00PM Saturday and fans were forced to park where they could find space.

Matt Schramel photo