Dennis Taylor Sonoma wrap up

Tough Going for Taylor

ANAHEIM, CA — Dennis Taylor fully expected a dogfight at this weekend’s Pacific Division 7 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Infineon Raceway. A total of 18 top-quality cars made qualifying attempts in hopes of battling for a spot in the coveted eight-car field. When the dust settled, 10 cars were sent to the trailer and unfortunately, Taylor’s was one of them.

On Friday, the Plumbing Concepts Top Alcohol Funny Car made a great run, handling the warm conditions and carding a nice 5.69-second pass at 253 mph. At the time, that was good for the number seven spot in the order. Taylor noted, “We’re happy with that run. It’s nice to come out of the box with a decent effort and it gives my guys a reason to smile. They work awfully hard on this car.”

Saturday greeted racers with cooler conditions for their second attempt, but they knew that would change as the day went on. The Plumbing Concepts guys were hopeful of another good charge, but the scoreboards displayed a 5.70 at 250. Fortunately, only one other competitor improved, so Dennis only slipped one spot to eighth. Now, the pressure was on to step up in the last session to seal the deal and remain in the quick eight.

As crews expected, atmospheric conditions were not as favorable. The first pair of cars found Von Smith moving all the way from the 18th position to 7th, which bumped Taylor from the field. With two runs in the books from the left lane, this time Dennis would move to the right side. What seemed to be a normal run just didn’t produce the numbers necessary to bump back into the show, as the number-eight qualifier was a mere .016-second quicker. Having raced three weeks in a row, Dennis and the team will regroup before heading to Montana to run the postponed final from Seattle’s Lucas Oil Series event.

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Taylorfreezers.com — Since 1965, Taylor Freezers (no relation) of Southern California has been distributing and maintaining a complete line of quality food service equipment. Its professional staff can assist with selection and supply, installation, store design, training, and after-sale service. Financing and lease options are available for a variety of profitable equipment. Call (800) 927-7704.

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TaylorMotorsports.com — Serving your racing safety and crew apparel needs, Taylor Motorsports is drag racing’s most knowledgeable Hans® supplier.

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