SONOMA, CA- The Sonoma Nationals did not go as planned for the Beal Racing AutoAnything team, as they failed to make the 16 car nitro funny car field. They were bumped down to the 17th qualifying position during the final qualifying session and were unable to move themselves back into the field.
After sitting out the first qualifying run to save parts, the team posted a 8.818 in session two after driver Brandon Welch eased off the throttle due to tire spin.
“We were really aggressive with the tune up on Friday,” stated driver Brandon Welch. “We felt that we could have made a strong run, but the track was so sticky that I experienced tire shake and had to abort the pass. Our early incremental times were our best of the year, so I felt confident going into Saturday.”
On Saturday morning, the AutoAnything Monte Carlo ran a 6.012 after spinning the tires yet again. The run positioned Brandon in the 15 slot going into the final round of qualifying.
The fourth and final qualifying session proved to be a difficult one for Beal Racing. As the team waited in the staging lanes for their turn to make a pass, they were bumped out of the field as both the number 16 and 17 qualifiers ran mid-4 second passes.
In its final qualifying attempt, the Beal Racing machine had several mechanical issues down track resulting in a 5.969 elapsed time. The car dropped a cylinder right at the hit of the throttle, experienced a malfunction in the fuel system, and sheared the bolts off of the bottom blower pulley. The perfect storm of problems caused Beal Racing to miss the qualifying field for eliminations on Sunday.
“I was heartbroken to miss qualifying for the field on Sunday,” Brandon Welch said. “This team is made up of competitors and we expect more from ourselves and our hot rod. This weekend provided us with a reality check that we have to get more consistent before we try to run the big numbers.”
The team is slated to run the NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle, Washington this coming weekend.
ABOUT BEAL RACING
San Diego-based Beal Racing campaigns a 300+ mph nitro funny car on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The team is owned by Chuck Beal and driven by 2016 rookie and Chuck’s grandson, Brandon Welch. After 45 years in drag racing, veteran driver Beal handed over the reins of the family race car to grandson, Brandon in 2015. Beal Racing is sure to be a focus of media and fan attention with a new driver continuing a storied family racing legacy. To learn more about Beal Racing visit www.bealracing.com, or tune in to NHRA competition on Fox and Fox Sports 1.
BEAL RACING REMAINING 2016 SCHEDULE
August 5-August 7 | 29th Annual NHRA Northwest Nationals | Seattle, Washington
August 31- September 5 | Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals | Indianapolis, Indiana
September 23-September 25 | 5th Annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals | St. Louis, Missouri
October 13-October 16 | 31st Annual AAA Texas NHRA Fallnationals | Dallas, Texas
November 10-November 13 | 52nd Annual Auto Club NHRA World Finals | Pomona, California