Taylor's Large in Quarter-Final Charge
POMONA, Calif. - The Plumbing Concepts crew started their qualifying quest at the Auto Club Finals by using a great deal of race track. In fact, Taylor's opening attempt on Thursday resulted in disqualification, as the right header pipes brushed the retaining wall, negating what could have been a good run. Using the data from that pass, the next session was even more important, but their 5.78/247 charge still landed them outside the qualified field. The final attempt took place at 5:00pm Friday afternoon and it turned out to be spectacular, as Dennis tripped the timers with a 5.66 at just under 253mph to qualify in the number six spot. Dennis mentioned, "The pressure was on and I knew I had to be perfect. It's never easy when you're not qualified going into the final session."
All through their normal service routine, the Plumbing Concepts crew set their sights on the first round of eliminations and a match-up with Steve Gasparrelli. Dennis parlayed a great reaction time into a big win, recording a stout 5.69-second performance at 252mph.
The quarter-finals came under sunny skies with the temperature hovering near 80. By virtue of a quicker first round, Taylor selected the right lane. Using a better reaction time, Dennis was well on his way to the finish stripe when the car shook, drifted out of the groove and used lots of track. That allowed his opponent to slip past by about 20 inches when the pipes went silent. All in all, Taylor was pleased with the performance. He summed it up saying, "We ran our best numbers of the weekend up until the tire shake set in. My crew hung in there all year and I've got to thank Steve Boggs, Alan Johnson, and Terry Morrow for their additional brain power. I feel as though we represented our loyal sponsors well here in Pomona and we look forward to a successful campaign in 2007.
