Numbers can be deceiving. Take a look at last week’s Funny Car test session results from O’Reilly Motorsports Park and notice Jerry Toliver’s quickest elapsed time was fifth best (4.995 seconds).
And he did it without really trying. It was, in fact, the only full 1320-foot run he made.
“We weren’t looking for quarter-mile results then, because we were testing, ” said the enthusiastic owner/driver of the ROCKSTAR Toyota Solara. “Our crew chief, Dale Armstrong, was concentrating on improving our incremental times from 60 to 330 feet. During the three-day test, we made 15 laps and ran really well.
“It was more preparing for the (Mac Tools) U. S. Nationals because this is the race we all want to win more than any other. We opted to test and we are all very pleased with the outcome. ”
Toliver’s team joined the POWERade Series fracas four races into the 23-race marathon. One of the problem areas Armstrong defined was the Toyota’s need for quicker early-track numbers. “The car’s performance from 60 to 330 is very important, ” explained Toliver. “It’s a critical part of the track if you want to run winning elapsed times. ”
After addressing several other trouble spots and fine-tuning everything else, the driver from Temecula, Calif., said his team is “ready to go. We are looking forward to good things at Indy. ”
The number Toliver would like most on Labor Day is 4—like four round wins.
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