Sports DIGEST : Pulde Pulls 2nd-Fastest Funny Car Qualifying Time at Winternationals

Dale Pulde of Granada Hills was the No. 2 qualifier Thursday in the funny car division of drag racing’s Winternationals. He covered the quarter-mile strip in 5.83 seconds at 239.48 m.p.h on the first day of racing at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona.

“I ran exceptionally well,” Pulde said after the race. “It’s a tough track to get down. Sometimes we get down good and sometimes we don’t. Today I think we got lucky. In the last year or so we’ve gotten so our car gets down about any track there is.”

With some consistent 5.7-second times, the 34-year-old graduate of Van Nuys High said he thinks he can win the $20,000 grand prize on Sunday.

Other drag racers from the Valley did not fare as well.

Don (Snake) Prudhomme’s Trans Am erupted into a fireball about 400 feet off the line. Prudhomme, who lives in Northridge, was still the 14th fastest qualifier, however, as he coasted to the finish line in 9.79 seconds at 87.87 m.p.h. Winternationals spokesman Joe Sherk said Prudhomme’s problem was caused by a broken transmission. The car’s supercharger was blown through the top of the engine. Prudhomme was not injured.

It was no consolation, but Newhall’s John Lomardo’s Ford Mustang performed even worse. Sherk said Lombardo’s “Blue Max” veered left and headed toward the guardrail as it left the line. Lomardo shut the machine down and did not receive a time.

John Force of Fullerton had the best time in the funny car division with a 5.76-second run at 246.84 m.p.h in a Corvette.

In the top-fuel dragster division, Bill Carter of Chatsworth completed the quarter mile in 8.27 seconds at 94.39 mph. That was good enough to qualify 11th. The top time in his category was earned by Bill Mullins of Pelham, Ala., with a 5.57-second, 263-m.p.h run.

There will be two more qualifying runs today and two more Saturday.

Soccer Tryouts for Girls

The Las Virgenes soccer team will be holding tryouts for girls born in 1972. The season will begin in the fall. The tryouts will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 3, at the Twin Oaks field on Conifer Street in Agoura.

Information: 818-991-2677.

Conejo Swimming Tryouts

The Conejo Swimming Assn. will hold tryouts Feb. 9 from 10-11:30 a.m. in the Thousand Oaks High and Newbury Park High pools.

Information: Contact Virginia Montoya at (805) 496-5066.