Sun, Nov 15, 04:47 PM POMONA - Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Rick Green

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Funny Car at the 34th annual NHRA Winston Finals:

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
  16 Jerry Toliver       5.315 282.92  Q   8 Tom Hoover          5.051 297.52
   (C Pedregon  ) 0.497  5.290 278.63 E1   (R Anderson  ) 0.567  5.108 271.49
 *****WINNER***** 0.566  5.099 270.43 E2                  0.656  5.129 269.29

The current weather conditions are 71 degrees, humidity is 30% and the barometer is 29.98 inches under bright sunny skies. Toliver leaves Hoover at the starting line and never looks back. Toliver in the Spy vs. Spy car runs the quickest pass of his career. Toliver loses an engine right in the lights with a small flash of flame. Toliver makes semi-finals for the first time in his funny car career.

Hoover ends his long illustrious career here.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
  13 Dale Pulde          5.255 290.04  Q  12 Gary Densham        5.198 270.92
   (W Bazemore  ) 0.468  4.893 305.60 E1   (A Hofmann   ) 0.486  5.073 294.21
 *****WINNER***** 0.443  4.940 306.01 E2                  0.504  5.796 176.78

Pulde with a great reaction time here, and he shows us the four from the previous round was not a fluke. Densham started to mix up cylinders around half track and then hazed the tires. That is the end of the day for the NEC funny car, but they will be back next year with a new paint scheme. Pulde will have lane choice over Toliver.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   3 John Force          4.933 308.85  Q   6 Tony Pedregon       5.017 248.55
   (D Skuza     ) 0.522  4.985 304.36 E1   (M McDowell  ) 0.528  5.110 264.31
 *****WINNER***** 0.623  4.958 295.27 E2                  0.538  5.089 283.46

It is a race between teammates here, and Force holds the win-lost advantage winning five out of the seven times they have met this year, and 20 out of 24 overall. Tony leaves the boss at the starting line, but John has the power to chase him down as Tony loses the blower belt in the lights.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   2 Tim Wilkerson       4.913 304.87  Q   7 Chuck Etchells      5.025 301.70
   (D Creasy, Jr) 0.532  6.127 249.79 E1   (R Capps     ) 0.524  5.002 301.70
                  0.530  7.469 120.17 E2 *****WINNER***** 0.545  5.380 210.92

Wilkerson is up in smoke by the 150-foot mark, and that is lucky for Etchells as he waste an engine right at half track. He trails smoke and oil through the quarter mile. Etchells loses lane choice to Force in the semi-finals.

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