Sun, 12 Nov 2000, 04:48 PM POMONA-2 - Federal-Mogul Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Darryl Jackman

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Federal-Mogul Funny Car at the 36th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   1 Pat Austin          5.680 252.52  Q   16 Mert Littlefield    5.869 244.21
 *****WINNER***** 0.458  5.640 255.44  E1                  0.484 17.187  35.07

12:51 PM This round was one of the items postponed from yesterday's rain. Conditions are beautiful today and I know they were happy to wait. Littlefield has a bundle of tire shake in his lane and was forced to shut off. Austin makes his best pass of the weekend and moves on.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   4 Bucky Austin        5.746 248.84  Q   13 Jimmy Bartoli       5.858 240.64
 *****WINNER***** 0.523  5.720 249.35  E1                  0.449  5.812 226.05

Bartoli gets a big lead at the start but he can't hold off Austin. Austin had his own problems keeping his Camaro off of the centerline.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   3 John Weaver         5.692 251.86  Q   14 Jett Field          5.861 242.23
 *****WINNER***** 0.469  5.620 256.16  E1                  0.497  6.983 137.05

Weaver and Field have met many times in divisonal races on the West coast so they know each other well. Weaver wins the race but appears to have lost the war. The chute is late coming out and he's in the sand...again. Poor Weaver. Every time he does something good something really bad seems to happen to him. This is the second time I've seen him in the sand here and he lost a car at Sonoma a couple of seasons ago. The body of the car is destroyed as well as the frame being bent after taking the net at the end of the sand head on. Field get into some several tire shake and had to pedal several times in his lane.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   2 Larry Miner         5.682 256.84  Q   15 Vern Moats          5.864 245.72
 *****WINNER***** 0.505  5.716 245.36  E1                  0.558  5.902 251.11

Miner will be looking to double up at Pomona as he won the opening Winternationals at this venue. Miner gets the lead at the start and manages to hold it all the way to the finish even though he appeared to lift at about half track.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   5 Doug Gordon         5.763 250.18  Q   12 Bernie Harrington   5.858 240.77
 *****WINNER***** 0.499 10.757  78.01  E1                  0.000 No Time

Harrington made a big mistake as when he rolled in he went in completely staged. Gordon let him compose himself as he waited just a second to finish staging. Harrington brought up the rpm and just could not hold the car. Bernie left before the tree was activated and Gordon left,went into severe tire shake and was forced to lift. Gordon will face Bucky Austin in the next round with Austin having lane choice.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   6 Pete Swayne         5.779 243.46  Q   11 Russ Parker         5.842 247.34
                  0.489  5.854 248.61  E1 *****WINNER***** 0.413  5.846 226.47

Just a quick addition to the last pair. To add insult to injury the Safety Safari had to clean some oil off the Harrington lane. Parker lays a psychic light on Swayne and this race was over right at the flash of green. Parker would race Weaver in the second round but it will be a single. There will be no way to repair the Weaver entry.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   7 Rod Alexander       5.785 250.18  Q   10 Ed Marx             5.835 245.54
 *****WINNER***** 0.483  9.872  92.36  E1                  0.383  5.763 237.17

Alexander disappears behind a cloud of tire smoke and appeared to be the loser, However, Marx had turned on the red light in the other lane. The strange part was there was a big cloud of smoke out of the Marx car at about 1000 feet and a big bang could be heard. Alexander loses lane choice to Miner.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   8 Jay Payne           5.797 248.29  Q    9 Steve Gasparrelli   5.815 238.26
                  0.529 No Time        E1 *****WINNER***** 0.453  5.741 252.95

Payne was second off the line and drove the heck out of the Thunder Slug, trying to catch Gasparrelli. About 900 feet Payne got very close to the wall and finally banged into it with the left side of the car. That's why there are no numbers entered for him.




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