Sun, Feb 7, 03:37 PM POMONA - Pro Stock Round 1 Eliminations

By Ed Dykes Jeg Coughlin Goes Dirt Trackin'

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Pro Stock at the 39th annual NHRA AutoZone Winternationals:

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   9 Jim Yates           6.955 197.86  Q   8 Mark Pawuk          6.950 198.96
 *****WINNER***** 0.443  6.970 197.10 E1                  0.494  7.333 151.49

12:09 PM and a few clouds have moved in, so the track surface is going to cool off a bit as they move across in front of the sun. Pawuk has had problems with the left side all weekend, so he takes the right side, but that's not enough when he has problems at halftrack and steps off the throttle.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   7 Ron Krisher         6.943 197.10  Q  10 John Nobile         6.956 198.50
                  0.477  7.213 191.87 E1 *****WINNER***** 0.466  6.987 197.83

Krisher decides to make a last minute lane swap here, moving Nobile into the right side at the last minute. And it doesn't work out, the Krisher car very loose and almost crossing the center line at about 400' off the line, handing the win to Nobile.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
  11 Rickie Smith        6.959 197.86  Q   6 Jeg Coughlin        6.943 198.06
                  0.476  7.007 196.87 E1 *****WINNER***** 0.441  7.026 198.03

Smith is running for the Alabama-based team of George Howard and Pete Williams this year, and he loses this one on a holeshot, a very rare occurrence for him. A close one, the margin was only 0.016 seconds, about 4 feet. The excitement continues when Coughlin has problems getting the car stopped on the top end, the parachute failing to deploy, and he puts the Jeg's Cutlass into the sand trap. There's minor damage to the front end fiberglass, but you can bet that crew will have it fixed in plenty of time for the next round.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
  14 Robert Patrick      6.972 198.20  Q   3 George Marnell      6.932 198.12
                  0.494  9.172 104.41 E1 *****WINNER***** 0.485  6.972 197.42

There will be no Winston No Bull money paid out this weekend, Patrick the last hope for the big bonus. The Ford was right with Marnell until about 500' when he dropped back dramatically.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   4 Greg Anderson       6.940 199.17  Q  13 Troy Coughlin       6.971 197.77
                  0.467  8.779 110.30 E1 *****WINNER***** 0.446  7.067 197.42

Anderson gave up 0.02 to Coughlin at the start, then shook the tires and threw in the towel.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
  16 Darrell Alderman    6.989 196.16  Q   1 Warren Johnson      6.888 200.95
                  0.448  7.929 127.68 E1 *****WINNER***** 0.476  6.930 200.00

You'd expect a staging battle with these two, and you'd be right. Both cars pre-staged, and then sat, and sat, and sat... finally WJ moved in, Alderman followed fairly quickly, and the Dodge Boy got the holeshot. But it didn't matter, the Avenger with problems at mid-track.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
  15 Ray Franks          6.985 198.35  Q   2 Kurt Johnson        6.925 200.02
                  0.462  7.016 198.17 E1 *****WINNER***** 0.463  6.938 200.11

Another close one here, 0.077 seconds at the stripe, barely a car-length. Kurt took his time staging, but it didn't seem to matter.

 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
  12 Steve Schmidt       6.964 196.74  Q   5 Mike Trumble        6.940 198.55
 *****WINNER***** 0.489  6.969 196.50 E1                  0.341 13.625  63.79

Trumble redlights his chances away in his first shot in PRO, only earning his license last weekend in Houston. That's the final pair of an exciting first Pro Stock eliminations round of 1999.

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