Sat, 2 Oct 1999, 06:21 PM TOPEKA - Federal-Mogul Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Ed Dykes

TOPEKA, Kan. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Federal-Mogul Funny Car at the 11th annual Advance Auto Parts Nationals:

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   7 Randy Fleming       5.849 249.03  Q   10 Steve Harker        5.890 242.67
 *****WINNER***** 0.506  5.787 251.63  E1                  0.505  5.982 243.55

4:11 PM as we start the round under overcast skies, and continued cool temps. These two were side-by-side right from the start, Fleming fishtailing down the left side and Harker bouncing down the right, but it was Fleming in the end by almost 70 feet.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   8 Vern Moats          5.870 245.14  Q    9 Kirk Williams       5.881 241.20
 *****WINNER***** 0.512  6.038 246.30  E1                  0.555  6.091 241.28

A pair of Iowa racers meeting up in round one, here, and it's the veteran Moats to the stripe first, by over thirty feet.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   6 Jay Payne           5.791 248.07  Q   11 Jackie Stidham      5.892 241.07
 *****WINNER***** 0.493  5.892 250.46  E1                  0.500  6.188 173.67

Stidham had overcame Payne's headstart and pulled into the lead by the 330' mark, and was stretching his lead at half track, then we heard a boom and his engine fell silent, allowing the Valvoline car to pull ahead for the win.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   5 Pat Austin          5.784 248.57  Q   12 Dennis Taylor       5.907 237.71
                  0.372 10.040  84.08  E1 *****WINNER***** 0.449 13.996  48.56

Taylor broke his car in the last session yesterday, and only came up today "in case something happens." Well, that's exactly what happened, as the Pro-Max machine gets a redlight and 'Lucky' Taylor advances on a freebie. Somebody get that guy to a casino, quick...

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   4 Cy Chesterman       5.782 248.11  Q   13 Bruce Carlson       6.022 232.99
 *****WINNER***** 0.564  5.847 247.47  E1                  0.540 11.278  75.72

Chesterman shook the tires, but his shake was nothing compared to Carlson's, whose bouncing car drove left across the centerline and center-punched the 330' timing reflector.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   3 Marc White          5.770 251.06  Q   14 Robert Kanenwisher  6.056 222.03
 *****WINNER***** 0.523  5.813 246.71  E1                  0.802  6.055 232.95

The three tenths Kanenwisher left behind White at the start was the closest he ever got to him in this race.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   2 Steve Gasparrelli   5.734 248.52  Q   15 Lynn Engels         6.060 237.46
 *****WINNER***** 0.497  5.818 248.89  E1                  0.457  6.172 233.76

Engels is no match for Team Gasparrelli here today.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   1 Pete Swayne         5.712 249.76  Q   16 Michael Heckert     6.079 236.38
 *****WINNER***** 0.515  5.712 252.95  E1                  0.526  6.045 238.38

Compared to all the rest of the pack, Swayne's machine was amazingly smooth in the first 500' of the track. There was a short time at halftrack when the car moved around, but except for that the car was on rails, and so Swayne and his faithful Team XXL advances to round two, tomorrow.




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