Mon, 4 Oct 1999, 12:21 PM TOPEKA - Federal-Mogul Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Ed Dykes

TOPEKA, Kan. - Results of round 2 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
   1 Pete Swayne         5.712 249.76  Q    8 Vern Moats          5.870 245.14
   (M Heckert   ) 0.515  5.712 252.95  E1   (K Williams  ) 0.512  6.038 246.30
                  0.530 11.904  80.79  E2 *****WINNER***** 0.513  6.113 245.54

Swayne & Goodwin made the trek from sunny southern California to take in some of this wonderful weather, but they won't get to stay for the whole party as something breaks on their flopper and Moats short-shifts his way to the win.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   7 Randy Fleming       5.849 249.03  Q    2 Steve Gasparrelli   5.734 248.52
   (S Harker    ) 0.506  5.787 251.63  E1   (L Engels    ) 0.497  5.818 248.89
 *****WINNER***** 0.524  5.775 252.19  E2                  0.527 10.886  72.07

Gasparrelli shakes, smokes, and then coasts thru while Fleming records a career-best to advance to the semifinals.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   3 Marc White          5.770 251.06  Q    6 Jay Payne           5.791 248.07
   (R Kanenwishe) 0.523  5.813 246.71  E1   (J Stidham   ) 0.493  5.892 250.46
 *****WINNER*****       No Time        E2                        No Time      

This one was a wild one, Payne's car taking a hard left for no apparent reason at about 500', swerving across directly in front of White's Firebird and pretty much straight into the left side wall. White did a great job of driving around Payne's machine, dodging right into the right lane where he crossed the finish line. Payne's Camaro body came off the chassis when it hit the left wall, flying straight up into the air, and the car careened off the wall and back across the lanes to contact the right side concrete just before the finish. The car stayed upright, slid to a stop, and the Safety Safari was on the scene instantly, and the safety equipment apparently did its job as we see Jay climb from the car and into the ambulance. He'll be taken to the hospital for a checkout, but it appears that the veteran driver escaped serious injury after a very harrowing crash. White will get credit for the win, and should get extra credit for the masterful driving job he did in missing Payne's errant mount. This will be a fairly extensive cleanup, including repairs necessary to the concrete wall after the impact.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   4 Cy Chesterman       5.782 248.11  Q   12 Dennis Taylor       5.907 237.71
   (B Carlson   ) 0.564  5.847 247.47  E1   (P Austin    ) 0.449 13.996  48.56
 *****WINNER***** 0.462  6.659 157.23  E2                  0.503 11.432  71.55

Here we go 20 hours later after eliminations were postponed due to cold conditions with the conclusion of round two. Chesterman shakes the tires right off the starting line, makes a quick move toward the centerline. He pedals it once to reel it back into his lane, and starts to break the tires loose again. With another pedal job and he looses traction again, finally lifts. Luckily for Chesterman, Taylor had already clicked it off around the 200-foot mark. Chesterma n takes the win light.




NHRA: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ]

Feb 13- NHRA and FOX Sports Announce TV Schedule for NHRA's 75th Anniversary Season
Feb 12- 75th Anniversary Celebration Kickoff at Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
Feb 10- Wally Parks 75th Anniversary Appreciation Fund Part of $27 Million Overall Purse
Feb 08- NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League Releases 2026 Schedule
Feb 07- Huge List of Legends Set to Appear at Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
Feb 05- NHRA and Legends Global Extend Merchandise Partnership Ahead of 75th Anniversary Season
Feb 04- Doug Foley Announces Addition of Ron Douglas as Consultant to Foley Lewis Racing Top Fuel Team
Feb 04- Tickets Now on Sale for NHRA's Debut at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park and Rockingham Dragway
Feb 04- Reed, Zetterström to Share Driving Duties of Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel Dragster
Jan 29- NHRA to Honor Iconic John Force in 2027 with "50 Years Of Force"