Sun, 10 Oct 1999, 06:23 PM MEMPHIS - Federal-Mogul Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

MILLINGTON, Tenn. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Federal-Mogul Funny Car at the 12th annual AutoZone Nationals presented by Pennzoil:

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   1 Todd Paton          5.731 248.71  Q        Bye
 *****WINNER***** 0.386 11.601  64.22  E1

5:00 PM With a nine-car ladder, Paton gets the first-round bye, but has the number two qualifier Frank Manzo on his side of the ladder - a mixed blessing at best. Paton launched, chattered the tires very hard about 100 feet out, and shut it off.

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   2 Frank Manzo         5.768 251.20  Q    9 Tony Carlisle       6.504 207.59
 *****WINNER***** 0.446  5.811 248.61  E1                        No Time      

Of course, Carlisle drew an even worse spot on the ladder, facing Manzo in round one. This one was over early and often, Carlisle breaking something in the driveline and rolling just a few inches past the starting line. Manzo took a stroll in the park, the car right down the groove. Manzo has a bye run in round two

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   3 Marc White          5.783 249.67  Q    8 Steve Harker        6.270 249.07
                        No Time        E1 *****WINNER***** 0.496  5.928 242.50

White's car was dancing and skating all over the lane, finally taking out the 660-foot markers, both of them, ET and mph. Harker made a nice, clean pass. He might start getting paranoid, however - last weekend, in Topeka, Jay Payne crossed the centerline and hit the wall in Harker's lane

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   7 Chuck Cheeseman     5.980 247.29  Q    4 Vern Moats          5.874 246.08
 *****WINNER***** 0.492  5.764 246.17  E1                  0.555  5.897 247.70

Moats was a bit tardy at the green, but it probably didn't matter, Cheeseman on a very stout pass to earn lane choice against Harker in round two - by 0.16 seconds (an eternity in drag racing).

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   5 Randy Fleming       5.942 245.85  Q    6 Todd Simpson        5.946 242.15
                  0.488  6.451 158.71  E1 *****WINNER***** 0.458  5.978 224.85

The closest matchup of the round, but Fleming had this one in the bag by a tenth of a second at half track, but then it looked like the blower belt came off, the car nosing over and a cloud of raw fuel spewing from the headers. Simpson will have lane choice against Paton in round two.




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