Sat, 5 Nov 2005, 05:55 PM
Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations
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By Larry Sullivan
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POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
Series, 41st annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1224 David Ray 56 Bernie Harrington
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.075 5.683 255.43 0.184 5.812 247.52
Qualified: #7 5.667 257.09 #10 5.701 251.02
2:20 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 25 percent,
barometer 29.34 inches, adjusted altitude 1,903 feet, track temperature 92 degrees.We just
saw a very good round of eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster, can the floppers follow
suit?
The first pair features drivers from as far apart as possible without crossing lots of
water, Ray from New Hampshire and Harrington from California. Harrington bumped into stage and
flickered the top bulb - maybe that distracted him because he was uncharacteristically late. Ray
was very consistent i qualifying and continued that with another nice run, quick and
straight.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
757 Larry Miner 756 Don Hudson
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.048 5.605 253.42 0.069 6.046 187.34
Qualified: #2 5.634 255.43 #15 5.756 231.68
Hudson hung in there for half the track, then he lost the engine or supercharger in a huge
cloud of smoke, the hood hatch sailing way up in the air. The fire was out by the time he
stopped in the shutdown area, but the Safety Safari has a mess to clean up. Miner made his best
run of the weekend on top of a very good reaction time, so he would have been hard to beat
anyway. Miner will have lane choice against Ray in the second round.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
8 Bucky Austin 799 Sean Bellemeur
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.100 5.710 255.39 0.055 7.479 140.52
Qualified: #1 5.631 257.53 #16 5.767 249.90
Austin fell far behind at the start, spinning the tires very hard, but Bellemeur's lead was
short-lived, his car shaking and smoking the tires about 100 feet out.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
63 Clint Thompson 2 Jay Payne
E1 0.070 6.244 163.69 ****WINNER**** 0.041 5.690 253.75
Qualified: #14 5.749 246.35 #3 5.638 256.11
payne's car shook and moved toward the centerline, but he has seen that act before and never
lifted, then pulled away on the top end of the run.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
6515 Brian Hough 43 Steve Gasparrelli
E1 0.020 5.652 256.02 ****WINNER**** 0.025 5.638 259.01
Qualified: #4 5.645 255.39 #13 5.708 257.24
These two had to sit and watch for a bit, the Safety Safari doing some clean up work in
Thompson's lane. Both drivers sawed the tree down and the two were welded together all the
way down the track, Gasparrelli moving ahead to take the strip in the last few feet. Steve
Gasparrelli's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.028), 330 ft(-0.021),
660ft(-0.010), 1,000ft(-0.001). MOV: 0.0098 seconds (approximately 4 feet). Great drag race,
too bad one of them had to lose.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
74 John Patton 53 Vern Moats
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.090 5.750 249.03 0.105 No Time
Qualified: #11 5.704 254.14 #6 5.660 256.50
This was a close race until Moats' car made a big move and slipped out of the groove,
letting Patton pull ahead to stay. Moats took out the finish line timing reflectors, but by then
the race was over. Patton will not have lane choice against Payne next round.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
4 Dennis Taylor 64 Hank Coolidge
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.050 10.587 80.35 -0.305 5.713 250.55
Qualified: #5 5.650 256.06 #12 5.707 252.99
Coolidge let one get away here, going red and Taylor then smoking the tires and coasting
through. Taylor races Gasparrelli next round and Gasparrelli will pick the lanes.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
727 Ron August Jr 62 John Weaver
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.001 5.723 253.18 0.080 6.051 248.39
Qualified: #8 5.668 256.45 #9 5.668 253.80
Weaver's car shook and got up on the right-side tires on the launch, but it probably didn't
matter, August was just a thousandths away from perfect on the tree and went right down the
track for a surprisingly easy win. August advances and will face "Uncle Bucky" Austin next
round, Austin will have lane choice.
Timing data courtesy of
CompuLink
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