Sat, 3 Nov 2007, 05:12 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Darryl Jackman

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 43nd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  799 Sean Bellemeur                        484 Kebin Kinsley                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.055  6.458 250.18                     0.046 14.775  55.44
 Qualified:             #8  5.670 254.33                        #9  5.675 253.71

1:47 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 79 degrees, relative humidity 32 percent, barometer 28.98 inches, adjusted altitude 2,607 feet, track temperature 106 degrees.

It's time to begin sending some of the Alcohol Cars home. This wasn't real pretty as both cars shook hard at the hit. It was Bellemeur that got his car to recover first and he gets the win. They're NOT all pretty!

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Doug Gordon                             3 Brian Hough                  
E1                   0.050  8.312 121.73     ****WINNER****  0.042  5.682 252.99
 Qualified:             #7  5.656 257.14                       #10  5.676 252.85

Gordon had the car set on kill down low and the track just said no! His racer shook very hard and he could only watch Hough streak away for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7238 Bret Williamson                      7306 Jeff Carroll                 
E1                   0.057  5.780 251.25     ****WINNER****  0.032  5.674 251.95
 Qualified:            #13  5.770 248.16                        #4  5.641 249.03

Both cars get down the track but it's Carroll that gets into the 5.6s.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  777 John Patton                          7384 Sean O'Bannon                
E1                   0.178  6.028 221.20     ****WINNER****  0.023  5.849 255.87
 Qualified:            #15  5.810 247.79                        #2  5.593 256.21

Patton used up a bunch of lane and that allowed O'Bannon to get around him for the win. O'Bannon does give up lane choice when he meets Hough in round 2.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  727 Ron August Jr                           2 Jay Payne                    
E1                  -0.147  5.786 231.28     ****WINNER****  0.069  5.681 257.48
 Qualified:            #11  5.726 255.48                        #6  5.656 258.02

August wandered for what seemed forever and crossed the stripe to a big boomer . Payne gets the win and will face either Thompson or Coolidge next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  765 Bernie Harrington                     766 Jason Rupert                 
E1                   0.082  5.833 243.81     ****WINNER****  0.043  5.829 250.69
 Qualified:            #12  5.749 223.28                        #5  5.654 251.49

Pretty good race but Rupert just had a bit to much for Harrington. Carroll has lane choice over Rupert in two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   63 Hank Coolidge                          62 Clint Thompson               
E1                   0.072  5.799 247.47     ****WINNER****  0.000  5.669 257.78
 Qualified:            #14  5.773 246.84                        #3  5.630 256.31

Thompson has a perfect light and then out runs Coolidge by a tenth. He also secured lane choice over Payne next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   65 Ken Kraus                             237 Von Smith                    
E1                   0.068  7.025 186.67     ****WINNER****  0.071  5.754 252.71
 Qualified:            #16  5.818 246.57                        #1  5.585 257.83

Kraus knew he had his hands full against the #1 qualifier Kraus, but when he had to pedal several times right at the starting it was over. Smith also loses lane choice to Bellemeur when the meet on Sunday.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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