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MOHNTON, Pa. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 26th annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
4 Tim Wilkerson 116 Paul Lee
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.084 4.116 302.69 0.089 4.134 304.74
Qualified: #9 4.094 306.12 #8 4.089 308.14
11:58 a.m. - Weather conditions: air temperature 70 degrees, relative humidity 27 percent, barometer 29.37 inches, adjusted
altitude 1,708 feet, track temperature 89 degrees.This is the first time Lee has qualified for this race in a Funny Car. He and Wilkerson have raced three times prior to this meeting with Wilkerson winning two of those meetings.
This time, they came off the starting line together and were side-by-side to 330 feet. After that, Lee's car made a little sideways
move and that gave Wilkerson the chance to pull away. Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 388 Jim Head 28 Ron Capps E1 ****WINNER**** 0.106 4.149 302.82 0.084 6.568 122.17 Qualified: #12 4.102 305.49 #5 4.068 307.02Capps made it to the final round here in 1999 and 2000 but has never won this race. Head was runner up here in 2003 but that was in a Top Fuel Dragster, not a Funny car.
Capps was quicker off the line but hadn't gone 60 feet when his rear tires went up in smoke. Head had a clean run in the other lan
for the win. Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 170 Jeff Arend 5 Jack Beckman E1 0.067 7.904 85.19 ****WINNER**** 0.093 4.131 306.12 Qualified: #13 4.119 305.22 #4 4.068 308.00Beckman won here in 2008. He and Arend had raced each other five times before this race, with Beckman winning three of those meetings.
Arend launched, shook the tires hard, pedaled it, shook the tires again and clicked it off. Beckman had some tire shake but drove
through it for the win. He'll race Head in the second round.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
6 Tony Pedregon 1 Robert Hight
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.062 4.183 305.63 0.072 6.851 97.15
Qualified: #14 4.145 288.03 #3 4.060 304.94
Pedregon won here in 2002, 2005 and 2007 and was runner up in 1996. Hight made it to the final round at Maple Grove in 2006.
These two raced each other 21 times before this matchup. Pedregon won 14 of those meetings.
Hight got out to about 330 feet when he shook the rear tires and shut the car down. Pedregon went down the groove to take the
win. Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 156 Phil Burkart 2814 Matt Hagan E1 0.088 4.210 297.68 ****WINNER**** 0.087 4.088 302.08 Qualified: #16 4.208 298.87 #1 4.011 311.56Hagan and Burkart had never raced each other before this matchup. This is the second time Hagan has been the top qualifier. It's only his second time racing here at Maple Grove. The first time was last year, when he lost in the first round. Burkart won here in 2006 when he beat Hight in the final round.
Hagan and Burkart came off the starting line together but after that it was Hagan all the way. He went straight down the groove to
record his second quickest ET of the weekend so far and get the win. He'll race Wilkerson in round two. Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 302 Dale Creasy Jr. 9 John Force E1 ****WINNER**** 0.144 7.155 95.46 No Time Qualified: #15 4.181 295.46 #2 4.057 311.27Force has won this race six times since his first appearance at Maple Grove in 1987. His first win here came in 1989, his last in 2007. Force and Creasy had raced each other 13 times before this, with Force winning 12 of those meetings. This was a stunner. Both drivers did their burnouts but Force was not able to back up to stage. His crew ran down the track to try to get him into reverse but were unable to do so, so Force started driving down the track. When he crossed the finish line, Force stopped and got out of his car, leaving the car on the track.
While all this was going on, Creasy was sitting at the starting line with his car idling. Starter Rick Stewart signaled for Creasy
to shut his car off. Creasy clicked it off and his crew raised the body. After a few minutes, they restarted the car, he staged,
launched, shut the engine off and coasted down the track for the win.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
2 Ashley Force Hood 71 Cruz Pedregon
E1 0.065 6.455 79.87 ****WINNER**** 0.090 4.512 215.20
Qualified: #11 4.099 308.57 #6 4.081 310.63
Pedregon won here in 1992 and was runner up in 1994 and 2003. Pedregon and Force Hood have raced each other eight times and have
a four and four record against each other.
Force Hood got out of the gate first and made it to 330 feet when the engine in her car exploded, breaking off the front half of the
car body and raising the entire body off the chassis. Pedregon had some tire shake but made it down the track for the win. he'll
race Tony Pedregon in the next round.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
7 Del Worsham 8 Bob Tasca III
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.089 4.507 270.10 0.070 4.934 172.59
Qualified: #10 4.096 309.20 #7 4.085 306.95
Tasca won here last year. He and Worsham have raced each other eight times before this meeting, with Worsham winning five times.
Both cars made it out to about 300 feet when they both started smoking the tires. Both drivers pedaled their cars and got back on
the throttle. Tasca's car drifted out of the groove and got loose, giving Worsham the chance to pull away and take the win. he'll
race Creasy in the next round.
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