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Sun, 30 Oct 2011, 03:36 PM

Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations
By Dave Rowe





LAS VEGAS - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 11th annual Big O Tires NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  507 Melanie Troxel                         31 Johnny Gray                  
E1                   0.058  5.032 197.42     ****WINNER****  0.087  4.158 311.63
 Qualified:             #7  4.103 310.20                       #10  4.118 311.05
11:39 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 76 degrees, relative humidity 20 percent, barometer 28.04 inches, adjusted altitude 3,618 feet, track temperature 91 degrees.

Gray is 1 - 0 against Troxel in prior events.

Gray had a spectacular explosion during qualifying last night, blowing the body high into the air and over the wall. No problems this time, going right down the middle of the lane to pull away for the win. Troxel got out of the gate first, started to pull away, then struck the tires about 300 feet out ending her day.

Johnny Gray's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.042), 330 ft(0.105), 660ft(0.503). MOV: 0.8457 seconds (more than 100 feet).


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Robert Hight                            9 Tony Pedregon                
E1                   0.095 No Time           ****WINNER****  0.082  4.486 242.89
 Qualified:             #3  4.085 311.27                       #14  4.166 297.48
Pedregon is 15 - 7 against Hight in prior events. This is the first time they have met this year.

Hight is a little behind off the line but makes up ground quickly and takes the lead by the time they reach the sixty foot mark. He strikes the tires about 200 feet out, pedals once, then the car turns almost sideways and he has to back off the throttle. Pedregon pulls around him by the 330 foot mark, then the engine explodes in a ball of flames just before he goes through the lights.

When Pedregon blew his engine something came off the car and trip the sensor in Hight's lane so Hight does not receive a time.

The Safety Safari rolls to clean up the oil in Pedregon's lane.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                            7130 Todd Lesenko                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.084  4.139 306.95                     0.081  5.095 162.00
 Qualified:             #1  4.080 315.49                       #16  4.236 298.60
Capps' last number one qualifying effort was in Denver of 2009. This is his 11th overall number one. He is 9-1 in round when when qualifying in the top position. He won this race in '01 and '05.

This is Lesenko's second career race, the first being Phoenix.

Lesenko starts hazing the tires about 300 feet out, stays on the throttle for a second, gets to the 660 foot mark and backs off the throttle. Capps went right down the groove and pulled away for the win.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7701 Mike Neff                             116 Paul Lee                     
E1                   0.117  5.177 152.14     ****WINNER****  0.094  4.225 305.56
 Qualified:             #2  4.083 312.71                       #15  4.218 304.19
Neff has won the only match-up he has had with Lee. Neff is currently third in the points and is only 16 points out of first.

A huge upset here. Neff was a little behind off the line and started reeling in Lee. He gets about 300 feet out, strikes the tires and has to give up on the run. Lee goes right down the groove and pulls away for the win.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   71 Cruz Pedregon                         170 Jeff Arend                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.083  4.171 306.95                     0.057  4.403 288.70
 Qualified:             #4  4.087 309.49                       #13  4.162 305.29
Pedregon is 9 - 7 against Arend in prior events, 0-4 this year and 0-3 in round one.

Arend gets the advantage off the line and hangs on to the lead to the 330 foot mark. he strikes the tires at that point, pedals, then Pedregon drives around him and pulls away for the wain.

Cruz Pedregon's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.035), 330 ft(-0.011), 660ft(0.139). MOV: 0.2066 seconds (approximately 87 feet).


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 2814 Matt Hagan                             10 Tim Wilkerson                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.081  4.138 307.09                     0.087  5.018 157.87
 Qualified:             #5  4.093 310.05                       #12  4.148 299.46
Hagan is 3 - 2 against Wilkerson in prior events.

Hagan is the current points leader by just one point.

They leave the line together but Hagan starts to pull away quickly. Wilkerson gets about 300 feet out, strikes the tires, then has to give up on the run.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Bob Tasca III                         771 Alexis DeJoria               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.101  4.185 307.65                     0.109  4.543 216.45
 Qualified:             #6  4.096 310.91                       #11  4.121 305.15
Tasca and DeJoria have only met once, Tasca winning that one.

DeJoria gets out in front early, is pulling away at the 330 foot mark, then hazes the tires about 500 feet out. That was all tasca needed to drive around and take the win.

Bob Tasca III's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.026), 330 ft(-0.030), 660ft(0.077). MOV: 0.3668 seconds (more than 100 feet).


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Jack Beckman                            1 John Force                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.052  4.238 301.13                     0.077  4.882 173.07
 Qualified:             #8  4.105 311.34                        #9  4.118 312.57
Beckman gets out of the gate first and starts to pull away. Force gets about 300 feet out, strikes the tires and the car starts to move around wildly. Force backs off the throttle and Beckman pulls away to take the win.

This is Force's seventh consecutive first round loss, the first time he has ever had that many in a row.

In the next round it will be Capps with lane choice over Beckman, Hagan vs. Cruz Pedregon, Gray vs. Lee, and Tasca vs. Tony Pedregon.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink




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