Sun, 13 Nov 2011, 16:55 PM Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 47th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7701 Mike Neff                              31 Johnny Gray                  
E2                   0.083  4.155 308.57     ****WINNER****  0.079  4.105 313.07
 Prior rounds:
E1    (A DeJoria   ) 0.083  4.150 311.27      (J Force     ) 0.104  4.090 313.00
 Qualified:             #3  4.087 313.44                        #6  4.107 308.28

1:35 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 73 degrees, relative humidity 45 percent, barometer 28.77 inches, adjusted altitude 2,778 feet, track temperature 92 degrees.

Neff and Gray have each won 2 times against the other in prior events.

This is the first of two DSR vs JFR matchups this round, both have championship implications since the losers stop earning points.

Gray is taking Team Force out one at a time! He left slightly ahead of Neff, then ran away from him.

Johnny Gray's incremental margins: 60ft(0.026), 330 ft(0.035), 660ft(0.044). MOV: 0.0542 seconds (approximately 25 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                               8 Robert Hight                 
E2                   0.099  4.114 311.13     ****WINNER****  0.088  4.091 311.77
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Arend     ) 0.072  4.110 311.13      (G Densham   ) 0.085  4.149 309.13
 Qualified:            #10  4.124 301.94                        #2  4.084 312.13

Capps' title hopes ended in the first round, but he could help teammate Matt Hagan by stopping Hight right here. Hight is 19 - 9 against Capps in prior events.

It was a good race, but Hight left first and made the quicker run. Robert Hight's MOV: 0.0340 seconds (approximately 16 feet). He will have lane choice against Gray (another DSR car) in the semifinals. His title hopes are mathematically alive, but just barely.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Jack Beckman                         2814 Matt Hagan                   
E2                   0.056  4.142 310.27     ****WINNER****  0.064  4.107 307.44
 Prior rounds:
E1    (T Wilkerson ) 0.055  4.522 280.84      (J Capps     ) 0.045  4.092 309.77
 Qualified:             #8  4.113 313.58                        #1  4.033 315.27

This is for a bunch of marbles. Beckman is 6 - 4 against Hagan in prior events.

Beckman left first, but Hagan led by the time they went 60 feet and steadily opened the lead.

Matt Hagan's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.020), 330 ft(0.032), 660ft(0.033). MOV: 0.0274 seconds (approximately 12 feet).

That shuts Beckman and Hight out of championship contention and forces Cruz pedregon to win the event to have a chance.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  507 Melanie Troxel                         71 Cruz Pedregon                
E2                   0.056  4.154 308.57     ****WINNER****  0.106  4.079 312.28
 Prior rounds:
E1    (T Pedregon  ) 0.066  4.151 303.64      (B Tasca III ) 0.066  4.141 313.29
 Qualified:             #4  4.087 309.70                        #5  4.087 307.79

Cruz must win here, then beat Hagan next round and win the event to win the title.

Pedregon is 2 - 0 against Troxel in prior events.

Pedregon was late, Troxel had a good light and led past the 330-foot marker, but Pedregon's car is getting better with each run and he ran her down for the win.

Cruz Pedregon's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.052), 330 ft(-0.012), 660ft(0.014). MOV: 0.0258 seconds (approximately 12 feet).

Pedregon has lane choice against Hagan in the semifinals and must win that matchup and the final round to take the championship.

Following the race, there was a mishap at the top end of the track. As Troxel's car went around the corner, the car refired and went through a fence, hitting a support trailer parked down at the end of the race track. The trailer (and another trailer) and the race car all appear to be damaged, but Troxel got out of the car and appears to be okay.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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