Sun, 01 Oct 2017, 13:12 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

MADISON, Ill. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, sixth annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  703 Jim Campbell                            1 Ron Capps                    
E1                  -0.133 23.571  33.16     ****WINNER****  0.075  3.908 328.70
 Qualified:            #14  4.003 314.46                        #3  3.849 332.51

11:37 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 72 degrees, relative humidity 44 percent, barometer 29.68 inches, adjusted altitude 1,633 feet, track temperature 97 degrees.

Ron Capps starts the day with 671 round wins and that is 7th place among all pro drivers. He also has competed in 1,098 rounds and that is 4th best.

In 2 of his last 3 races Jim Campbell has pulled an upset in round one. In the other race (Reading) he lost to Ron Capps in round one.

Capps is the current points leader and he is just six points ahead of Robert Hight.

Campbell hit the throttle a little early, loses traction, then the chutes come out. Capps went right down the groove with a good pass to take the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  556 Brian Stewart                           4 John Force                   
E1                   0.169  8.104 126.60     ****WINNER****  0.091  5.566 228.58
 Qualified:            #15  4.014 285.11                        #2  3.832 334.65

John Force won here in 2013. This is the 114th time John has qualified #2 in the field and when he does that he is 85-29 in round one matches.

Brian Stewart began is career in Pro Stock and he is the only racer in history who can say that he raced Bob Glidden, Lee Shepherd and John Force.

Stewart is a little behind off the line, goes up in smoke and has to back off the throttle. Force gets away with one here, he gets about 200 feet out and strikes the tires and has to pedal. He can't gets the slicks to bite, pedals two or three more times, then goes on through with the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  302 Dale Creasy Jr.                         8 Robert Hight                 
E1                         No Time           ****WINNER****  0.085  3.872 336.57
 Qualified:            #16  4.037 303.64                        #1  3.830 333.91

This is Hight's 7th start from the number one spot. He has qualified number one 56 times in his career.

At Reading last week Robert Hight was the #1 qualifier and he set low elapsed time and had top speed. That was the 23rd time in his career and the 5th time this year that Robert has led all three of those categories at the same race.

Hight is six points behind Capps in the points and needs this win to keep pace with Capps.

Dale Creasy Jr. is making his 97th start.

Creasy has problems after the burnout and has to click it off. Hight was moving around late in the run but makes the quickest pass of the round so far to take the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   71 Cruz Pedregon                         771 Alexis DeJoria               
E1                   0.086  4.063 296.31     ****WINNER****  0.118  3.886 329.34
 Qualified:            #13  3.978 323.27                        #4  3.863 333.16

This number four spot is the best qualifying position for Alexis DeJoria since the second Charlotte race last year.

Pedregon gets out of the gate first, stays in front past the sixty foot mark, then DeJoria reels him in, goes around and starts to pull away. DeJoria starts moving around late in the run, moves a little to the left, but stays on the throttle and makes a decent pass to take the win.

Alexis DeJoria's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.003), 330 ft(0.046), 660ft(0.092). MOV: 0.1454 seconds (approximately 63 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 Tim Wilkerson                         801 Jonnie Lindberg              
E1                   0.064  6.894 143.63     ****WINNER****  0.087  3.942 326.48
 Qualified:            #12  3.923 325.37                        #5  3.871 330.96

Wilkerson is 2 - 0 against Lindberg in prior events.

Wilkerson has only made one clean pass this weekend.

Wilkerson gets out of the gate first, strikes the tires and has to back off the throttle. Lindberg went right down the groove with a clean pass to pull away for the win.

DeJoria will have lane choice over Lindberg in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  750 Del Worsham                             5 Jack Beckman                 
E1                   0.119  5.167 153.11     ****WINNER****  0.082  3.850 333.49
 Qualified:            #11  3.910 327.27                        #6  3.873 331.77

Jack Beckman is the defending champ and he also won here in 2012.

Del Worsham won this race in 2015.

Beckman is 23 - 11 against Worsham in prior events.

Beckman gets out of the gate first and starts to pull away. Worsham leaves the line, gets about 50 feet out, starts hazing the tires and has to abort the run.

Beckman will have lane choice over Capps in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  373 J.R. Todd                               6 Courtney Force               
E1                   0.061  4.321 270.21     ****WINNER****  0.080  3.884 334.32
 Qualified:            #10  3.904 332.02                        #7  3.877 329.50

Force is 2 - 1 against Todd in prior events.

Force won this race in 2014.

Todd leaves the line first but starts shaking the tires. he pedals once or twice, gets the car to recover, but Force had pulled away at that point. Force went right down the groove with a clean, straight pass to take the win.

Courtney Force's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.026), 330 ft(0.168), 660ft(0.303). MOV: 0.4181 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Courtney will have lane choice over John in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Tommy Johnson Jr.                       3 Matt Hagan                   
E1                   0.059  3.940 324.90     ****WINNER****  0.063  3.838 334.73
 Qualified:             #9  3.897 325.30                        #8  3.894 330.96

Matt Hagan has been the runner-up here in three of the five years of this event. Matt starts the day with 298 round wins. Tommy Johnson was runner-up here last year. This is only the 2nd time that these two have met in the first round. TJ starts the day with 299 Funny Car round wins while Matt has 298. Only eight drivers have won 300 or more rounds in the Funny Car class.

Hagan is 11 - 9 against Johnson Jr. in prior events.

Johnson gets the advantage off the line but Hagan reels him in and goes around before they reach the sixty foot mark. Hagan starts pulling away and goes right down the groove with the quickest pass of the round to take the win.

Matt Hagan's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.009), 330 ft(0.052), 660ft(0.078). MOV: 0.0981 seconds (approximately 47 feet).

Hagan will have lane choice over Hight in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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