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Sat, 10 Nov 2018, 18:16 PM

Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations
By David Gerard





POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 54th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Shane Westerfield                     739 Hannes Wernhart              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.046  5.526 267.85                     0.068 18.203  44.18
 Qualified:             #4  5.486 265.90                       #13  6.333 176.14
2:42 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 14 percent, barometer 28.79 inches, adjusted altitude 2,774 feet, track temperature 101 degrees.

We FINALLY get to run round one of TAFC after significant delays during the day. This time slot was supposed to be for round two.

Wernhart's Monte Carlos shutters and rattles hard at the green and he lifts.

Westerfield has a little shake too, but drives through to take the easy win.

Shane Westerfield's incremental times: 60ft-0.957 sec., 330ft-2.498, 660ft-3.682/210.50 mph, 1,000ft-4.684.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Annie Whiteley                        810 Robert Turner                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.100  5.444 268.65                     0.200  8.057 117.30
 Qualified:             #2  5.455 272.23                       #15  6.745 150.85
Whiteley runs straight and true right on down the track to make her quickest pass of the weekend for the easy win.

Whiteley was late, but Turner was way late and clicks it early.

Annie Whiteley's incremental times: 60ft-0.937 sec., 330ft-2.458, 660ft-3.625/213.16 mph, 1,000ft-4.612.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Sean Bellemeur                         63 Chris Marshall               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.025  5.444 271.13                     0.015  5.462 264.91
 Qualified:             #1  5.411 271.79                       #16  6.980 151.60
A great old drag race with two of the best.

Marshall finally gets everything together and leaves first. He leads Bellemeur all the way to past the 1000 foot lights, where Bellemeur just barely hips him in the lights! Awesome!

Sean Bellemeur's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.031), 330 ft(-0.036), 660ft(-0.023), 1,000ft(-0.008). MOV: 0.0084 seconds (approximately 3 feet).

Sean Bellemeur's incremental times: 60ft-0.955 sec., 330ft-2.464, 660ft-3.626/214.11 mph, 1,000ft-4.612.
Chris Marshall's incremental times: 60ft-0.934 sec., 330ft-2.438, 660ft-3.613/210.83 mph, 1,000ft-4.614.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  800 Ulf Leanders                          636 Ray Martin                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.086  5.403 270.10                     0.101  5.558 262.28
 Qualified:             #3  5.461 268.17                       #14  6.527 245.54
Another great race and Leanders runs the table with his best pass of the weekend, the round, and a career best ET and speed!

Martin finally gets a full pass and gives him a race!

Ulf Leanders' incremental times: 60ft-0.946 sec., 330ft-2.427, 660ft-3.583/213.94 mph, 1,000ft-4.570.
Ray Martin's incremental times: 60ft-0.967 sec., 330ft-2.500, 660ft-3.689/208.71 mph, 1,000ft-4.702.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   66 Brian Hough                           686 Todd Swinford                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.064  5.535 267.43                     0.035 No Time      
 Qualified:             #5  5.499 266.95                       #12  6.297 221.02
Swinford gets away first and has the tires shaking hard . He stays with it and can't keep the car in his lane, taking out the 660 lights and almost drilling the back of Hough's Camaro.

Hough, fortunately stayed after it and pulls away with the easy win.

Westerfield will have lane choice in round two.

Brian Hough's incremental times: 60ft-0.955 sec., 330ft-2.507, 660ft-3.691/210.41 mph, 1,000ft-4.692.
Todd Swinford's incremental times: 60ft-0.983 sec., 330ft-2.557, 660ft-3.773/202.79 mph, 1,000ft-99.999.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 Jay Payne                               2 John Lombardo Jr.            
E1                   0.087  5.567 265.43     ****WINNER****  0.054  5.505 269.08
 Qualified:             #6  5.507 267.27                       #11  6.230 169.59
2:53 p.m. Time for dusting and cleaning at half track. 3:03 p.m. Back to racing.

Payne got all of the sand and dust out of his Camaro from his trip to the sand box last night and still has issues getting the car to stop with one chute after a clean pass. He chases Lombardo and has the car drift towards the wall. He stays after it and then has a late chute. He get squirly on the brakes way down track and just gets the car stopped before the sand.

Lombardo makes it look easy and powers off the line and takes a decisive win on a clean strong pass. He will give up lane choice to Leanders next round.

Jay Payne's incremental times: 60ft-0.979 sec., 330ft-2.536, 660ft-3.717/210.73 mph, 1,000ft-4.720.
John Lombardo Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-0.957 sec., 330ft-2.502, 660ft-99.999/000.00 mph, 1,000ft-4.668.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Kris Hool                            6260 Tyson Parker                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.140  5.557 264.55                     0.122 10.069  88.77
 Qualified:             #7  5.539 265.22                       #10  5.916 247.66
Two not so good lights, but Parker gets the better of the two. His starting line lead is quickly gone, as the tires are shaking and spinning right after that.

Hool makes another clean and strong pass for an easy win. He will give up lane choice toWhiteley in round two.

Kris Hool's incremental times: 60ft-0.973 sec., 330ft-2.508, 660ft-3.696/209.65 mph, 1,000ft-4.707.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Doug Gordon                          7238 Bret Williamson              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.093  5.444 271.68                     0.100  5.646 255.00
 Qualified:             #8  5.664 268.65                        #9  5.833 252.24
Gordon gets the starting line advantage and pull steadily ahead on his best run of the weekend for a strong win

Bellemeur ran a 5.444 earlier and lane choice goes to Gordon on speed.

Doug Gordon's incremental times: 60ft-0.938 sec., 330ft-2.460, 660ft-3.627/213.27 mph, 1,000ft-4.614.
Bret Williamson's incremental times: 60ft-0.987 sec., 330ft-2.533, 660ft-3.735/205.44 mph, 1,000ft-4.766.

3:12 p.m.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink




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