Sat, 08 Feb 2020, 14:27 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 60th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Brian Hough                            76 Terry Ruckman                
E1                   0.052  9.205 101.76     ****WINNER****  0.035  5.536 265.38
 Qualified:             #4  5.497 265.95                        #7  5.543 232.75

Weather conditions: air temperature 70 degrees, relative humidity 43 percent, barometer 28.90 inches, adjusted altitude 2,756 feet, track temperature 90 degrees.

Hough is 1 - 0 against Ruckman in prior events.

Ruckman with a great light and never trailed for the win. Hough with violent tire shake and clicked it off. Ruckman with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Jay Payne                            2183 Aryan Rochon                 
E1                   0.135  5.534 261.47     ****WINNER****  0.074  5.552 254.04
 Qualified:             #5  5.505 259.91                        #6  5.542 259.36

This is the first time Payne and Rochon have faced each other in eliminations.

Rochon with the starting line advantage and the power to hold on for the win. Aryan Rochon's MOV: 0.0438 seconds (approximately 17 feet). Rochon starts drifting out of the groove just past half track, but he stays with it. It appears he used up an engine in the win as there was a lot of smoke.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  800 Ulf Leanders                          636 Ray Martin                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.252  5.660 263.82                     0.076  6.175 240.64
 Qualified:             #3  5.452 265.85                        #8  5.602 261.32

Leanders is 6 - 0 against Martin in prior events.

Martin with the starting line advantage, but had tire shake and pedaled it. Leanders with tire shake right at the hit and pedaled it and was able to chase Martin down for the win. Martin will give up lane choice to Ruckman in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Shane Westerfield                     757 Mike Doushgounian            
E1   ****WINNER****  0.054  5.591 268.97                     0.000  5.865 249.35
 Qualified:             #2  5.436 270.32                        #9  5.804 255.63

Westerfield is 3 - 0 against Doushgounian in prior events.

Doushgounian with a perfect light, but Westerfield had the difference made up by the time they went by the Christmas tree and never trailed from there on for the win.

He will give up lane choice to Rochon in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Doug Gordon                           739 Hannes Wernhart              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.064  5.450 270.16                    -0.014 18.076  55.99
 Qualified:             #1  5.432 268.33                       #10 12.644  63.11

Gordon is 1 - 0 against Wernhart in prior events.

Wernhart goes red to give Gordon the win. Gordon runs low E.T. of round one for the win. He will have the bye into the semifinal.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink

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