Sun, 16 Oct 2011, 02:58 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By David Gerard

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 27th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  719 Jeff Diehl                            388 Jim Head                     
E1                  -0.016  4.690 190.11     ****WINNER****  0.102  4.991 261.37
 Qualified:            #15  4.369 268.60                        #2  4.238 289.07

11:27 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 83 degrees, relative humidity 21 percent, barometer 28.68 inches, adjusted altitude 3,189 feet, track temperature 118 degrees.

This is the first time Diehl and Head have faced each other in eliminations. Head was the runner-up here in Top Fuel in 1998 and in Funny Car in 1986.

Head would have been dead this round, but Diehl misses the tree by -0.016 to give the free pass to him for round two.

Head's Solara was up in smoke about 100 feet out and he pumped it to settle it back down and get on down the track to the finish line. Looks like lane choice will be tough!

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  507 Melanie Troxel                         31 Johnny Gray                  
E1                   0.077  4.393 279.32     ****WINNER****  0.094  4.231 288.33
 Qualified:            #14  4.364 273.94                        #3  4.240 285.83

This is the first time Troxel and Gray have faced each other in eliminations. Troxel has been runner-up here twice in Top Fuel.

Troxel is away first and keeps the lead until just before the 330 lights, where a charging Gray makes his best pass of the weekend to drive on by for a decisive win.

Johnny Gray's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.005), 330 ft(0.046), 660ft(0.110). MOV: 0.1453 seconds (approximately 60 feet).

Melanie Troxel's incremental times: 60ft-0.938 sec., 330ft-2.437, 660ft-3.522/237.21 mph.
Johnny Gray's incremental times: 60ft-0.926 sec., 330ft-2.374, 660ft-3.395/250.41 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  170 Jeff Arend                             71 Cruz Pedregon                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.150  4.550 275.39                     0.069  4.917 227.80
 Qualified:            #16  4.411 274.55                        #1  4.215 296.37

Pedregon is 9 - 6 against Arend in prior events. Pedregon was the winner here in 1993 and has taken the runner-up spot two times in the past

This is a rematch of this year's Indy first round pairings, where Arend took the win and he does so again.

Pedregon is away first and quickly pulling away until just after the 330 lights, where the tires go up in smoke. Arend flies on by and Pedregon strokes the pedal several time is a vain effort to get back ahead. Not gona' happen.

Jeff Arend's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.080), 330 ft(-0.095), 660ft(0.116). MOV: 0.2868 seconds (approximately 96 feet).

Jeff Arend's incremental times: 60ft-0.936 sec., 330ft-2.527, 660ft-3.659/228.81 mph.
Cruz Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.937 sec., 330ft-2.513, 660ft-3.856/188.75 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 John Force                              4 Jack Beckman                 
E1                   0.079  4.385 283.31     ****WINNER****  0.045  4.295 288.77
 Qualified:            #12  4.352 278.00                        #5  4.279 284.45

Beckman is 15 - 6 against Force in prior events. Beckman has won here in the past in both 2008 and 2010. Force has raced in all twenty-seven AZ Nationals and this will be his fifth start from the bottom half of the field.

It's Fast Jack from wire to wire. He gets a small head start at the green and then pulls steadily ahead all the way down the track for the big win. Force gave it a great effort, but was no match this time for Beckman.

Jack Beckman's incremental margins: 60ft(0.051), 330 ft(0.069), 660ft(0.101). MOV: 0.1248 seconds (approximately 52 feet).

John Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.964 sec., 330ft-2.458, 660ft-3.521/239.74 mph.
Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.947 sec., 330ft-2.423, 660ft-3.454/248.07 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 2814 Matt Hagan                           7130 Todd Lesenko                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.093  4.258 287.29                     0.047  5.151 251.81
 Qualified:             #6  4.294 264.55                       #11  4.342 282.48

This is the first time Hagan and Lesenko have faced each other in eliminations.

Hagan takes the left lane and has to chase Lesenko to past the sixty foot lights. The Jolly Rogers Challenger strikes the tires at that point and its all Hagan's after that.

Matt Hagan's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.028), 330 ft(0.501), 660ft(0.732). MOV: 0.8478 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Matt Hagan's incremental times: 60ft-0.919 sec., 330ft-2.390, 660ft-3.419/250.23 mph.
Todd Lesenko's incremental times: 60ft-0.937 sec., 330ft-2.937, 660ft-4.197/212.83 mph.

Gray will have lane choice in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  116 Paul Lee                               10 Tim Wilkerson                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.002  4.360 281.13                     0.088  4.741 183.27
 Qualified:            #10  4.335 287.17                        #7  4.315 283.91

Wilkerson is 4 - 1 against Lee in prior events.

Lee makes a good guess at the green and misses the red by 0.002. He stays out in front and Wilkerson's chances literally go up in smoke at the 660 mark. He pedals to no avail.

Paul Lee's incremental margins: 60ft(0.079), 330 ft(0.066), 660ft(0.131). MOV: 0.4677 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Paul Lee's incremental times: 60ft-0.935 sec., 330ft-2.434, 660ft-3.500/242.41 mph.
Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.928 sec., 330ft-2.414, 660ft-3.545/208.84 mph.

Lee has lane choice over Head later today.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Robert Hight                         7701 Mike Neff                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.073  4.361 292.71                     0.095  4.356 255.82
 Qualified:            #13  4.356 277.72                        #4  4.251 287.23

Hight and Neff have each won 5 times against the other in prior events. Neff won here in 2009 and Hight was runner-up twice.

The lucky thirteen spot pays off for Hight, as he gets off the line first. Neff drives back on by just before the 330 lights and keeps the lead until after the 660 mark and then falls to tire smoke. He pumps it and misses the win by six feet.

Robert Hight's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.009), 330 ft(-0.022), 660ft(-0.045). MOV: 0.0172 seconds (approximately 6 feet).

Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.930 sec., 330ft-2.452, 660ft-3.520/242.54 mph.
Mike Neff's incremental times: 60ft-0.917 sec., 330ft-2.408, 660ft-3.453/243.90 mph.

Beckman gets lane choice in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Bob Tasca III                         771 Alexis DeJoria               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.085  4.349 280.43                     0.127  4.474 255.97
 Qualified:             #9  4.322 282.72                        #8  4.320 274.27

This is the first time Tasca III and DeJoria have faced each other in eliminations.

Tasca is away first and had to work hard down track, as the car starts to move towards the wall. DeJoria looks like a pro and will have to wait for another day for her first win.

Bob Tasca III's incremental margins: 60ft(0.013), 330 ft(0.039), 660ft(0.101). MOV: 0.1678 seconds (approximately 63 feet).

Bob Tasca III's incremental times: 60ft-0.950 sec., 330ft-2.445, 660ft-3.492/243.55 mph.
Alexis DeJoria's incremental times: 60ft-0.921 sec., 330ft-2.442, 660ft-3.551/229.27 mph.

11:51 a.m. Tasca will have lane choice over Arend in round two.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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