Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 21st
annual Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
6 Whit Bazemore 2 Del Worsham
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.078 4.870 318.54 0.085 4.876 318.69
Qualified: #14 4.882 313.44 #3 4.748 324.98
11:38 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 67 degrees, relative humidity 48 percent,
barometer 28.95 inches, adjusted altitude 1,942 feet, track temperature 88 degrees.
Worsham holds a slight win lead over Bazemore at 25-21. Worsham has won the last four in a row.
Not this time through. Pretty even leave but Bazemore hold on for a close win. Whit Bazemore's
MOV: 0.0132 seconds (approximately 6 feet). Both drivers really had their hands full using up a
lot of their respective lanes at the finish. Nice opener for the Funnies.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
10 Phil Burkart 9 Cruz Pedregon
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.041 4.854 316.15 0.112 4.861 310.98
Qualified: #11 4.814 319.67 #6 4.780 320.66
Cruz took his first win here in 1988 in a Top Alcohol Dragster. Burkart throws a huge light
at Cruz and he can only watch as the CSK racer pulls away for the win. The Burkart team may
have some work as the header flames got strange at the end and there was lots of
smoke.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
4 Gary Densham 8 Tony Pedregon
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.096 4.922 271.08 0.085 4.987 267.53
Qualified: #16 4.920 277.72 #1 4.703 325.06
The former teammates meet here in the first session. Tony is 21-7 against Densham. Wow! I
guess you have to call this an upset. Densham was second off the line but caught Tony early in
the run. After 330 Densham pulled away to a full car length win. The bad news for the under
funded team is that he really lighted up an engine big time. All sorts of fire and Densham
rolled out of the Monte Carlo before it even stopped rolling. The Safari was on the scene
quickly and got the fire out. The fledgling Racebrick team is going to have lots of work
between rounds.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
7000 Robert Hight 427 Tony Bartone
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.123 4.752 327.51 0.144 4.967 312.28
Qualified: #2 4.723 329.99 #15 4.885 314.83
Hight of course is a brand new driver this year so he's not got a lot of history against
other drivers. He does now hold the track speed record here at Firebird for the Fuel Funny
Cars. Hight makes amends for all the problems at the season opener gets the first round win of
his career. To this point his 4.752 is low ET of the first round.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1 John Force 73 Frank Pedregon
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.128 4.744 329.67 0.123 8.134 108.76
Qualified: #4 4.760 323.35 #13 4.853 318.84
Force is making his 21st start here at the CSK National Event. That's every year it's been
contested. Frank Pedregon would like some more funding to that the team could make the trip to
Gainesville. Force pulls away with low ET of the round as Pedregon has holes out in his nitro
motor.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
3 Gary Scelzi 7 Tim Wilkerson
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.103 4.763 328.54 0.113 6.682 134.40
Qualified: #5 4.770 327.66 #12 4.816 310.91
Scelzi is 4-2 against Wilkerson in the Funny Cars and won here in 1997 in Top Fuel. Neither
driver will frame the time slip for the reaction time. This time it's not costly to Scelzi as
it was in Pomona. Wilkerson struck the tires and tried to no avail to recover. Scelzi gets the
win but loses lane choice to Force. Scelzi loses lane choice to Force.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
28 Ron Capps 503 Tommy Johnson Jr.
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.057 4.813 317.87 0.045 5.953 160.35
Qualified: #7 4.791 321.88 #10 4.808 323.89
In TJ's five prior wins he has either won the next race or gone out in the first round. The
streak continues as Johnson smokes the tires at half track and Capps gets his first round win
of the 2005 season. Two nice lights for this pair of drivers as well. Hight will have lane
choice in the second round over Capps.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
206 Bob Gilbertson 5 Eric Medlen
E1 0.096 4.912 299.80 ****WINNER**** 0.149 4.780 324.28
Qualified: #8 4.803 322.88 #9 4.806 278.58
Gilbertson set his career best numbers for speed and ET in qualifying. This is his 102
start in Funny car but only the 6th time he's qualified in the top half of the show. Medlen on
the other hand has 25 starts and he has been top half 22 times. He was away first but Medlen
was not to be denied this weekend as he becomes the third JFR Mustang going to the second
round. Medlen has lane choice over Densham in two.
Timing data courtesy of
CompuLink
