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DINWIDDIE, Va. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Third annual Virginia NHRA Nationals:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
2 Robert Hight 7 John Force
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.136 4.005 308.28 0.107 6.755 103.53
Qualified: #6 4.056 304.32 #11 4.078 296.31
11:29 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 70 degrees, relative humidity 67 percent, barometer 30.26 inches, adjusted
altitude 1,001 feet, track temperature 81 degrees.Force is 5 - 4 against Hight in prior events. Hight is fourth in points, 72 behind Wilkerson. Force is seventh, 193 back. This is Hight's third visit to VMP and he is 1-1 in prior first rounds here. Force is making his eighth visit here and his worst finish here is the semifinals - with four wins and three semifinal finishes at VMP. This is the first time Force and Hight have ever squared off in the first round. Force was chattering the tires and pedaling almost immediately, getting very sideways before throwing in the towel. It probably
didn't matter, Hight ripped off the quickest run ever at the 1,000-foot distance. Robert Hight's MOV: 2.7216 seconds (more than 100
feet). Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.855 sec., 330ft-2.258, 660ft-3.218/266.90 mph. Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 7701 Mike Neff 28 Ron Capps E1 0.106 6.816 95.00 ****WINNER**** 0.074 4.085 300.93 Qualified: #3 4.041 304.80 #14 4.088 291.76Neff is 2 - 0 against Capps in prior events. Neff is eighth in points, 210 behind. Capps is ninth, 227 back. This is Capps' seventh visit to VMP and he has been to two finals here, including a final round matchup with teammate Scelzi last year. Neff won the only other time these two met in the first round. Neff had almost as many problems as John Force, but in the other lane. His
car was shaking and smoking the tires while Capps was "going from A to B" in the other lane. Nice run, but he faces Hight next round
and Hight has lane choice.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1 Tony Pedregon 729 Jerry Toliver
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.072 4.057 306.05 0.084 4.172 302.21
Qualified: #2 4.041 305.22 #15 4.125 299.00
Pedregon is 15 - 6 against Toliver in prior events. Pedregon is second in points, tied with Jack Beckman after qualifying here
and 71 behind Tim Wilkerson. This is his eighth visit to VMP and he has been to the finals once. This is Toliver's third visit, with
a semifinals appearance in 2000. Pedregon holds a commanding 13-0 record against Toliver in first round matchups.Toliver pedaled
at least once trying to keep the Goodyears stuck to the track and Pedregon made a flawless pass, tenth quickest ever. Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 71 Cruz Pedregon 427 Tony Bartone E1 ****WINNER**** 0.078 4.026 306.53 0.106 7.268 85.49 Qualified: #1 4.041 306.88 #16 4.157 287.90Pedregon is 3 - 1 against Bartone in prior events. Cruz is currently sixth in points, 109 points behind Tim Wilkerson. This is his eighth start at VMP. He has been to three finals here, still looking for the first win. He is 6-1 in prior first rounds here, and 3-0 against Bartone in prior first round matchups. This is Bartone's second race at VMP and he went to the semifinals last year. Bartone lost traction about 200 feet out, probably didn't matter because Cruz ran the second-quickest ever at 1,000 feet.
Cruz Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.879 sec., 330ft-2.265, 660ft-3.231/263.46 mph. Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 507 Melanie Troxel 3 Gary Scelzi E1 ****WINNER**** 0.082 4.064 305.91 0.123 4.106 295.21 Qualified: #4 4.047 308.21 #13 4.081 299.13Scelzi is 2 - 1 against Troxel in prior events - all in Top Fuel. This is Troxel's third race at VMP, the first time in Funny Car. She failed to qualify in her first visit in Top Fuel, went to the Top Fuel finals last year. This is Scelzi's 6th visit here - with wins in '97 and last year. These two have never met before in Funny Car. Troxel's car has been consistently strong all
weekend and it was consistent again here, making a clean, straight pass. Scelzi was a bit tardy, but didn't have the ponies to run
her down today. Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 10 Ashley Force 347 Tim Wilkerson E1 0.107 4.061 308.07 ****WINNER**** 0.076 4.071 302.48 Qualified: #5 4.048 304.12 #12 4.079 302.48Wilkerson is 5 - 2 against Force in prior events. This is a big matchup in the points - Wilkerson is the leader and those contending are tightly bunched. Ashley is fifth in points, 90 behind Wilkerson. "Wilk" is making his sixth appearance here and has been to the finals once, in '98. Ashley Force is making her first appearance at VMP, the team sitting this race out last year after John's accident. Force holds a 2-1 edge against Wilkerson in round one matchups. Wilkerson defends his points lead on a holeshot
in a very close race. Tim Wilkerson's incremental margins: 60ft(0.035), 330 ft(0.041), 660ft(0.037), 1,000ft(0.031). MOV: 0.0218
seconds (approximately 10 feet). He faces another lady in round two and Troxel will have lane choice.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
5 Jack Beckman 750 Del Worsham
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.087 4.048 304.94 0.106 4.050 303.91
Qualified: #7 4.059 300.06 #10 4.078 296.63
Beckman is 5 - 1 against Worsham in prior events. Beckman is tied with Tony Pedregon for second in points, 71 behind Tim
Wilkerson. This is his third visit to VMP and he has been 2-0 in prior first rounds here. This is Worsham's seventh visit here and
VMP has not been kind to him, with only one round one win in prior events. Beckman is 2-1 against Worsham in round one
matchups.Wow - the quickest side-by-side race at 1,000 feet and Beckman gets the win light. Beckman's ET is tied for
seventh-quickest and Worsham's is now tenth-quickest. Jack Beckman's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.008), 330
ft(0.006), 660ft(0.016). MOV: 0.0218 seconds (approximately 10 feet). Beckman has lane choice against Tony Pedregon in round two.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 33 Tommy Johnson Jr. 170 Jeff Arend E1 ****WINNER**** 0.071 4.114 305.49 0.076 4.126 295.21 Qualified: #8 4.070 303.64 #9 4.078 301.60Johnson Jr. is 6 - 1 against Arend in prior events. This is the fourth race at VMP for both TJ and Arend and neither has gotten past round one in the prior three visits, so somebody will get their first round win, at this track, today. TJ is 5-1 against Arend in prior first rounds. Arend made it close, leading past the 660-foot timers, but TJ drove by on the top end for the win. Tommy
Johnson Jr.'s incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.003), 330 ft(-0.008), 660ft(-0.007). MOV: 0.0176 seconds
(approximately 8 feet). Johnson races Cruz Pedregon next round, Pedregon has lane choice.
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