ST LOUIS - Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

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Sun, 29 Jun 2003, 06:31 PM

Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

MADISON, Ill. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Seventh annual Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals:


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  503 Tommy Johnson Jr.                      73 Frank Pedregon
E1                   0.065  5.743 224.06     ****WINNER****  0.121  5.380 264.96
 Qualified:            #11  4.962 305.49                        #6  4.908 313.22

Current weather conditions: 92 degrees, 36 percent relative humidity, the barometer 30.08 inches, with a track temperature of 125 degrees.
Frank Pedregon has a 5 to 2 advantage over TJ in head to head match ups.

Tommy Johnson Jr is out of the gate first and then starts to lose traction and pedals it a couple times, but never gets it to hook up. Pedregon started to lose traction and dropped a cylinder around half track and was smoking the tires through the 1320 for the win.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 Johnny Gray                            21 Scotty Cannon
E1                   0.060  7.657 127.82     ****WINNER****  0.091  5.820 253.33
 Qualified:             #9  4.955 292.58                        #8  4.942 301.40

Gray has won the three previous times these two have raced. Gray with the starting line advantage and is up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle. He is on and off the throttle at least three times and had the car side ways, but could never get the car to hook up. Cannon lost traction around the 330-foot mark and was pedaling it and dropping cylinders, but stayed with it for the win. Cannon moves to the second round for only the second time this year.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   20 Gary Scelzi                             1 John Force
E1                   0.035  5.192 286.50     ****WINNER****  0.065  5.128 300.20
 Qualified:             #7  4.913 316.01                       #10  4.959 297.22

This is only the second time these two have raced each other and Scelzi won the first time they raced each other. Scelzi with the starting line, but Force was able to make up the difference by 100 feet. Both cars with conservative set ups here, but they both get down the track. Scelzi was a little loose on the top end. Force with the win by about 14 feet.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 1149 Arnie Karp                              9 Dean Skuza
E1                  -0.210  5.270 272.34     ****WINNER****  0.058  8.248 104.17
 Qualified:            #15  5.056 289.63                        #2  4.893 308.85

This is the 10th time Skuza has qualified number two in his career. Karp turned on the big red light and Skuza was up in smoke immediately, but it didn't matter at that point. Karp got out of the groove and close to the wall just past half track. Skuza will give up lane choice to Force in the next round.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  347 Tim Wilkerson                          71 Cruz Pedregon
E1   ****WINNER****  0.097  5.093 296.89                     0.063  6.096 171.75
 Qualified:            #13  4.995 294.95                        #4  4.898 313.80

This is best qualifying position for Cruz since Indy las year. This will be the fourth time Cruz and Wilkerson have raced and Cruz has won all the previous match ups. Cruz was out of the gate first, but then lost traction around 150 feet out and then pedaled it a couple times, but could not get it to hook up.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  302 Dale Creasy Jr.                         2 Tony Pedregon
E1                   0.138  5.482 236.13     ****WINNER****  0.079  5.361 269.89
 Qualified:            #14  5.052 295.21                        #3  4.895 314.97

Pedregon has never lost to Creasy Jr. winning all 10 times they have raced. Creasy Jr. has qualified in the 14th position and has never won from that spot. Pedregon was out of the gate first and then lost traction and pedaled it. He was able to get it to hook up enough to take the win, hazing the tires through the quarter mile. Creasy dropped some cylinders just before half track and got out of the groove and close to the wall and came up short.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Del Worsham                             4 Gary Densham
E1   ****WINNER****  0.054  5.086 300.13                     0.105  7.382 119.49
 Qualified:            #16  5.088 296.05                        #1  4.858 311.13

This is the fifth time Densham has qualified number one, but he has never won a race when he was the top qualifier. Worsham is 13 and 6 against Densham. Worsham has qualified 16th eight times and has only won once from that starting position. Make that twice. Worsham with a big starting line advantage and never looked back to take the win. Densham was up in smoke by 200 feet and pedaled it and was back up in smoke.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Whit Bazemore                          28 Ron Capps
E1                   0.065  5.220 271.30     ****WINNER****  0.036  5.078 297.35
 Qualified:             #5  4.901 314.31                       #12  4.964 305.84

Bazemore holds a 12 to 8 advantage over Capps in head to head match ups. At the last minute there was a lane swap. Capps with the starting line advantage and was straight down Broadway for the win. Bazemore started to haze the tires around half track and tried to drive through it.

Capps will have lane choice over Wilkerson, Worsham will have lane choice over Cannon, and Tony Pedregon will get his choice over brother Frank in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink