Sun, 29 Sep 2013, 12:57 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

MADISON, Ill. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Second annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                              77 Bob Tasca III                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.083  4.065 313.51                     0.089 11.610  63.89
 Qualified:             #6  4.058 310.05                       #11  4.094 306.40

11:27 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 71 degrees, relative humidity 55 percent, barometer 29.62 inches, adjusted altitude 1875 feet, track temperature 92 degrees.

Ron Capps has won just one round so far in the Countdown and comes into the day in sixth place in the standing.

Since his runner-up in Seattle Bob Tasca has only won one round.

Tasca goes up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle and his day is done.

Capps went right down the groove to take the win

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Robert Hight                           10 Jeff Arend                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.089  4.057 314.75                     0.113  4.176 298.21
 Qualified:             #2  4.022 315.64                       #15  4.196 280.95

For their careers Robert Hight has won 66% of his first round races while Jeff Arend has won just 29% of his. Hight is 14 - 2 against Arend in prior events. Robert is 10-1 against Jeff in their opening round races.

Hight gets out of the gate first and starts to pull away. Arend goes right down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend but Hight extended his lead all the way through the run.

Robert Hight's incremental margins: 60ft(0.059), 330 ft(0.079), 660ft(0.106). MOV: 0.1434 seconds (approximately 63 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Courtney Force                         72 Tony Pedregon                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.067  4.056 318.24                     0.063  4.143 296.57
 Qualified:             #4  4.037 319.82                       #13  4.112 304.60

This will be the first meeting between Tony Pedregon and Courtney Force.

Force is currently eighth in the countdown.

Force and Pedregon leave the line together, then Force starts inching ahead. Pedregon

Courtney Force's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.046), 330 ft(0.035), 660ft(0.048). MOV: 0.0832 seconds (approximately 36 feet). makes up a little ground in the middle of the run but starts to fall back again around half track. Force pulls away and moves on to the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 John Force                           3111 Chad Head                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.090  4.038 314.24                     0.107  6.684  92.89
 Qualified:             #3  4.023 311.92                       #14  4.115 275.17

This is just the second meeting of the year between John Force and Chad Head and John won that earlier encounter. Chad is one of 56 drivers who have raced John and never beaten him.

Force gets out of the gate first and starts pulling away. Head gets about 200 feet out, hazes the tires and falls back. Force goes right down the groove with the quickest pass of the round so far to take the win.

Force will have lane choice over Capps in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 2814 Matt Hagan                            348 Daniel Wilkerson             
E1   ****WINNER****  0.098  4.074 314.53                     0.093  7.000  93.71
 Qualified:             #1  4.001 320.20                       #16  4.398 274.00

This is the 15th time that Matt Hagan has qualified #1 but he has only won the race three times from the top spot. He has lost twice this year in round one when the #1 qualifier.

This is Daniel Wilkerson's 9th pro start and first this year.

Wilkerson leaves the line, gets about 100 feet out and strikes the tires. He makes a violent move to the right, heads for the wall and backs off the throttle quickly. Hagan goes right down the groove and pulls away for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  750 Del Worsham                             6 Johnny Gray                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.039  4.126 311.34                     0.078  4.118 310.77
 Qualified:             #5  4.041 314.46                       #12  4.098 311.77

Del Worsham is 9-3 against Johnny Gray but 0-2 this year. The last time Johnny lost to a driver other than a Team Force or Team Schumacher driver was at Epping this year.

Del is in tenth place and nothing short of a final round will keep his titles hope alive.

Worsham gets out of the gate first and he needed it. Gray goes right down the groove with the quickest right lane pass this round. Worsham went right down the groove but was losing ground all the way through the run.

Del Worsham's incremental margins: 60ft(0.054), 330 ft(0.042), 660ft(0.033). MOV: 0.0318 seconds (approximately 14 feet).

Worsham will give up lane choice to Courtney Force in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Tim Wilkerson                           4 Cruz Pedregon                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.053  4.687 200.50                     0.061  8.247  87.14
 Qualified:             #7  4.068 311.13                       #10  4.077 307.37

Pedregon leaves the line, gets about 200 feet out and goes up in smoke. Wilkerson starts pulling away, gets about 500 feet out, strikes the tires and has to back off the throttle.

Wilkerson will give up lane choice to Hight in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Jack Beckman                          771 Alexis DeJoria               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.095  4.079 312.78                     0.095  4.110 310.70
 Qualified:             #8  4.070 313.66                        #9  4.076 308.00

Jack Beckman is winless in 2013 and needs to stay close to the leaders if he wants a chance to defend his championship. Jack is 9-2 overall against Alexis DeJoria, 7-0 in round one matches. This is a repeat of their first round race in Dallas that Jack won.

Alexis hasn't won a round since the Sonoma event.

Beckman and DeJoria are dead even off the line, stay glued together to the sixty foot mark, then Beckman starts to inch ahead and pulls away for the win.

Jack Beckman's incremental margins: 60ft(0.001), 330 ft(0.027), 660ft(0.029). MOV: 0.0315 seconds (approximately 14 feet).

Beckman will give up lane choice to Hagan in round two.

After this round, Hagan still leads the points, John Force moves into second ahead of Cruz Pedregon, and Courtney Force moves ahead of Gray for the seventh spot.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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