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MOHNTON, Pa. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 30th annual Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals: Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 28 Ron Capps 33 Tommy Johnson Jr. E1 0.062 6.128 114.19 ****WINNER**** 0.037 4.040 321.50 Qualified: #8 4.063 320.20 #9 4.065 316.0111:26 a.m. - Weather conditions: air temperature 54 degrees, relative humidity 48 percent, barometer 29.32 inches, adjusted altitude 786 feet, track temperature 75 degrees. Capps is 14 - 6 against Johnson Jr. in prior events. Capps has been to the final round here at Maple Grove twice. In 2000, he lost to Bruce Sarver. In 1999, he lost to Tommy Johnson, Jr.
Johnson got off the starting line a bit quicker than Capps, but when Capps got a couple hundred feet out he smoked the rear tires of
his Funny Car and that was the end for him. Johnson had a clean run to take the win and move on to round two.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
3 Jack Beckman 3111 Chad Head
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.079 4.279 306.19 0.076 5.380 210.28
Qualified: #6 4.017 316.97 #11 4.088 309.34
Beckman is 3 - 0 against Head in prior events. Beckman won here in 2008. Head was runner up last year, when he lost to John
Force in the final round.
Both cars launched, both shook the rear tires and both drivers pedaled the throttle. Beckman got his car hooked up again to finish
the run and take the win. Head's car shook the tires again as soon as he got back on the throttle. Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 10 Tim Wilkerson 5 Robert Hight E1 ****WINNER**** 0.098 4.408 203.80 0.065 5.248 145.56 Qualified: #12 4.090 314.46 #5 4.009 320.13Hight won here in 2011 and was runner up in 2006. Wilkerson won here in 2003. Hight is 16 - 14 against Wilkerson in prior events.
Hight smoked the rear tires at about 300 feet down the track. He rear end got loose and swung from side to side. About 100 feet
farther down the track, Wilkerson's car did the same thing. By then, Wilkerson was far enough ahead that he could coast the rest of
the way to take the win.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1 John Force 77 Bob Tasca III
E1 0.094 4.210 261.62 ****WINNER**** 0.063 4.079 313.15
Qualified: #2 3.997 323.97 #15 4.568 167.63
Force has been to the final round 11 times here at Maple Grove and has won seven of those times. His most recent win was last
year. Tasca was the Funny car winner here in 2009. Tasca III is 10 - 9 against Force in prior events.
This time, it was Tasca from start to finish He got out of the gate first and ran quicker at the track. Force's car got a little bit
loose just before the finish line. Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 303 John Bojec 4 Cruz Pedregon E1 0.110 12.535 57.48 ****WINNER**** 0.139 4.057 305.36 Qualified: #16 5.029 155.52 #1 3.991 319.52This is Bojec's first start in a nitro Funny Car. Cruz Pedregon was the number one qualifier for the third time this year and the 57th time in his career. He won here in 1992 and 2010, and was runner up in 1994 and 2003. Bojec's car launched and smoked
the rear tires as soon as he came off the starting line. Pedregon's car lost some cylinders at the end of the run and he shut it
down early. Pedregon will race Tommy Johnson, Jr. in the next round and Johnson will have lane choice. Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 72 Tony Pedregon 2 Matt Hagan E1 No Time ****WINNER**** 0.063 4.035 319.37 Qualified: #14 4.171 293.98 #3 4.008 321.50Hagan is 16 - 6 against Pedregon in prior events. Pedregon won here in 2005 and 2007.
Pedregon and his crew were not able to get his car started so Hagan had a solo run into the next round. This round win moves Hagan
to within 24 points of points leader John Force. Hagan will have lane choice over Jack Beckman in the second round. Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 170 Jeff Arend 7 Courtney Force E1 ****WINNER**** 0.070 4.598 221.45 0.093 9.146 77.38 Qualified: #13 4.093 310.55 #4 4.008 320.36Arend and Force have each won 1 times against the other in prior events. Arend won this event in 1996. Force launched and sent the rear tires up in smoke. She pedaled it and smoked the rear tires to mid track, with the rear end of her car swing side to side and the car going sideways. Arend drove through some tire shake to take the win. Arend will race Wilkerson in the next round and Wilkerson will have lane choice. Force's loss in this round means that Matt Hagan moved into second place in the points standings. Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 771 Alexis DeJoria 750 Del Worsham E1 ****WINNER**** 0.120 4.676 200.17 0.101 4.983 201.67 Qualified: #10 4.087 307.02 #7 4.046 316.15Worsham is 2 - 1 against DeJoria in prior events. Both cars smoked the rear tires and both drivers pedaled their way down the track. In the end, DeJoria made it to the finish line first. She will race Tasca in the next round and Tasca will have lane choice.
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