Sun, 12 Sep 2021, 11:48 AM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

MOHNTON, Pa. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, 36th annual Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
        Bye                                  71 Cruz Pedregon                
E1                                            ****WINNER****  0.103  3.908 318.62
 Qualified:                                                       #1  3.875 326.00

Weather conditions: air temperature 74 degrees, relative humidity 74 percent, barometer 30.12 inches, adjusted altitude 2,027 feet, track temperature 95 degrees.

In Cruz Pedregon's 1,123 rounds this is just the 2nd bye run that Cruz has had. The other one was at Brainerd in 1993.

PEdregon is straight down the groove wit a good looking pass.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  723 John Force                              7 Tim Wilkerson                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.059  3.875 334.65                     0.129  3.892 322.81
 Qualified:            #12  4.096 256.84                        #3  3.884 332.67

Tim Wilkerson beat John Force at Indy last week. John Force is 5 - 12 in rd.1 when qualified 12th.

Force is 42 - 22 against Wilkerson in prior events.

Force with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Force runs his quickest and fastest pass of the weekend for the win. He ties Pedregon with the quickest pass of the event and sets top speed of the event.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   13 Cory Lee                             7000 Robert Hight                 
E1                   0.116  4.239 296.37     ****WINNER****  0.091  3.889 330.72
 Qualified:            #13  4.229 298.93                        #2  3.883 330.39

Robert Hight has raced 60 drivers and 21 of them have never beaten him, including Cory Lee.

Hight is 1 - 0 against Lee in prior events.

Hight with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Hight is just a few ticks off his qualifying E.T. for the win. He will have a bye in the next round.

Lee with a good clean pass, just off his qualifying E.T. in the losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  703 Jim Campbell                           33 Tommy Johnson Jr.            
E1                   0.164 No Time           ****WINNER****  0.083  3.892 333.58
 Qualified:            #11  4.093 310.20                        #4  3.895 333.82

Tommy Johnson wins 72% of his rd. 1 races when he has lane choice.

Johnson Jr. is 11 - 0 against Campbell in prior events. Jim Campbell is 0 - 9 against Johnson in the first round.

Johnson Jr. with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Johnson with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win.

Campbell starts to drift out of the groove, he taps the wall.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  256 Blake Alexander                        28 Ron Capps                    
E1                   0.080  5.500 131.65     ****WINNER****  0.069  3.929 327.82
 Qualified:            #10  4.036 308.50                        #5  3.896 328.86

Ron Capps has 790 round wins and that is the 5th most in drag racing history. Blake Alexander's first start was here in 2011.

Capps is 5 - 1 against Alexander in prior events.

Capps with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Capps is straight down the groove. He will give up lane choice to Johnson in the next round.

alexander has a hole out right at the hit and is up in smoke by 330 feet, before he clicks it off.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  116 Paul Lee                                5 Bob Tasca III                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.077  3.911 331.77                     0.097  3.906 329.91
 Qualified:             #9  3.941 330.47                        #6  3.913 328.22

Bob Tasca is 9 - 1 against Paul Lee overall and 3 -1 against him this year. This is the 84th start for Paul Lee.

Lee with the starting line advantage and the power to hold on for the hole shot win. Paul Lee's MOV: 0.0155 seconds (approximately 7 feet). Lee with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win. He 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
  771 Alexis DeJoria                        373 J.R. Todd                    
E1                   0.076  3.999 316.67     ****WINNER****  0.057  3.919 332.75
 Qualified:             #8  3.940 327.98                        #7  3.916 330.31

J.R. Todd is 12 -1 in round 1 this year. He is the only FC driver with one 1 loss in the first round this year In her last 10 race Alexis is 8 - 2 in rd.1

Todd is 4 - 2 against DeJoria in prior events.

Todd with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. todd is jut a few ticks off his qualifying time for the win. He will give up lane choice to Pedregon in the next round.

DeJoria started getting lose on the top end.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink

E-mail rick@fastnews.net for information about supporting these reports.

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