Sun, 19 Sep 2021, 11:26 AM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

CONCORD, N.C. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, 13th annual DeWalt NHRA Carolina Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                             703 Jim Campbell                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.076  3.901 328.46                     0.087  4.066 311.13
 Qualified:             #5  3.895 326.00                       #12  4.053 313.80

10:58 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 81 degrees, relative humidity 71 percent, barometer 30.16 inches, adjusted altitude 2,706 feet, track temperature 97 degrees.

Ron Capps is 12 - 0 against Jim Campbell.

Capps gets out of the gate first and starts to pull away. He drifts a little to the left but was able to stay on the throttle and take the win. Campbell makes a decent pass but was falling behind all the way through the run.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  723 John Force                                 Bye
E1   ****WINNER****  0.101  3.983 312.86     
 Qualified:             #1  3.860 332.18                     Bye

This is the 5th time that John and Brittany Force have qualified #1 at the same race (3rd time this year).

Force gets the single and will move on to the next round.

Force goes down the groove with a clean, straight pass.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7000 Robert Hight                          121 Terry Haddock                
E1                   0.085 11.737  83.53     ****WINNER****  0.100  5.991 253.37
 Qualified:             #2  3.878 330.07                       #15  4.190 287.17

Robert Hight wins 75% of his first round races when he has lane choice.

This is the 300th race for Terry Haddock.

Hight is 8 - 0 against Haddock in prior events.

Hight hits the throttle, gets about five feet and the car noses over. Haddock hits the throttle and starts hazing the tires. He pedals a couple of times, gets about 600 feet out and clicks it off. Haddock goes on through and takes the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   71 Cruz Pedregon                         139 Dave Richards                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.104  3.903 325.77                     0.112 11.830  80.81
 Qualified:             #3  3.879 323.58                       #14  4.116 287.23

Cruz Pedregon is 317 - 259 in round one.

The only previous meeting between Cruz and Richards was at Gainesville in 2015.

Richards hits the throttle and goes up in smoke. The car makes a move to the right and he has to give up on the run.

Pedregon drifted a little to the right late in the run but makes a good pass for the conditions to take the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Matt Hagan                           7098 Tony Jurado                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.059  3.929 327.43                     0.083  8.875  82.84
 Qualified:             #4  3.891 330.55                       #13  4.099 274.44

Matt Hagan is 22 - 6 in round 1 when qualified 4th.

This is the 2nd start for Tony Jurado.

Hagan is back after a battle with COVID. Tommy Johnson drove for him in Reading and won the event.

Hagan gets the holeshot and starts pulling away. Jurado leaves the line, strikes the tires, and has to give up on the run. Hagan drifted a little to the right late in the run but stayed on the throttle and took the stripe for the win.

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

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  373 J.R. Todd                             324 Mike McIntire                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.057  3.913 325.85                     0.071  6.960  94.50
 Qualified:             #6  3.899 326.08                       #11  4.026 283.97

J.R. Todd wins 67% of his round one races when qualified in the top half of the field.

Mike McIntire is making his 7th start. He is 0 - 2 against Todd.

McIntire leaves the line, gets about 200 feet out and strikes the tires. Todd goes right down the groove with a good pass and takes the win.

Pedregon will have lane choice over Todd in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  771 Alexis DeJoria                        256 Blake Alexander              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.086  3.913 324.98                     0.088  4.317 298.27
 Qualified:             #7  3.907 328.62                       #10  3.947 318.24

Alexis DeJoria has qualified in the top half of the field at 13 of the 15 races this year.

DeJoria is 4 - 1 against Alexander in prior events.

A coin flip off of the line, Alexander gets out in front early. DeJoria reels him in quickly and goes around him just past the sixty foot mark. Alexander has problems late in the run and the car suit just before the finish line. DeJoria goes on through with a good pass to take the win.

Alexis DeJoria's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.003), 330 ft(0.125), 660ft(0.322). MOV: 0.4067 seconds (more than 100 feet).

DeJoria will have lane choice over Haddock in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Tim Wilkerson                           5 Bob Tasca III                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.101  3.931 323.58                     0.079  4.444 196.62
 Qualified:             #8  3.913 327.27                        #9  3.921 326.56

Tasca gets out of the gate first, stays in front to the 330 foot mark, then he hazes the tires and has to back off of the throttle. Wilkerson goes around Tasca, drifts a little to the left, but hangs on and takes the win.

Tim Wilkerson's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.027), 330 ft(-0.021), 660ft(0.101). MOV: 0.4914 seconds (more than 100 feet).

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

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink

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