Sun, 9 Oct 2005, 12:57 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 20th annual O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  180 Mike Ashley                            73 Frank Pedregon               
E1                   0.072  4.891 299.80     ****WINNER****  0.084  4.870 306.88
 Qualified:             #8  4.766 324.59                        #9  4.768 320.89

Weather conditions: air temperature 64 degrees, relative humidity 46 percent, barometer 29.83 inches, adjusted altitude 575 feet, track temperature 88 degrees.

Ashley had the early lead, but Pedregon had it by half track and held on for the win light. Frank Pedregon's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.012), 330 ft(-0.010), 660ft(0.004), 1,000ft(0.005). MOV: 0.0093 seconds (approximately 4 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Eric Medlen                             7 Tim Wilkerson                
E1                   0.092  6.483 143.35     ****WINNER****  0.112  4.893 322.34
 Qualified:             #2  4.698 322.96                       #15  4.846 315.86

Medlen with severe tire shake and then the car was bouncing and he couldn't get it to settle down. Wilkerson with a good clean pass to take the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Tony Pedregon                           2 Del Worsham                  
E1                   0.079  4.906 308.28     ****WINNER****  0.076  4.852 324.67
 Qualified:             #4  4.711 326.71                       #13  4.820 323.81

Pedregon had the lead until half track and then Worsham blasted by him and held on for the win. It looked like Tony got out of the groove on the top end.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                              34 Jack Wyatt                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.084  4.831 318.92                     0.146  5.151 226.77
 Qualified:             #1  4.694 327.82                       #16  4.869 287.72

Capps with a great pass, the quickest of the round so far. Wyatt was straight down the groove, just didn't have enough for Capps. Capps will have lane choice over Frank Pedregon in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7000 Robert Hight                          427 Tony Bartone                 
E1                   0.090  7.707 116.70     ****WINNER****  0.105  4.942 279.38
 Qualified:             #3  4.711 330.31                       #14  4.844 306.67

Hight's run similar to Medlen's as he shook the tires and then started to lift the front end and pedaled it. Bartone with a good clean run until just before the finish line when he started to haze the tires. Bartone will take the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Gary Scelzi                            10 Phil Burkart                 
E1                  -0.023  4.833 323.81     ****WINNER****  0.081  4.865 313.80
 Qualified:             #5  4.716 326.40                       #12  4.811 308.07

Scelzi was just a little too quick on the tree with his first red light start of the year. He then ran the second quickest pass of the session to his teammate Capps, but all for not. Burkart with a good clean pass, but will give up lane choice to his teammate Worsham in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Whit Bazemore                         206 Bob Gilbertson               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.076  4.855 321.42                     0.071  8.421 111.87
 Qualified:             #6  4.731 326.08                       #11  4.806 312.13

Gilbertson started to smoke the tires around 300 feet and it was all Bazemore. Bazemore with a nice pass and he will have lane choice over Bartone in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 John Force                            503 Tommy Johnson Jr.            
E1   ****WINNER****  0.025  4.835 325.53                     0.083  4.895 304.46
 Qualified:             #7  4.737 326.40                       #10  4.772 323.89

This is a big race for Force as all the contender but Capps are out after round one. Force did his job on the tree and never looked back, but Johnson Jr gave him a great drag race. John Force's incremental margins: 60ft(0.006), 330 ft(0.037), 660ft(0.049), 1,000ft(0.076). MOV: 0.1186 seconds (approximately 53 feet). Force will have lane choice over Wilkerson in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink