Sun, 23 Oct 2005, 03:09 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

LAS VEGAS - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Fifth annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  427 Tony Bartone                            8 Tony Pedregon                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.117  4.970 255.73                     0.075  8.195 109.06
 Qualified:            #11  4.799 320.81                        #6  4.766 317.12

Weather conditions: air temperature 70 degrees, relative humidity 36 percent, barometer 28.34 inches, adjusted altitude 2,783 feet, track temperature 94 degrees.

Pedregon got to about 100 feet and then started to smoke the tires and that will be the end of his weekend. Bartone for only the second time this weekend was able to keep it hooked up all the way down the 1320. Bartone said in the top end interview that he clicked it early and that is why his top end speed was down.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  503 Tommy Johnson Jr.                      10 Phil Burkart                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.074  4.957 322.11                     0.077  9.042  90.83
 Qualified:             #4  4.763 325.77                       #13  4.804 318.69

Johnson Jr. started to shake the tires around 100 feet and he pedaled it and got it to hook up and blast on through for the win light. Burkart got to about 200 feet and then blistered the Goodyears.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 Cruz Pedregon                           6 Whit Bazemore                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.009  6.631 253.42                     0.084  6.889 241.37
 Qualified:             #3  4.760 324.36                       #14  4.821 321.88

Pedregon with a fantastic light and then starts to smoke the tires, but pedaled and was able to get it to hook back up for the win. Bazemore started to smoke the tires, and pedaled it and then smoked them again before getting it to hook up. Cruz will give up lane choice to Bartone in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                               7 Tim Wilkerson                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.076  4.793 328.14                     0.113  6.877 121.30
 Qualified:             #2  4.754 326.71                       #15  4.826 324.67

Capps is out of the gate first and never looked back to take the win light with a great run. Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.921 sec., 330ft-2.332, 660ft-3.310/262.08mph, 1,000ft-4.112. something went away in Wilkerson's car around half track and he coasted through the quarter mile. Apparently Wilkerson lost an engine, because the Safety Safari is rolling, but he had a freebie.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Gary Scelzi                             4 Gary Densham                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.143  4.823 322.11                     0.108  4.863 318.09
 Qualified:             #1  4.746 325.45                       #16  4.834 318.32

Densham with a starting line advantage and then Scelzi had the difference made up by 60 feet and took win light by about three feet.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Eric Medlen                            73 Frank Pedregon               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.078  4.829 324.83                     0.146  5.070 251.72
 Qualified:             #8  4.782 323.50                        #9  4.783 320.05

Medlen out of the gate first and never looked back to take the win. He will give up lane choice to Scelzi by 0.006 seconds in the next round. Pedregon stated mixing up cylinders around half track and then was moving all around his lane.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7000 Robert Hight                          180 Mike Ashley                  
E1                   0.092 10.111  97.68     ****WINNER****  0.111  4.849 323.43
 Qualified:             #7  4.775 327.35                       #10  4.786 315.64

Hight is out of the gate first and up in smoke right off the line and with the lost goes his chance to win the championship. Ashley with a good looking pass to pick up his first round win in NHRA Funny Car competition.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 John Force                              2 Del Worsham                  
E1                   0.080  4.849 323.43     ****WINNER****  0.056  4.848 323.81
 Qualified:             #5  4.766 317.57                       #12  4.800 325.22

Worsham with the starting line advantage and never looked back to take the win light by a half of car length. For the tenth time this year Force is out after the first round, and he will just have to wait and watch now for the Funny Car Championship point lead. Force's lead is now only 12 points.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink