Sun, 23 Jul 2006, 02:57 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Michael L. Jex

KENT, Wash. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 19th annual Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals presented by Lucas Oil:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  503 Tommy Johnson Jr.                       7 Tony Pedregon
E1                   0.055  5.651 207.08     ****WINNER****  0.081  5.029 260.81
 Qualified:             #9  4.931 308.85                        #8  4.929 310.27

Weather conditions: air temperature 83 degrees, relative humidity 56 percent, barometer 29.80 inches, adjusted altitude 2,066 feet, track temperature 105 degrees.

Tony won this race in 2002, runner-upped in 96 and 97. TJ has yet to win in Funny Car here, but won in Top Fuel in 1991.

TJ had to pedal a couple of times in the middle of the run. That opened, then slammed the door shut on his bid for the weekend. TJ got a good lead off the line, but didn't have the tuneup to move into the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  180 Mike Ashley                           427 Tony Bartone
E1                   0.130  5.003 310.41     ****WINNER****  0.112  4.996 292.90
 Qualified:             #4  4.872 313.58                       #13  4.970 306.74

This is Bartone's 60th Start in Fuel Funny Car, Ashley's "lucky" thirteenth...

Tony had his hands full of wild Lucas Oil Funny Car, his Monte Carlo drifted near the centerline at the top end and Tony had his hands full keeping the throttle down, and the car off the line.

Good thing for Bartone the race isn't 1500 feet long...

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  319 Scott Kalitta                           4 Eric Medlen
E1                   0.091  9.086  91.26     ****WINNER****  0.112  4.998 295.14
 Qualified:            #15  4.988 304.39                        #2  4.854 312.64

Medlen is the defending event champ - Scott was the 1994 Runner-up in Top Fuel.

Kalitta hazed the tires in the middle, Medlen simply blasted his way to the next round, right down the groove. Eric Medlen's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.019), 330 ft(0.193), 660ft(1.037), 1,000ft(2.448). MOV: 4.0677 seconds (more than 100 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  347 Tim Wilkerson                           5 Robert Hight
E1                   0.091  7.896 111.96     ****WINNER****  0.109  4.902 314.68
 Qualified:            #16  5.058 301.00                        #1  4.840 318.17

Perhaps the biggest statistic for this pair is Wilkerson is 0-8 from the 16th spot... It's Hight's 11th #1 qualifying effort in his young career, the 5th in 2006.

Hight slammed the door right off the line - low ET of the round, and our first 300 mph blast of the session. As Bob Frey called it "Crew chief Jimmy Prock has that car running on mean."

Hight will race Tony Pedregon in the next round and Hight will have lane choice.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Del Worsham                            28 Ron Capps
E1                   0.113  5.035 306.19     ****WINNER****  0.097  4.975 307.86
 Qualified:            #14  4.975 314.39                        #3  4.864 313.00

Capps won here in 1995, it was in Roger Primm's Top Fuel Dragster. Capps was never headed, he won by more than a car length.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 Whit Bazemore                         156 Phil Burkart
E1   ****WINNER****  0.072  4.994 310.20                     0.074  5.020 310.91
 Qualified:            #12  4.953 309.13                        #5  4.898 316.75

The winner will take on Tony Bartone in the next round. Bazemore managed the left lane extremely well, and slams the door on the last CSK car still in competition. Whit Bazemore's incremental margins: 60ft(0.007), 330 ft(0.014), 660ft(0.028), 1,000ft(0.031). MOV: 0.0287 seconds (approximately 13 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Gary Scelzi                             3 John Force
E1   ****WINNER****  0.068  4.972 309.49                     0.099  5.045 293.35
 Qualified:            #11  4.945 309.20                        #6  4.903 316.52

This race is a biggie! John has won seven times here, Scelzi has won twice, but in a Top Fuel Dragster.

John got the top bulb flickering when he staged, but it didn't seem to affect either of their reaction times, Scelzi simply left the line first, stayed in the groove and let the big Hemi Dodge do it's thing. Wow. Force is gone in round one, and Scelzi will try get past Ron Capps in the next round, Scelzi has lane choice by just three thousandths of a second.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  782 Gary Densham                           10 Cruz Pedregon
E1   ****WINNER****  0.094  5.019 307.16                     0.066  5.117 286.92
 Qualified:            #10  4.934 310.77                        #7  4.925 313.95

Gary Densham won his first round of competition here in 1989...

Upset? Pedregon hazed the tires in the middle of the run, Gary Densham's incremental times: 60ft-0.907 sec., 330ft-2.387, 660ft-3.435/243.63mph, 1,000ft-4.291

Densham will face Eric Medlen in the next round, and Medlen will have lane choice. 11:51 a.m.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink