Sun, 23 Jul 2006, 05:17 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 3 Eliminations

By Michael L. Jex

KENT, Wash. - Results of round 3 eliminations in Top Alcohol 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
  756 Don Hudson                             62 Brian Hough
E3                   0.096  5.764 240.77     ****WINNER****  0.067  5.766 246.93
 Prior rounds:
E2    (D Gordon    ) 0.055  5.771 249.86      (B Austin    ) 0.015  5.740 250.00
E1    (K Kraus     ) 0.049  5.762 245.09      (H Coolidge  ) 0.109  5.716 252.00
 Qualified:             #3  5.697 253.23                        #7  5.761 251.39

2:07 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 92 degrees, relative humidity 43 percent, barometer 29.06 inches, adjusted altitude 3,456 feet, track temperature 132 degrees.

It's semi final time in Seattle! Hudson team is desperately trying to get the body down on their race car, Hough is already back from his burnout when they finally get the latch to catch. Don does just a brief 10 foot burnout, and pulls back in sequence with Brian at the starting line.

Great drag race! Brian Hough's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.011), 330 ft(-0.001), 660ft(0.014), 1,000ft(0.012). MOV: 0.0272 seconds (approximately 10 feet). Brian didn't drive past Don till the halfway point on a holeshot!

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Jay Payne                               3 Steve Gasparrelli
E3                   0.091  5.774 256.45     ****WINNER****  0.052  5.737 253.04
 Prior rounds:
E2    (C Thompson  ) 0.091  5.662 258.96      (J Peters    ) 0.076  5.733 253.47
E1    (N Sitko     ) 0.142  5.642 258.67      (J Patton    ) 0.160  5.690 252.80
 Qualified:             #1  5.666 258.86                        #4  5.719 253.18

Payne slowed, and it cost him - Steve will have lane choice in the final round. Steve Gasparrelli's incremental times: 60ft-1.020 sec., 330ft-2.574, 660ft-3.799/202.21mph, 1,000ft-4.848

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink