Sun, 30 Jul 2006, 06:03 PM Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Darryl Jackman

SONOMA, Calif. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 19th annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Tony Pedregon                         319 Scott Kalitta
E2   ****WINNER****  0.095  4.909 311.34                     0.074  9.070  94.73
 Prior rounds:
E1    (T Johnson Jr) 0.054  4.910 315.56      (G Scelzi    ) 0.101  5.055 301.60
 Qualified:             #5  4.816 319.75                        #4  4.806 319.14

2:40 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 79 degrees, relative humidity 51 percent, barometer 30.09 inches, adjusted altitude 1,426 feet, track temperature 115 degrees.

Kalitta started spinning the tires just before half track and Pedregon too advantage for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 Whit Bazemore                         427 Tony Bartone
E2   ****WINNER****  0.086  4.873 318.17                     0.111  7.276 117.78
 Prior rounds:
E1    (R Capps     ) 0.068  4.902 315.78      (D Worsham   ) 0.077  5.023 289.07
 Qualified:            #11  4.857 322.73                       #14  4.879 301.60

That's six straight round wins for Bazemore. Bartone spun the tires starting at about 330 and he clicked it by half track.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 John Force                              4 Eric Medlen
E2                   0.096  5.998 163.04     ****WINNER****  0.071  4.898 312.42
 Prior rounds:
E1    (G Densham   ) 0.089  4.812 318.32      (C Pedregon  ) 0.092  4.885 315.78
 Qualified:            #10  4.855 312.50                        #2  4.801 323.81

Teammates pair up here in the second round. Force swapped lanes with Medlen and that appears to have been a mistake. John smokes the tires and Medlen goes on to the semi. Capps has to be breathing a sigh of relief somewhere here on the property.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Robert Hight                          180 Mike Ashley
E2                   0.100  8.230 100.73     ****WINNER****  0.102  4.975 360.09
 Prior rounds:
E1    (B Gilbertson) 0.093  4.859 318.77      (P Burkart Jr) 0.115  4.884 313.73
 Qualified:             #1  4.738 325.30                        #9  4.851 314.09

Pretty even at the start but Hight loses traction and Ashley goes to his first semi final in a nitro funny car.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink