Sat, 14 Oct 2006, 06:33 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

DINWIDDIE, Va. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Inaugural Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Frank Manzo                           257 Greg Beckner
E1   ****WINNER****  0.071  5.477 263.10                     0.079  6.435 210.83
 Qualified:             #1  5.469 262.44                       #16  6.418 211.33

6:04 p.m. Manzo chose to run in the first pair out and this was brutal! Not only did he run another forty, he ran the fastest speed ever - and it's already backed up as a national record. Beckner was out of the throttle before half track. Frank Manzo's MOV: 0.9661 seconds (more than 100 feet). Frank Manzo's incremental times: 60ft-0.939 sec., 330ft-2.433, 660ft-3.612/210.11mph, 1,000ft-4.622.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   33 Jeff Burnett                           14 Dan Pomponio
E1   ****WINNER****  0.178  5.772 217.70                           No Time
 Qualified:             #6  5.681 244.56                       #11  5.949 230.65

Pomponio was a no-show. Burnett made a pretty good run after a little dance step on the launch.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 1777 Bob Tasca III                         204 Bobby Martindale
E1   ****WINNER****  0.107  5.545 260.16                     0.179  9.406  92.78
 Qualified:             #2  5.567 258.62                       #15  6.310 214.21

Martindale's car nosed over before half track, the blower belt sailing across the lane. Tasca didn't make it into the forties, but he's the second-quickest car of the round so and his run was clean and straight, a career-best.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   15 Mickey Ferro                          189 John Headley
E1   ****WINNER****  0.131  5.612 256.75                     0.140  6.102 209.69
 Qualified:             #3  5.610 257.04                       #14  6.140 192.71

Ferro ran a career-best time in qualifying. He didn't miss that time by much here, an easy winner, and he will have lane choice against Burnett in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Bob Newberry                           37 Bobby Martin
E1   ****WINNER****  0.120  5.641 253.95                     0.070  6.091 196.73
 Qualified:             #4  5.612 257.68                       #13  6.019 245.00

Martin had a speaking engagement in Oklahoma Friday, drove all night to get there this morning and make just one qualifying run. He had the better light, but pedaled it early in the run and shut it down past half track, Newberry winning easily.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  118 DJ Cox Jr.                            111 Frank Schuster
E1   ****WINNER****  0.137  5.738 249.76                     0.116  5.798 251.25
 Qualified:             #7  5.701 251.02                       #10  5.832 254.09

Nice race, but the winner needs to find a few tenths to have a chance against the top four cars. Schuster led early, but Cox led most of the way for the win. DJ Cox Jr.'s incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.026), 330 ft(0.038), 660ft(0.048), 1,000ft(0.045). MOV: 0.0396 seconds (approximately 15 feet). He will not have lane chocie against Tasca in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 David Ray                             207 Bruce Mullins
E1   ****WINNER****  0.084  5.596 255.19                     0.063  5.694 251.34
 Qualified:             #8  5.716 253.18                        #9  5.796 246.80

This was a good race, but Ray had a tenth on Mullins despite a career-best run by Mullins. However, Ray will not have lane choice against Manzo in round two despite running more than a tenth quicker than he qualified.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Mick Snyder                           137 Chris Brown
E1   ****WINNER****  0.082  5.630 253.04                     0.177  6.013 241.07
 Qualified:             #5  5.671 254.57                       #12  6.015 240.42

Last pair. Brown ran a career-best, but Snyder ran his event-best and will have lane choice against Newberry in round two, his elapsed time just 0.004 seconds slower than his career-best.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink