Sun, 15 Oct 2006, 02:13 PM Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

DINWIDDIE, Va. - Results of round 2 eliminations in 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
    4 Eric Medlen                           711 Jack Beckman
E2   ****WINNER****  0.093  4.795 301.13                     0.082 15.276  63.52
 Prior rounds:
E1    (T Wilkerson ) 0.042  4.831 286.68      (D Worsham   ) 0.119  4.876 289.26
 Qualified:             #1  4.728 311.49                        #9  4.831 304.87

1:55 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 65 degrees, relative humidity 29 percent, barometer 30.12 inches, adjusted altitude 236 feet, track temperature 92 degrees.

Beckman left first, then lost traction and Medlen's run looked flawless, so one of the htree Force cars is in the semifinals.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  319 Scott Kalitta                         388 Jim Head
E2   ****WINNER****  0.114  4.808 293.86                     0.088 12.619  74.48
 Prior rounds:
E1    (R Capps     ) 0.097  4.808 301.67      (G Scelzi    ) 0.113  5.282 205.13
 Qualified:             #4  4.770 310.77                        #5  4.784 307.09

These two have raced each other 16 times, in both Funny Car and Top Fuel, Kalitta with a 12-4 record in those races.

Head left first, then lost traction, and Kalitta once again made a smooth, straight, clean run to advance to the semifinals. He faces Medlen, Medlen has lane choice.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Robert Hight                           10 Cruz Pedregon
E2                   0.082 11.709  81.99     ****WINNER****  0.103  5.016 278.58
 Prior rounds:
E1    (P Burkart Jr) 0.095  4.760 307.30      (T Johnson Jr) 0.080  4.841 301.67
 Qualified:             #2  4.751 311.05                       #10  4.833 307.16

Hight came in with a 4-1 record against Cruz. Make it 4-2, Pedregon negotiating the tricky right lane with a pedal-job early in the run while Hight was smoking the tires in the left. "The Cruzer" advances to the semifinals.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 John Force                            180 Mike Ashley
E2   ****WINNER****  0.074  4.834 302.28                     0.112  8.663  86.72
 Prior rounds:
E1    (G Densham   ) 0.104  4.828 303.43      (T Pedregon  ) 0.093  4.842 299.26
 Qualified:             #3  4.765 315.78                       #11  4.838 302.01

Two Force cars have been in the left lane so far this round, one was flawless, one smoked the tires. It looks like Medlen's tuneup was in Force's car, not Hight's, because Force went right down the lane with no visible problems while Ashley was fighting for traction near half track in the right lane. Force will have lane choice against Cruz Pedregon in the semifinals and now leads Ron Capps by 46 points for the championship.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink