Sun, 15 Oct 2006, 03:01 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 3 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

DINWIDDIE, Va. - Results of round 3 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
 1777 Bob Tasca III                          15 Mickey Ferro
E3   ****WINNER****  0.065  5.535 258.91                     0.069  5.655 255.19
 Prior rounds:
E2    (D Cox Jr    ) 0.089  5.539 258.91      (J Burnett   ) 0.134  5.650 250.55
E1    (B Martindale) 0.107  5.545 260.16      (J Headley   ) 0.131  5.612 256.75
 Qualified:             #2  5.567 258.62                        #3  5.610 257.04

2:52 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 65 degrees, relative humidity 29 percent, barometer 30.12 inches, adjusted altitude 236 feet, track temperature 92 degrees.

They left right together and that was bad news for Ferro because Tasca almost duplicated his second-round run.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Frank Manzo                             5 Mick Snyder
E3   ****WINNER****  0.091  5.455 263.26                     0.014  5.678 254.90
 Prior rounds:
E2    (D Ray       ) 0.063  5.454 262.74      (B Newberry  ) 0.039  5.620 255.39
E1    (G Beckner   ) 0.071  5.477 263.10      (C Brown     ) 0.082  5.630 253.04
 Qualified:             #1  5.469 262.44                        #5  5.671 254.57

Snyder found himself faced with a big challenge - how to defeat a driver who is almost a tenth quicker, not a position he has been in lately. Manzo came in with the quickest five runs of the event, his worst so far a 5.517. Snyder did just about all he could, cutting the tree down and almost matching his qualifying time, but Manzo has the quickest TAFC bracket car today and came within a thousandth of his best time so far to win handily and get lane choice against Tasca in the final round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink