Sun, 22 Oct 2006, 02:29 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

REYNOLDS, Ga. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division, event at Silver Dollar Raceway:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  317 Steve Franke                           10 Mark Billington              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.612  7.037 201.67                           No Time      
 Qualified:             #5  7.510 182.53                        #4  5.995 241.07

2:08 p.m. Billington could not make the call to the line giving Franke the free pass. Franke goes right down the groove but the engine was laboring all the way through the run.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  222 Monty Todd                           7976 Keeter Ray                   
E1                   0.033  7.906 133.57     ****WINNER****  0.483  5.948 237.55
 Qualified:             #6  8.065 114.98                        #3  5.958 227.38

Ray gets a big break here. He is really late off the line, but Todd strikes the tires about 100 feet out, starts pedaling, but can't get the slicks to bite. Ray goes right down the groove and takes the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  806 Steve Harker                          289 John Sullivan                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.082  5.928 247.47                     0.083  6.101 234.45
 Qualified:             #2  5.841 251.20                        #7  8.705  98.77

Sullivan gets out in front, then has to pedal about 200 feet out, giving Harker the opening to drive around him and pull away for the win.

Steve Harker's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.020), 330 ft(0.038), 660ft(0.104), 1,000ft(0.136). MOV: 0.1741 seconds (approximately 60 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Jay Payne                                  Bye
E1   ****WINNER****  0.088  5.821 235.56     
 Qualified:             #1  5.832 252.10                     Bye

Payne gets the scheduled bye on this pass and will move on to take on Franke. He needs to run quicker than a 7.037 to get lane choice....and he does it. Payne shakes the tires a little off the line, drifts out of the groove, then gets very close to the centerline about 100 feet out.

In the next round it will be Harker with lane choice over Ray and Payne over Franke.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink