Sun, 1 Apr 2007, 03:58 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

BAYTOWN, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 20th annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  750 Del Worsham                           782 Gary Densham                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.076 10.826  87.54                    -0.146  4.934 266.06
 Qualified:             #7  4.830 318.24                       #10  4.861 310.34

Weather conditions: air temperature 79 degrees, relative humidity 69 percent, barometer 29.97 inches, adjusted altitude 1,641 feet, track temperature 98 degrees.

Worsham has a 19 to 9 advantage over Densham in head to head match ups. This is Densham's 485th round of competition. Densham throws away great opportunity here when he turned on the red light. Worsham with a lot of luck as he is up in smoke right off the starting line. This is Worsham's 311th round win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  388 Jim Head                              347 Tim Wilkerson                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.051  4.899 314.97                     0.094 12.547  81.45
 Qualified:             #5  4.823 282.72                       #12  4.885 313.00

Head raced at the first race here in 1988 and he beat Wilkerson the only time they ever raced. Wilkerson won this event in 2004. Wilkerson is up in smoke as soon as he hits the throttle. Head's burnout sounded funny, but he blast on down the quarter mile with a good clean pass.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  180 Mike Ashley                           503 Tommy Johnson Jr.            
E1   ****WINNER****  0.128  4.788 325.30                     0.035  6.127 162.16
 Qualified:             #4  4.814 309.63                       #13  4.902 312.13

Ashley starting his 25th race, while Johnson Jr. is in his 451st round of competition. They have raced each other twice with each winning once. Johnson Jr. with a great light and then starts to shake the tires and pedals it at least two more times. By then it was all over as Ashley runs the quickest and fastest pass of the weekend. Mike Ashley's incremental times: 60ft-0.908 sec., 330ft-2.326, 660ft-3.303/263.26mph, 1,000ft-4.104 Ashley will have lane choice over Head in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  499 Todd Simpson                           10 Cruz Pedregon                
E1                   0.103  5.303 255.19     ****WINNER****  0.090  4.826 309.56
 Qualified:            #16  5.222 293.28                        #1  4.796 300.20

Simpson in his first start in a Fuel Funny Car, and he has won this race in Top Alcohol Funny Car in 2001. This is the 33rd time Pedregon has qualified number and that is position he has qualified at the most. This is the 74th different driver Pedregon has faced. Pedregon with a good clean pass to move on to round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Tony Pedregon                         427 Tony Bartone                 
E1                   0.064  6.458 150.51     ****WINNER****  0.139  4.911 301.20
 Qualified:             #2  4.798 291.26                       #15  5.141 224.47

Pedregon has won this race three time and also has a one runner up. He holds a five to four advantage over Bartone in head to head match ups. Bartone has won this race three time in Top Alcohol Funny Car. Pedregon is out of the gate first, but then drops a cylinder and starts to shake the tires. He pedals it, but can't get it to hook up. Bartone straight down the groove and into the next round. He will have lane choice in the next round against Worsham.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                             711 Jack Beckman                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.088  4.872 313.95                     0.080  4.906 312.78
 Qualified:             #3  4.806 315.34                       #14  4.995 259.41

Capps is the defending champion here. Beckman has a slight starting line advantage, but Capps has the difference made up by 60 feet and never looks back. Ron Capps' MOV: 0.0264 seconds (approximately 12 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Gary Scelzi                           404 Kenny Bernstein              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.080  4.804 317.05                     0.087  7.931 102.22
 Qualified:             #6  4.827 311.85                       #11  4.864 291.45

This is a rematch of the Gainesville round one, and Bernstein won that one. Scelzi holds a 20 to 12 advantage over Bernstein. Bernstein has won this event three time in Top Fuel.

Scelzi with the starting line advantage and never looks back as Bernstein has tire shake right off the starting line and pedals it a couple times, but can't get it to hook up. Scelzi will have lane choice over Capps in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  170 Jeff Arend                            206 Bob Gilbertson               
E1                   0.084  4.908 308.71     ****WINNER****  0.060  4.907 304.94
 Qualified:             #8  4.836 308.50                        #9  4.854 302.82

Arend is in his 70th round of racing. Gilbertson in his best starting position since St. Louis last year. He won this race in 2000 and was runner up last year. Gilbertson with the starting line advantage and the power to hold on for the closest race of the first round. Bob Gilbertson's MOV: 0.0252 seconds (approximately 11 feet). Gilbertson will give up lane choice to Cruz Pedregon in round two.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink