Sun, 1 Apr 2007, 04:16 PM Pro Stock Round 1 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

BAYTOWN, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Pro Stock 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
    4 Mike Edwards                            8 Greg Stanfield               
E1                  -0.001  6.747 205.47     ****WINNER****  0.021  6.721 205.69
 Qualified:             #9  6.698 206.61                        #8  6.696 206.35

2:52 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 79 degrees, relative humidity 69 percent, barometer 29.97 inches, adjusted altitude 1,641 feet, track temperature 101 degrees. The Sun has been playing hide-and-seek in the broken clouds, right now it's sunny.

Stanfield has a career round-win record of 103-100. Edwards comes in with a 5-1 record against Stanfield and has won this event three times. At the last minute, Stanfield swapped lanes, moving from the left to the right.

Edwards gave this one away by a thousandth and Stanfield moves on.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Dave Connolly                          10 V. Gaines                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.019  6.703 205.63                     0.064  6.684 206.86
 Qualified:            #10  6.699 205.85                        #7  6.696 206.80

Dave Connolly's incremental margins: 60ft(0.031), 330 ft(0.030), 660ft(0.029), 1,000ft(0.029). MOV: 0.0262 seconds (approximately 8 feet).This is Gaines' 195th round of competition. Connolly is 10-1 against Gaines and has a solid 116-69 career round win record. Another last-second lane swap, Gaines also liking the right lane.

On a holeshot, Connolly takes the win. Dave Connolly's incremental margins: 60ft(0.031), 330 ft(0.030), 660ft(0.029), 1,000ft(0.029). MOV: 0.0262 seconds (approximately 8 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Jim Yates                               9 Richie Stevens               
E1                  -0.016  6.728 205.63     ****WINNER****  0.048  6.709 205.54
 Qualified:            #11  6.701 207.11                        #6  6.688 206.32

This is Stevens' 6th #6 qualifier. Yates holds an 8-3 record against Stevens, Stevens has been runner-up here three times.

Another red light and Stevens moves on.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   20 Tom Hammonds                          208 Warren Johnson               
E1                   0.017  6.772 204.73     ****WINNER****  0.035  6.708 206.13
 Qualified:            #12  6.703 206.16                        #5  6.680 207.94

WJ is a five-time winner here, running the first race here in '88. Hammonds is making his second consecutive start, has a 0-2 record against "The Professor."

WJ got a great light (for a change) and Hammonds still beat him off the line, but the win light comes at the other end of the track and Johnson led by half a car length. Warren Johnson's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.011), 330 ft(0.017), 660ft(0.029), 1,000ft(0.038). MOV: 0.0463 seconds (approximately 14 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Kurt Johnson                            1 Jason Line                   
E1                   0.060 11.654  75.10     ****WINNER****  0.055  6.691 206.95
 Qualified:            #13  6.709 207.34                        #4  6.676 208.42

Both Line and KJ are coming in off less-than-stellar performances at Gainesville, KJ a DNQ at his sponsor's race and Line with a red light after setting the speed record in qualifying. Line was runner-up here in '04 and '05, KJ in '03.

Almost even off the line, but KJ's car turned left and he had to lift to stay off the wall. Line ran second-low ET of the round so far and will have lane choice against WJ in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  107 Kenny Koretsky                         25 Jeg Coughlin                 
E1                   0.023  6.753 205.85     ****WINNER****  0.048  6.677 206.51
 Qualified:            #16  6.728 206.57                        #1  6.649 208.17

This is Coughlin's ninth #1 qualifier, his first since Topeka in '00. He is 4-1 against Koretsky. This is Koretsky's 78th start, his 10th from the #16 spot, and he only has one round win from that starting spot.

Koretsky beat one of the best leavers in the business off the line, but it appears he was deep-staged and could not hold off the Slammer's Cobalt after that. Jeg Coughlin's incremental margins: 60ft(0.001), 330 ft(0.024), 660ft(0.035), 1,000ft(0.044). MOV: 0.0514 seconds (approximately 16 feet). jeg runs low ET of the round and will have lane choice against Stanfield in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  357 Larry Morgan                            2 Greg Anderson                
E1                   0.030  6.748 205.98     ****WINNER****  0.056  6.672 207.50
 Qualified:            #15  6.720 206.51                        #2  6.665 208.36

Anderson comes in with a 10-1 record against Morgan. Morgan is starting in the #15 spot for the 13th time and he has a career 268-273 round win record.

Morgan beat Anderson off the line, but Anderson made up the deficit by the 330-foot mark and pulled away for the win. He took over the low ET of the round honors and will choose the lanes against Connolly in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  430 Erica Enders                            6 Allen Johnson                
E1                   0.076  6.722 205.38     ****WINNER****  0.021  6.704 205.85
 Qualified:            #14  6.713 205.69                        #3  6.675 206.89

AJ is 1-0 against Enders, who has a 21-29 career round win record.

Make that 2-0 for AJ, winning at both ends of the track. He will have lane choice against Stevens in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink